Power Point - December 14, 2004
December 14, 2004
Do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.
-James 2:1
Chuck Colson once wrote in his Prison Fellowship newsletter about a pastor who was putting the finishing touches on his sermon on Sunday morning. Suddenly, he heard a knock on his door and when he went to answer it he found three ragged little boys who had previously received gifts from church members. Their home life was horrible—ruined by drugs and prostitution. The boys had never been to church before and wanted to look around. So the pastor gave them a quick tour.
The boys came back only fifteen minutes later asking what time the service started. The oldest boy asked the pastor, “Can people come to your church if their socks don’t match?”
The pastor assured them that they could. The boy asked again, “What if they don’t have any socks?”
The pastor responded with “yes.” Then the boy replied, “That’s good because my socks don’t match and my little brother doesn’t have any.”
That morning, the three boys were welcomed with open arms by the church family. Since that time, the church has helped them.
Not only is the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be shared with everyone, but our church families should be as well. Our hearts should warmly welcome those who don’t have any socks, or a place to stay, or food to eat. Everyone—rich and poor, sick and healthy, child and adult, convict and upstanding citizen are all prized possessions and objects of Christ’s love. I pray that there will be no barriers in the church of Jesus Christ. This season, open your arms and heart to someone in need.
