What works on a Grand Canyon backpack and for each human body, also works in the Christian Church—but sometimes forget this. If one part of the Christian family suffers, we all suffer. No one is expendable. There is not one person here this morning who has not received gifts given for the good of all.
A Nigerian boy recounted how his father was murdered by terrorists. They made one demand: Renounce Jesus. Fighting back his fear, the man explained that he could never do that because if he renounced Jesus, then Jesus could not commend him to the Father. His declaration of faith was answered by fatal gunfire.
At first it was just a family squabble. One group put Scripture above Church structure and called for change but they were rejected, so they protested. So, then the one family became two--Protestants and Catholics. But once the squabble started, it snowballed.
Carl Braaten noted, "Without the primitive Spirit of Pentecost we are way down in the valley of dry bones and the breath we use to chant the liturgy or preach the sermon will not have the power to make those dry bones live again."
From the earliest days of the Church, love was a mark of Christian believers. Pagans described Christians this way, "They love one another. They never fail to help widows. If they have something, they give freely to those who have nothing. They consider themselves brothers and sisters through the spirit of God."
"Sir", the pilot said, "Would you like to get off and stretch your legs?" The blind man replied, "No thanks, but my dog would like to stretch his legs." Everyone in the gate area came to a complete stand still when they looked up and saw the pilot walk off the plane with a guide dog! The pilot was even wearing sunglasses.
A Middle School English teacher asked her class to write imaginative definitions of a friend. One student said, "A friend is a pair of open arms in a society of armless people." Another said, "A friend is a warm bedroll on a cold and frosty night."
John Wesley was one of the best-read eighteenth century Christians, yet he always said that he was a man of one book. The people of Israel in ancient days were called people of the book. We Christians are people of God's book. We are Bible Christians and we will grow in our faith as we are grounded in the Bible.
Americans are growing more and more preoccupied with their homes. We have gone from simply cocooning in our homes to burrowing into them, and thus shutting out the world far more successfully. No longer is our home just our castle; it has become our fortress.
If there was ever a time for fear, it is now. I have a grandson and another on the way. What kind of world are we giving them? How many times this week has that question been asked by you and everyone else in the world who loves freedom? What kind of world are we giving those who follow us?