By David
Whited
By David
Whited
BUFORD, Georgia--An interesting chain of events has begun that will enable us to become an effective community church. We are so encouraged we want to share the news.
If we are to be effective in carrying out the Great Commission, we must be integrated into the worship community and be welcomed by our fellow servants in Christ.
This article relates how we have been given the right hand of fellowship by several area church leaders.
Our story
begins with our co-pastor, Terry Cohron. Terry grew up in Buford and knows just about
everyone, including several in the ministerial community. Terry suggested at a vision
committee meeting that we invite all of the area ministers to a get-acquainted luncheon.
We thought this was a great idea. We needed God's blessing for it to succeed, so we committed ourselves to prayer asking God for his involvement and blessing. We made plans and issued the invitations. They were enthusiastically received.
As the people arrived for the luncheon, we were excited. We were to learn that the visitors were just as excited. During the meal, a man from the Pentecostal Church of God shared his long-held desire that a reconciliation of the churches would occur. All agreed that this reconciliation was long overdue.
The menu was roast beef with all the trimmings. Ferney and Marty Saunders, together with Suzie Cohron, outdid themselves. Lunch ended with a commitment to continue the fellowship with more luncheons in which each church would serve as host on a revolving basis on the first Wednesday of each month.
A number of community projects are being jointly planned in which we will be able to participate with other churches in more effectively serving our community and bringing Jesus Christ to those in need.
We eagerly anticipate God's inspiration in showing us how to join with our new brethren in extending a helping hand to all who desperately need God's saving grace. We know that we have been purchased and that we are not our own. We are learning how to submit to Jesus Christ and to allow him to live through us.
Pastor General Joseph Tkach admonishes us to stay the course and remain faithful to God and to trust his placement of us in the greater Body of Christ. The following comments emphasize how critical it is that we respond to his urging.
One pastor said that many of his friends in the ministry were watching us to determine if we are serious about our commitment to our doctrinal changes. Many are skeptical of our newfound embrace of new covenant truths. Others are worried as to whether we will be able to survive the unprecedented doctrinal restructuring that we have undergone.
Christian leaders are watching. Can God complete the miracle he began in the WCG? The answer involves us. Jesus said the fields are white with harvest and to pray that the Lord would send laborers to the harvest. What a priceless privilege it would be to be numbered among those laborers responding to the call.
We can be effective in our labors as a denomination only if we are united in Jesus Christ, which will allow us to continue receiving God's blessings. God has wrought a profound miracle in us that has amazed the religious community and has brought us to where we are.
The harvest is comprised of precious lives waiting to be released from the grip of sin. We must respond to God's call, as he urges us to submit to his desire to use us in carrying the gospel of Jesus Christ to all. We must be faithful to the blessing that God has showered upon us.
The Christian world is watching.
Copyright © Worldwide Church of God, 1999