If churches would get along and work together

Yesterday I worshiped with the congregation of the First Baptist Church of Mason.  If I had been planning ahead to go, I would have called Pastor Rob to let him know.  It wasn’t until yesterday morning God impressed upon my heart that I should go to worship with the Baptist church which begins worship at 11:00.  We (at the Mason UMC) start Big Church at 9:45 and it’s usually over around 11:10, plus or minus.  Yesterday I rushed things, skipped a hymn, and cut the sermon down so we got out at 10:50.  (And the crowd went wild, LOL.)  Five others from the Mason UMC also went: Ralph, Ryan, Chelsea, Jace, and Draeson.

Needless to say, we got some funny responses when we got there.  One lady said to me, “Don’t you go to that other church up the road?”  I said, “Yea, I normally go there.”  (Which is funnier when you know I’m the pastor.)

As a pastor, this was a great opportunity to just sit in church waiting for church to start knowing I didn’t have to do anything but worship.  Even more importantly, as a Christian, it was a chance to worship with brothers and sisters I don’t normally worship with.  I believe that one day all of us will be together, side by side, in heaven worshiping our Heavenly Father.  Yet here on earth, the church is so divided.  We’re competitive, envious, and critical of other churches, pastors being the chief sinners.  I’d be skeptical of any pastor who disputes this (there I go criticizing!)  If that weren’t true, we (pastors and laity) would be supportive of others’ revivals, occasionally attend other church’s functions, etc.  Father Schmitt (who recently retired) from the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Mason, and Paul & Brenda (from the same Catholic Church) have been long time regulars at our Wednesday night dinner/devotion setting an example for me.  It just takes me a while to catch on.  I want to follow their lead as they’ve been following Christ’s lead to bring unity to His church.

Hear this:  Everyone needs a home church.  I don’t believe we need to go to a different church every week.  But if your church doesn’t have a Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday – the day before Good Friday) evening worship celebrating Christ’s last night with the disciples in the Upper Room, come to ours.   If you have a lunchtime free during Holy Week, go to Faith Baptist for their Holy Week worship that they have in their fellowship hall.  Pop in on one of the Baptist Churches once in a while for a Sunday night worship if your church doesn’t do Sunday nights.  Go to Soul Harvest for a 7:00 Wednesday night once in a while.  If you can’t go to church some Sunday morning because you have to leave by 10:00 to pick someone up at the airport, come worship with us at 8:30 a.m. (which is over by 9:15 at the latest.)

If we start treating each other more as brothers and sisters and less like the enemy, I think we’d gain a lot of credibility with the unchurched and we’d be pleasing God.

Finally, all of you be of one mind, sympathetic, lovers of your fellow believers, compassionate, and modest in your opinion of yourselves.  Don’t pay back evil for evil or insult for insult. Instead, give blessing in return. You were called to do this so that you might inherit a blessing. ~ 1 Peter 3:8-9 (CEV)

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