Pastor's DeskSummer 2019Pastor Marlene Ciranowicz
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From the Pastor’s Desk
Patience!
Patience is a virtue so they say. Patience is also a characteristic of the gift of the Holy Spirit. Yet so many of us lack this characteristic in our lives. Just when we are late, the car in front of us is going oh so slow, the cashier is chatty with the customer in front of us, or we get an unexpected phone call just as we are about to go out the door. It’s things like these that try our patience.
But there is something so much more serious that these trivial things in life that makes us impatient. It is the truth that with our impatience, there comes a far more serious consequence than just being late for an appointment or event.
As I sat through the service on Children’s Day, I was overcome with joy at seeing how far our children’s program has come. The lesson taught to the children and the congregation that day was the story of Abraham and Sarah and the promise God made to give them a child. Initially, they were patient but as year after year went by and there was no child, they became impatient. You remember the story. While they tried to be patient and trust God, doubts that it would ever happen began to creep into their minds. The doubts led to a lack of trust and then a decision that led to an action that would haunt humanity down through the ages, causing much pain and sorrow.
Instead of continuing to wait on the Lord, Abraham and Sarah took things into their own hands and Ishmael was born, not of Sarah but of her handmaiden. The story did not end well because when the promised child did come through Sarah, jealousy and strife followed. To this very day their decision has caused much heartache and suffering in the Middle East as we hear almost daily about the strife between Ishmael’s descendants, the Arabs, and Isaac’s descendants, the Jews.
How tragic and it all came from being impatient. We, as believers in Jesus Christ, have been given a promise that Jesus will return to earth. But much time has passed. Some people have begun to lose sight of that promise and doubts that it will happen have crept into the church. As a result, the church has become complacent in the work our Father has called us to do. After all it is hardly likely that He will come back today...or so some think!
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But He will come and, I believe it will be soon, because He never breaks His promises to us. Are we ready? Will He find us on fire for Him or lukewarm? We already know what Jesus plans to do with lukewarm people. In Revelation it says He will spew us from His mouth. That’s a very serious consequence. But there is another consequence just as bad. Many will enter eternity without knowing Him because we never told them!
There is an old Proverb that says you cannot give something you do not have. Over the past fifty years, the church seems to have lost the mission of making disciples; servants that are prepared to do their Master’s bidding. If you want a job well done, you don’t just throw the person into the responsibility. You train them. That is what discipleship is all about. Being trained to recognize the Master’s voice and then to do the work He has called His servants, you and I, to do.
Because the hour is late and the signs are all around us of His imminent return, we are going to try something new at Memorial Park Baptist so that we can be ready. Over the summer I want to do a preaching series on discipleship. Some of the sermons may be things we are familiar with and some may make us very uncomfortable. But all of them have been designed to prepare us so when Jesus does return, He will find us busy with His work. In addition to the sermons, I would like to take just a few minutes in coffee hour to raise one or two points of the sermon for discussion. Won’t you join us?
See you Sunday and bring a friend! Blessings,
Pastor Marlene
Patience!
Patience is a virtue so they say. Patience is also a characteristic of the gift of the Holy Spirit. Yet so many of us lack this characteristic in our lives. Just when we are late, the car in front of us is going oh so slow, the cashier is chatty with the customer in front of us, or we get an unexpected phone call just as we are about to go out the door. It’s things like these that try our patience.
But there is something so much more serious that these trivial things in life that makes us impatient. It is the truth that with our impatience, there comes a far more serious consequence than just being late for an appointment or event.
As I sat through the service on Children’s Day, I was overcome with joy at seeing how far our children’s program has come. The lesson taught to the children and the congregation that day was the story of Abraham and Sarah and the promise God made to give them a child. Initially, they were patient but as year after year went by and there was no child, they became impatient. You remember the story. While they tried to be patient and trust God, doubts that it would ever happen began to creep into their minds. The doubts led to a lack of trust and then a decision that led to an action that would haunt humanity down through the ages, causing much pain and sorrow.
Instead of continuing to wait on the Lord, Abraham and Sarah took things into their own hands and Ishmael was born, not of Sarah but of her handmaiden. The story did not end well because when the promised child did come through Sarah, jealousy and strife followed. To this very day their decision has caused much heartache and suffering in the Middle East as we hear almost daily about the strife between Ishmael’s descendants, the Arabs, and Isaac’s descendants, the Jews.
How tragic and it all came from being impatient. We, as believers in Jesus Christ, have been given a promise that Jesus will return to earth. But much time has passed. Some people have begun to lose sight of that promise and doubts that it will happen have crept into the church. As a result, the church has become complacent in the work our Father has called us to do. After all it is hardly likely that He will come back today...or so some think!
2
But He will come and, I believe it will be soon, because He never breaks His promises to us. Are we ready? Will He find us on fire for Him or lukewarm? We already know what Jesus plans to do with lukewarm people. In Revelation it says He will spew us from His mouth. That’s a very serious consequence. But there is another consequence just as bad. Many will enter eternity without knowing Him because we never told them!
There is an old Proverb that says you cannot give something you do not have. Over the past fifty years, the church seems to have lost the mission of making disciples; servants that are prepared to do their Master’s bidding. If you want a job well done, you don’t just throw the person into the responsibility. You train them. That is what discipleship is all about. Being trained to recognize the Master’s voice and then to do the work He has called His servants, you and I, to do.
Because the hour is late and the signs are all around us of His imminent return, we are going to try something new at Memorial Park Baptist so that we can be ready. Over the summer I want to do a preaching series on discipleship. Some of the sermons may be things we are familiar with and some may make us very uncomfortable. But all of them have been designed to prepare us so when Jesus does return, He will find us busy with His work. In addition to the sermons, I would like to take just a few minutes in coffee hour to raise one or two points of the sermon for discussion. Won’t you join us?
See you Sunday and bring a friend! Blessings,
Pastor Marlene