Get a Job

Pastor Blake Cromwell
February '02

I read a cartoon today that spoke to me about how many of us today live without a plan of action. In the cartoon a party is taking place where men and women are sitting around drinking socially. One man said to the other, “My view is this: reality is something that you should always treat with respect, but it should not be allowed to control your life.” In other words when reality demands a wakeup call, I choose to stay asleep.

This reminds me of the vision William Booth received that catapulted him into founding the Salvation Army. In his vision he saw a people relaxing by a large body of water enjoying the day. The people were eating and fellowshipping with each other while at the edge of the water there was a great number of people in need of urgent care. In the water were men, women and children nearly drowned. They were crying for help but their pleading went unnoticed by those on the shoreline.

Booth had seen a picture of humanity without Christ screaming for help while the church of Jesus Christ partied on. The reality is that millions die without Christ and are headed for a fiery Hell. Most of the church of Jesus Christ knows this reality yet sits by and has no plan of action to turn it around.

In the Book of Nehemiah we learn how to embrace harsh reality and change it. For ninety years the Jews living in Jerusalem had learned to accept that the walls of their city were broken down. The reality was that they as a nation were constantly exposed to being robbed and plundered. To have no walls at that time was the same as having no locks on our homes and cars today. Anyone could come in and attack them. That was the ugly reality. For more than ninety years they lived with no plan of action to change the problem.

Many people today are fleeing from their personal reality of brokenness. The marriage has decayed and now it is easier to ignore the problem and act as if all is well. The same could be said of the state of our churches. Many recognize the call and responsibility to build a strong church and yet make no plan of action as to the ways they personally can fulfill this divine mandate.

Jesus told us that the “harvest is ripe but the laborers are few.” We know this reality yet we live as if that reality is not our responsibility. On the Day of Judgment God will not ask about our lawns or hobbies. No, He will ask about our selfless actions towards others.

Today as I left my office for lunch I just happened to run into a High School friend. After we exchanged niceties he opened up to me about his recent supernatural stirrings. He told me that we had driven by each other on the street a week before and he felt a spiritual tug. He boldly declared to me that our chance meetings were more than just living in a small town. His wife had told him a few weeks back, “You should go and see Blake.” Talk about white fields. As we parted he said, “My wife and I will see you this weekend at church.”

One commentator has said, "God is a great believer in putting names down in the Bible."
That is why Nehemiah put down a list of unpronounceable names. It means that God has not forgotten our name. That He has a work for every one of us to do. God loves to record the names of obscure people. He may be writing your name down in some great book right now that others will read in times to come.

We learn from the New Testament that there are two things you can no longer say when you become a Christian. The first is, "You do not need me." Everyone in the body of Christ needs everyone else. The second thing is, "I do not need you." You do need others! It is the awareness of this truth that makes a church a living, warm, vital, loving fellowship. I hope we are finding this out more and more in our congregations.

As our churches grow in Kings County I am sensing an attitude coming from long standing members that says, “The church has professionals, I am not needed.” The truth is that our churches have so many new babes in Christ and so many seekers we don’t have enough laborers. Jesus’ words come back to mind, “The fields are white unto harvest but the laborers are few.”

I would suggest that maybe this attitude is coming from the father of lies since we are entering into a time we have prayed many years for. It is time to embrace the reality that people are seeking help and not all of us are responding.

Koinonia Christian Fellowship has a whole department dedicated to assimilate each member into active ministry. We have forty plus ministries for people to be involved in and yet less than thirty percent of the church participate. I would imagine that all of our churches in the Kings County could use more volunteers.

My question for you to pray about is, “Where are you in chapter three of Nehemiah? What work are you doing? Since you are an essential part of the body of Christ, is His church weakened or strengthened by your involvement or lack thereof?

If every church member committed to do his or her part, it would get very difficult to get to Hell from Hanford. This weekend the Pastors in Kings County would love to hear from you that you are ready to do your part.