In a moment I want you to hear from my favorite guest blogger: Michelle Singleton. But first, I want to tell you how we (Southbrook Church) helped dispel 2 common misconceptions about the church today.
1. There is the misconception that paid staff (pastors) are the ones who do all the ministry.
But the Bible actually teaches that the job of the pastors is to equip the members of the church for acts of service. In other words, every member is a minister—every one!
2. The second misconception is that “church” is only what happens for 1 hour on a Sunday morning and consists of singing a few songs and hearing someone preach a message.
Again, the Bible actually says in James 1:29 that, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
Jesus didn’t come to bring religion. He came to bring relationship. If; however, you are stuck on the word ‘religion’ at least get it right. The only kind that pleases God is out of a heart of belief—and from that kind of heart flow ‘actions’—acts of service. The church isn’t an event 1 hour a week on Sunday morning, it’s a the lifestyle of a Christ follower fully sold out to Jesus 168 hours a week!
That said, let’s hear from Michelle Singleton as she shares a little bit about the ‘Day of the Missing Staff.’
Guest Blogger: Michelle Singleton
Yesterday I had the privilege of serving at the Harvest Kitchen with other Southbrook staff families. Our responsibilities included preparing meals, serving meals, set up, clean up, take down, packing and distributing toiletry bags,and worshiping and praying with the folks there. It was an awesome day!
Who attended the services and came for the free meals? Lots of men and women. Some brought their children. They were very grateful for a free meal and toilet paper. Yes, that is right ~ toilet paper. I never saw so many people so happy to get a roll of toilet paper.
Their worship service started and sister Rosa announced, “The keyboard player did not show up, but God showed up.” An absent keyboard player did not slow them down. We sang for about 10 minutes a chorus that went, “Jesus can fix it!” It was that simple. That was all there was to it so everyone could sing along! Then we heard testimony after testimony of the problems Jesus can fix.
Here are some of the things that Jesus had “fixed” in their lives:
Alcoholism, drug addiction, no home, no food, no clothes, loneliness, sickness, hopelessness, no job, fear, worry, despair … the list was never ending. It certainly made my problems seem small. Insignificant.
One testimony shared was from an older, gray-haired man who was once homeless and left to die in a nearby graveyard. I noticed he only had 3 or 4 teeth. His one belonging was a coat he had been given at the shelter some months earlier. Things changed for this man when he was found in the graveyard, taken back to the shelter, and gave his life to Jesus. He is making a go of it — he even has a home now!
Someone cared enough to care for him. And they introduced him to the One who can “fix” all problems. This once homeless man surrendered all his cares to Jesus! And now he has an eternal home better than any home you and I have ever known or heard of in this life.
Everyone present at the Harvest Kitchen was just like you and me. People, doing their best to make a go of this life, desperately in need of a Savior. Some have already accepted Jesus. Some will in the future. I was once again reminded how very much I am like these men and women. Why do I have a home? Clothes? Teeth? A job? It is only by the grace of God. And this grace is available to these folks at Harvest Kitchen too!
My hope and prayer is that somehow I was able to be the arms and hands of Jesus to my new Harvest Kitchen friends. I came to serve and to bless the men and women there. But I left so very blessed myself.
God is indeed a good God, so generous with His kindness and His grace.
My thought for this week is: JESUS CAN FIX IT!