Ever since I started leading music for some of our Sunday evening services, it has seemed like every time I get up there, our scheduled special music number for the evening has been canceled. This time around was no exception. However, I at least had a few hours' advance notice about it this time. Our chorister called me that afternoon and told me that I could fill the time with whatever I wanted. I'm going to venture a guess and say that he learned a valuable lesson that evening. Leaving the option wide open like that can be a very dangerous thing to do.
I had a few things to consider in deciding what to do about this little problem. We have no children's activities while our evening service is held, so they're stuck in the auditorium with the adults for the entire hour. We also were holding our quarterly business meeting immediately after the evening service this time, so the kids would be stuck in there with us for longer than usual. I remember what it's like being a kid stuck in a pew while some boring adult drones on and on at the pulpit. It wasn't much fun for me, and I didn't get much out of the experience at the time. Bottom line - I had to get the kids involved somehow.
When the time came, I announced that we'd have a little singing competition between the two sides of the auditorium. I could see the color slowly drain from the chorister's face as I explained what I had in mind. Without waiting to see if there would be an objection, I started the left side off...
"Hallelu, hallelu, hallelu, hallelujah..."
And the right side answered...
"Praise ye the Lord!"
This turned out to be more fun than I could have anticipated. Seeing child-like joy spontaneously appear on the faces of many of the adults in the congregation as they jumped to their feet, sang out, sat down, and did it all over again made it all worthwhile. Upon taking the pulpit immediately thereafter, the pastor expressed his appreciation because everyone would be more likely to stay awake through his message. One brother even thanked me after the service for briefly taking him back to his Sunday school days.
The whole experience brought me a reminder of the "grass roots" of our faith. Jesus Himself said it in Mark 10:15. "Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein." That doesn't mean that we can only enter into His kingdom while we're still children. What it means is that it takes a child-like faith on our part to believe in Jesus Christ and His completed work on the cross.
As adults in the church, it's so easy for us to get caught up in all the different facets of church life. There's scheduling, singing, playing, studying, serving... The list goes on and on. Just occasionally, it helps to put all of that aside for a few moments and return to what makes all of this activity meaningful. It helps us to return to that one, simple truth upon which everything else rests, found in John 3:16.
Do you truly know Jesus, or are you just going through the motions in a church somewhere, hoping to work your way into Heaven? In John chapter 3, Jesus tells us that this is impossible; we must be born again to enter Heaven. Paul's letter to the church in Rome describes this process in greater detail. We must humble ourselves before God, confess that we are helpless sinners, throw ourselves on His mercy, and receive His gift of life in Jesus Christ.
Have you ever found that child-like faith? Have you received Christ?
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." - John 3:16-18
"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." - Romans 10:9-10
I had a few things to consider in deciding what to do about this little problem. We have no children's activities while our evening service is held, so they're stuck in the auditorium with the adults for the entire hour. We also were holding our quarterly business meeting immediately after the evening service this time, so the kids would be stuck in there with us for longer than usual. I remember what it's like being a kid stuck in a pew while some boring adult drones on and on at the pulpit. It wasn't much fun for me, and I didn't get much out of the experience at the time. Bottom line - I had to get the kids involved somehow.
When the time came, I announced that we'd have a little singing competition between the two sides of the auditorium. I could see the color slowly drain from the chorister's face as I explained what I had in mind. Without waiting to see if there would be an objection, I started the left side off...
"Hallelu, hallelu, hallelu, hallelujah..."
And the right side answered...
"Praise ye the Lord!"
This turned out to be more fun than I could have anticipated. Seeing child-like joy spontaneously appear on the faces of many of the adults in the congregation as they jumped to their feet, sang out, sat down, and did it all over again made it all worthwhile. Upon taking the pulpit immediately thereafter, the pastor expressed his appreciation because everyone would be more likely to stay awake through his message. One brother even thanked me after the service for briefly taking him back to his Sunday school days.
The whole experience brought me a reminder of the "grass roots" of our faith. Jesus Himself said it in Mark 10:15. "Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein." That doesn't mean that we can only enter into His kingdom while we're still children. What it means is that it takes a child-like faith on our part to believe in Jesus Christ and His completed work on the cross.
As adults in the church, it's so easy for us to get caught up in all the different facets of church life. There's scheduling, singing, playing, studying, serving... The list goes on and on. Just occasionally, it helps to put all of that aside for a few moments and return to what makes all of this activity meaningful. It helps us to return to that one, simple truth upon which everything else rests, found in John 3:16.
Do you truly know Jesus, or are you just going through the motions in a church somewhere, hoping to work your way into Heaven? In John chapter 3, Jesus tells us that this is impossible; we must be born again to enter Heaven. Paul's letter to the church in Rome describes this process in greater detail. We must humble ourselves before God, confess that we are helpless sinners, throw ourselves on His mercy, and receive His gift of life in Jesus Christ.
Have you ever found that child-like faith? Have you received Christ?
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." - John 3:16-18
"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." - Romans 10:9-10
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