Christ is the Goal

I preached a message this past week on "Following Christ." The apostle Paul said in First Corinthians 11:1: "Be ye followers of me, as I also am a follower of Christ." What a statement that this man of God could make being prompted by the Holy Spirit. I want to follow Christ in everything I do. Life would be so much better for us and certainly more productive if we would make Christ the number one goal. We have somehow gotten things out of perspective and our goals have become our own personal happiness, our personal successes, and our personal dreams.

Sunday we had such a great day. It wasn't because of the music, though it was fantastic. It wasn't because of the fellowship, though it was sweet. It wasn't because of the attendance, though it was excellent. It was because we tried to bring honor and glory to Christ in all of the services. People were saved and the altars were filled and the Lord placed his hand of blessings on our church.

In the Wednesday night services I have been preaching a series of messages out of Psalm 116. The psalmist said: "I love the Lord because...." How would you fill in that blank? The psalmist said that he loved the Lord because he heard him. He heard his voice; He heard his supplications; and He heard his cry. It is amazing that we forget that God knows us. He knows everything about us and He knows what we need.

Let's make Christ the goal in all that we do. Let's put Him first in our service, our dreams, our families, and especially in our churches. We should make Christ the goal and then do everything we can to reach that goal.

"Heaven's Sounding Sweeter All the Time"

Monday, June 11, one of our finest young people, Lee Waller, was called home to be with the Lord. On the front of our web page you will find an article called "Church Pioneers." Lee, along with two others, had been chosen to represent Crown College to go to San Francisco and work in a church ministry for the summer. Their job was to just go and serve in whatever capacity the pastor would need. Lee was so excited for the opportunity that had been afforded him and his friends.

On the way to San Francisco, Lee, Scott Davis, and Zach Gillit rolled the SUV that they were driving (details are vague right now). Scott and Zach were shaken but are now doing well. Lee was pinned in the car and died before he could be freed from the wreckage. Lee's dad, Butch Waller, was able to talk with Lee as one of his buddies held the phone up to Lee's ear while his dad spoke to him.

Bro. Waller called me and we prayed together over the phone; then Dr. Clarence Sexton called and told me that Lee's death had been confirmed. My wife and I headed to the Wallers to tell them of Lee's passing as they were about to leave for Nevada where the accident took place. My heart was broken as they fell into one another's arms, shocked with the news.

I was so proud of our church as the calls and visits poured in for the Wallers. Several of us gathered together around the family and prayed for God's grace in this whole situation. It was a blessing to see God's people rally around this broken family.

On a personal note, I was so proud of Lee and how he had grown in the Lord in the last couple of years. Not long ago Lee preached for me at Peoples and did a superb job. It was amazing to see how the Lord has blessed him with ability, enthusiasm, and content. It was obvious that Lee had such a heart for God.

Also, I want to tell Butch, Marla, and Bryce that God will see you through. I know that you have heard all of the religious cliches, but I am confident that God makes no mistakes. Bryce, Lee loved you and he prayed for you often. You have some great memories of a brother that died serving the Lord and doing the very thing that he wanted to do. I want to tell Butch and Marla that you are going to experience the grace of God like never before. You have every right to be proud and honored for the investment that you have made in the lives of your boys.

As for the church, we need to continue helping the Waller family with an outpouring of love and support. You have been a blessing to the Wallers and to Trish and me personally. Let's pray together that the Lord Jesus Christ will be honored and glorified through this crisis. We hurt when each other hurts, and we draw together as a church to help bear one another's burdens. I love you and I continue to be in much prayer for you all. Thank you for being a blessing.

THE CHALLENGE!

On Sunday, June 3, I met with all of our church officers and workers in our monthly meeting. The assembly room was filled with some of the finest people you could ever meet. We prayed and sang a song together, and then I put a challenge out to each one of our workers. The challenge was simply this . . . reach someone for Christ this summer. The Bible says: "He that winneth souls is wise." The night before, Trish and I went out and won a man to Christ who wants to join the church by baptism. It was the highlight of our day to hear this dear man "call upon the name of the Lord."

I have had many accolades through the years (most of which I did not deserve); but, I believe that the greatest thrill I have ever had is winning a soul to Christ and seeing him come down the aisle for baptism. Soulwinning will cure whatever ails you. If you are feeling discouraged, go out soulwinning; if you are frustrated and don't know what to do, win someone to Christ. When you need a lift and it seems that life has you at a dead end, witness for Jesus. It will do more for you than you will ever know.

I am sure that many people are reading this blog that don't go to my church. My best advice for you is to be a soulwinner. You can be a great blessing to your church by just winning souls. Through the years there have been many things (good things) that have tried to sidetrack me from the main thing. The main thing is soulwinning! Soulwinning builds a church and we all need to be busy doing that.

Take the challenge with me. Let's win souls to Christ and bring honor and glory to the name of the Lord. The best church building program there is is soulwinning. I love the Lord and I desire more than anything to be used for Him. Will you join with me and accept the challenge?