local church

Better Together

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / Leave a comment

s&g

So many of the famous musical groups were better than the sum of their parts.

Take Simon and Garfunkel, for instance. To me, what they did together is better than what Paul Simon or Art Garfunkel have done since.

Don’t get me wrong. I love me some Kodachrome or Still Crazy After All These Years, but it’s just not up to the level of Sound of Silence or The Boxer.

I truly believe that the old Chicago lineup was way better than what Peter Cetera and the remaining members of Chicago have done since.

So many groups have either split up or seen their lead singer move on to a solo career. Sometimes it works out for the best,  but most of the time, the end result is that what each does separately can never compare to what they did together.

That’s a lot like being a part of the Church. We’re better together. In fact, we’re much more than the sum of our parts when we’re living in fellowship, sharing a common life together.

In Acts, the Holy Spirit came upon the believers and anointed the body of believers to go out and spread the Kingdom message. The results of them being better together are evident in Acts 2 where many thousands of people believed in their message and were added to the Church.

The present age tells you that you don’t need anybody and that you are best on your own. You are actually more vulnerable and prone to temptation when you’re alone, apart from other believers.

That’s why the local church is so important. Not because they’re the perfect group of people. Definitely not because your salvation depends on going to church.

It’s because we can do life together way better than we ever could apart. It’s where you are strong in areas where I am weak, and visa versa.

We are truly better together.

Ridiculously Radical Generosity

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / Leave a comment

I read about a pastor who didn’t think he had to tip his waitress because he tithed earlier in the week. Like tithing was some extraordinary sacrifice he’d made instead of a normal biblical habit. I wonder if I could make that same excuse for not paying one of my bills. Sorry, AT&T, but I tithed, so you don’t get paid this month.

My tendency as of late has been to go in the opposite direction. I overtip whenever I can. I start at the mimimum of around 30% and go up from there. It hasn’t been uncommon lately for me to tip over 100%.

I’m not saying all this so you’ll think, “Gee, what a swell guy that Greg is.” You might, if you were an extra on Leave It to Beaver, but that’s beside the point.

I firmly believe that God calls us as believers to be ridiculously and radically generous. That goes for giving to your local church. That goes for supporting missions and humanitarian causes both worldwide and local.

It especially comes into play when you go out to eat.

I’ve heard the usual horror stories about how waitpersons (see how I’m being oh-so politically correct and not saying waiters and waitresses?) hate to work on Sundays, because churchgoers are usually the most demanding and least generous. Some have left tracts instead of tips, which is probably as much a turnoff to the gospel as anything I can think of.

But Jesus called us to be generous. He called us to be a people of grace, not legalistic expectations. For me, that means I am generous in tipping, even if the server may not have done the very best job.

I don’t mean if he or she was deliberately rude or incompetent. I’ll leave that one up to your best judgment. But remember even in that scenario that Jesus loved you and gave his all for you when you were at your absolute worst.

A better witness than a tract disguised as money is actual money. Also, being kind to your servers and making conversation, asking how they’re doing and how you can pray for them. You don’t know that you just might turn someone’s day around.

Anyway, I’m stepping off my soapbox. I just had to get that off my chest. You can’t be stingy when it comes to loving people, because God wansn’t stingy with you. Be as radical in your love to others as God has been in his love for you.