KNOWING YOUR WAY TO HEAVEN
The little church in the suburbs suddenly stopped buying from its regular office supply dealer. So, the dealer telephoned Deacon Brown to ask why. "I'll tell you why," said Deacon Brown, "Our church ordered some pencils from you to be used in the pews for visitors to register."
"Well, interrupted the dealer, "didn't you receive them yet?" "Oh, we received them all right," replied Deacon Brown. "However, you sent us some golf pencils...each stamped with the words, 'Play Golf Next Sunday.' Obviously, the church doesn't need to advertise for the world.
ILL.- After the service a young couple talked to a church member about joining the church. He hadn't met the husband before, and he asked what church he was transferring from.
After a short hesitation, he replied,"I am transferring from the Municipal Golf Course."
I don't have anything against anybody playing golf, but it's a poor substitute for a relationship with God! Likewise, there are many things in this world that people chose over God when in reality they need Christ as their savior. And when people truly get converted they may well leave some things behind. Some people don't want to become Christians because they know it will mean a certain amount of surrender, commitment and sacrifice.
ILL.- Billy Graham tells of a time early in his ministry when he arrived in a small town to preach a sermon. Wanting to mail a letter, he asked a young boy where the post office was. When the boy had told him, Dr. Graham thanked him and said, "If you'll come to the Church this evening, you can hear me telling everyone how to get to Heaven."
"I don't think I'll be there," the boy said. "You don't even know your way to the post office."
Could it be that we don't how to point people to heaven? We don't know the plan? We don't how to share Christ with others? Or maybe we have another problem.
ILL.- A small church in the hills of Tennessee struck oil on its property. It was a real gusher and brought in lots of money to the church to the point where they didn't know what to do with all of it.
The board called the congregation of forty members together and asked them what they thought should be done with the money. One deacon said, "I move that we divide all the money among the forty members and I further move that we don't take in any new members." SOUNDS LIKE SOME CHURCHES, DOESN'T IT?
From Steve Shepherd's Sermon "What's So Important About the Church?"