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THE NORTHERN KENTUCKY SEARCHER VOLUME 2, NUMBER 35, SEPTEMBER 29, 2002 SHOWING UP
In the Men’s Class held last Tuesday evening we were discussing the
general topic of “Desiring the Office of an Elder”.
It was a wide ranging discussion and beneficial to all who were there.
In the course of exchange, a comment was made to the effect that “95%
of Life is Just Showing Up”, or something like that.
In the context of our study, that was so true.
Certainly a man would not be qualified to serve as an elder over a
congregation of the Lord’s people if that man does not consistently “Show
up”.
The more I thought about that comment the more convinced I became that it
expresses a very basic biblical principle, albeit in common vernacular.
In 1 Corinthians 15:58, Paul wrote, “Therefore, my beloved brethren,
be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that
your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”
The idea of being “steadfast” is taking a stand for the Lord
and not wavering from it. The idea
behind “immovable” is basically the same.
It refers to taking a position in the service of the Lord and standing
firm therein. The “work of the
Lord” is the work that the Lord would have us to do, like spreading the
gospel, helping those who are sick or in need of assistance, doing good works.
That we are to “always abound” in that work means that we are
to try to do as much as we can for the Lord.
The attitude of trying to get by with as little as possible is completely
alien to the essence of what it means to be a Christian.
Looking at it from this perspective, isn’t it all about “showing
up?”
When the opportunity to teach someone about Jesus presents itself, will I
show up, or will I just let it go? For
that matter, have I trained myself to even look for the opportunities?
If I am hesitant to teach, will I at least show up and invite
someone to services or arrange to have someone who is more comfortable teaching
come to a class that I set up? When
the opportunity comes up on Nov. 2, to pass out invitations to the Gospel
Meeting in the neighborhood, will I show up, or will I stay at home, go
fishing, shopping, or any one of a thousand different things?
Speaking of the Gospel Meeting, will I show up at it myself?
Have I made any necessary adjustments to my schedule to permit my family
and I to be there at each of the services? Will
I be there to stimulate my brothers and sisters in Christ “unto love and
good works?” If not, why not?
When someone needs a helping hand and I know about it, will I show up,
or just take it for granted that someone else will take care of up?
Will I say, “Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled” and do
nothing to warm them and fill them? Will
I show up or not? Showing
Up is all about whether the Lord can count on me.
I like the way Paul put it in 1 Corinthians
I remember when I was younger and used to play sports competitively.
There would be occasions when my team would be significant underdogs and
there would be some mouthing and taunting going on.
I used to say something like, “We’re here!
We showed up! Let’s
play!” We can’t win in sports,
business, or life in general if we don’t show up.
We can’t get to heaven either, if we don’t show up now.
Consider the alternative. Doing
the work of the Lord is what we promised the Lord we would do when we became
Christians. Have we been keeping the
promise? Have we been showing up?
I pray that we have. Everything
we have talked about in this article is good and wholesome and what the Lord
wants and expects us to do. In James
4:17, we read, “Therefore, the one who knows the right thing to do, and
does not do it, to him it is sin.”
Getting back to 1 Corinthians 15:58, there will come a day when the Lord
will return and there will be the resurrection of the dead.
Since there is going to be that glorious resurrection we can be assured
that our labor for the Lord on earth is not in vain.
Those who have faithfully and steadfastly served Him will receive the
resurrection of life and go to be eternally with the Lord in heaven.
If I haven’t showed up for Him in this life, what makes me think
that I am going to show up there? Be faithful! Be strong! Act like men in the faith! SHOW UP for the Lord!
JUST PASSING IT ON
The story is told of a preacher who had begun to work with a new congregation and hadn’t been there very long. It just so happened that there was a young man there who had something negative to say to the preacher after each and every service. He’d say, “That’s just about the sorriest sermon I have ever heard.” The next time he came by and said, “Do you call that a sermon?” On another occasion he told the preacher, “That is about the nearest to nothing sermon I think I have ever heard.” Well, the preacher got so upset that he finally went to the elders and said, “Brethren, every single sermon this man has some really negative comment to make about my preaching.” One of the elders told the preacher, “Oh, don’t pay any attention to him. He’s a little slow. All he can say is what he repeats from other people.”
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