You Finish The Story...

by: Gary L. Hutchens

​   I picked up the title and theme for this article from a church bulletin I receive by email each week.  I expanded the basic thought and developed it in more detail.  I hope this will motivate each of us to reflect upon our personal commitment and active participation as members of the Lord’s church, in general, and of our congregation here at Sunny Slope, in particular.

                                 “I had a dream the other night about a congregation of the Lord’s                                                                         church, and in that congregation every member was just like me…"                                  

   Each member attended worship and Bible classes just like me.  Each one put as much thought into the lessons being studied and taught as I did.  Each one was as supportive of, and encouraging to, the Bible class teachers and the preacher as I was.  Each parent was as consistently committed to have their children in Bible class as I was.
   Each member cared about, and was just as committed to, the growth of the church as much as I was.  Each one invited just as many people to church services as I did.  Each one talked to exactly the same number of people about the gospel as I did.  Each one prayed for souls to be saved as much as I did.  Every member welcomed all of the visitors as warmly and encouraged them to come back as often as I did.
   Each member was as actively involved in the work and activities of the church as I was.  Each one participated in as many works and activities as I did.  Each prayed for God’s blessings upon the works of the church as much as I did.
   Each member gave back to God from the blessings with which God blessed them to the same degree as I did.  Each one thanked God, with true heart-felt thankfulness for His blessings, as much as I did.  Each one enjoyed giving in worship to God as much as I did.
   Each member put the same emphasis upon their recreational pursuits as I did.  Each one balanced their commitment to the church with their recreation, work and other affairs of their lives just as I did.  God and the church stood at the same level of importance in their lives as they did in mine.
   Each member loved every other member in the congregation, and openly showed their love, as much as I did.  Each one abstained from gossip and backbiting the same as I did. Each one personally prayed for, sent cards to, called and visited the sick and shut-ins as much as I did.  Each was as personally attentive to those in need within the congregation as I was.  Each was just as encouraging to their brothers and sisters in Christ as I was.
      Each member spent as much time in private, personal Bible study through the week as I did.  Each one spent the same amount of time in prayer as I did.  As a result, the faith of each member was as strong and developed as mine was.
   And then I woke up!  I wished I could finish my dream, but I could not fall back to sleep.  I wanted to know what happened to that church.  But then my thoughts about the possibilities began to bother me.  I felt tears come to my eyes and a lump to my throat as I thought about each member being just like me…
   If every member of the church was just like you…  You finish the story… 
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