November 7, 2018
.....continued from The Visitors
What the Holy Spirit had shown him that night, the pastor knew required his immediate action. Every ounce of his being was calling him to act now, to do today, what the Lord did not want him to wait to do tomorrow. So before the pastor could even think of going to bed that Thursday night, he had already messaged the entire church board. Calling all to an emergency meeting at the church the next evening. For a meeting to be called by the pastor on a Friday night, had many of the board members concerned. Leaving each asking themselves, “Why could this not wait until after church on Sunday?” A few even took the time to contact the pastor, worried if everything was okay. He replied to each, that he and his wife were fine, but a situation that had been brought to their attention was in desperate need of the church’s action.
Most of the board members arrived early that Friday evening, still concerned about what they were about to hear. And as the board all gathered, the pastor begin to explain, in detail, the events of the night before. Events that weighed so heavy on his heart, that he could not imagine waiting another moment to address.
The board could hear something different in his voice. A slight trembling with each word that made them aware of why the Lord had placed this on his heart, and called them all to the meeting that night. And as they heard each word, their heart went out to the family. Leaving each wondering, what if the circumstances had been different. What if had been them, or someone from their family, that the pastor had meet for dinner that night before?
But as their hearts continued to sink, the words of a board member, who had been in the church a long time, snapped them all back into reality. “Pastor, my family has been in this church many years, and we have seen many things. All of my life, I have been a member of this small church, and even though we are small, I have seen the Lord use this little church in amazing ways. But I am sad to say, I have also seen some come to this church, and try to use it in ways the Lord did not have His hand in.”
“A couple of years before you and your wife came to this church, pastor, another family asked for our help. A family, where the dad told us he was very sick and facing death. A family with three very young kids that the mom was struggling to just take care of. A family that as they were about to lose everything, had their apartment broken into, and came home to see what little they did have taken from them. A family, that was about to face Christmas, without anything for their children to have under the tree.”
“The story about this family touched our church like no other ever had. And our church saw people giving to help this family like it never had before. We moved them into a better apartment, one in a far safer area. And we paid the rent on that apartment for a full year, so the family would not have to worry about not having a home. We paid for all their household bills, and we furnished that apartment, so the place might feel more like a home. And we went out of our way to also make sure each of those kids had a Christmas to remember, filling that apartment with more presents than all could begin to count. That year, that Christmas, meant more to this church than any time I can ever remember. Cheer and goodwill became more than just words, but became an outpouring that filled this church. And soon had this church looking for other ways we could reach out, to also help others.”
“Then one day, right after Christmas, news about this family began to spread to everyone in our church. It turned out, that the whole story, the whole family, was a fraud. The father was not really sick, and no one had broken into their apartment. The father had pawned all they had, to play on the sympathy of others. And we soon learned that this family had not only scammed our church, but had also done the same with several other churches in the area. Since then pastor, this church has been very apprehensive to help others in this type of situation. It is not that we do not want to help, we want nothing more than to help this family. It is that we also know the Lord wants us to be accountable. Romans 14:12 tells us, ‘So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.’ If each of us will one day stand accountable before Him, pastor, then each one of us here must be accountable with the responsibility He is giving us today. And a big part of that responsibility is for us to use wisely each dollar this church has, as those funds are His, not ours.”
On hearing these words, you could watch the faces of the board change, and you could all but sense the apprehension many there now had to help this family. Not wanting to find themselves in the same situation again, that the church had found itself several years before. Knowing where this was leading, the pastor began to speak, “I fully agree, we must be accountable with ever cent the Lord entrust this church with, and to make sure that each penny is spent wisely. But because this church was burnt before, cannot stop our arms from ever reaching out for Him again. We cannot look at this situation the same as we did the last. As the call this situation now places on us, we must be accountable for also. Because to turn our backs on this family and not help, leaves us no better, and no more accountable to Him, than if we had unwisely spent His funds thinking we were helping a family who was only looking to scam us.”
Within minutes, the board soon found itself divided, lines drawn with both sides only looking to further their own point. But during this disagreement, another board member was seen raising his hand. “Pastor, may I speak for just a moment. I know we are fairly new to this church, and my family does not have the history in this church that so many here do. But in thinking about this, are not we all going about this decision wrong? Before we decide what we need to do, should we not first ask God what He wants us to do? Before we give nothing, or give everything we can afford, should we not be calling on Him to guide us, to let us know exactly what we should spend, or if we should spend nothing at all? If we truly believe that all this church has belongs to Him, then should we not be placing this first in His hands?”
The words brought silence, to not only the board, but also to the pastor. And without another word being said, they joined hands and began to pray. Asking the Lord to show them His will, and to give them the strength and the wisdom to carry through with that will, and how He wanted them to act in this situation. And as the prayer closed, they agreed to each continue to pray, and to come together again after services on Sunday. Each letting the board know where the Lord was leading them, and trusting Him, with where He would soon guide them.
In the conclusion, and the final part of our story, we will look at where the Lord led this church, and see where He is leading all our churches today as we are called to reach out with helping hands to others.
“Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble the Lord delivers him; the Lord protects him and keeps him alive; he is called blessed in the land; you do not give him up to the will of his enemies.” Psalm 41:1-2 