(P)Christ...
Illustration
(P)
Christ died for all people.
To me this statement means that you and I do not have to die always for someone else. We do not have to be eternal scapegoats. In most congregations in most places there are people who would like to make church leadership a painful experience. Such people want to inflict pain and hardship upon servants, be these servants lay or ordained. Such people often project their own sin and poor self images upon others. In other words, they like to kill because of some distortion of God, Christ, others, and self. Christ died so that church leaders may live, too.
In a congregational meeting one year a person arose from the midst of the congregation and declared, "The pastor's salary is too high, let's cut it." Now, this statement was not true. The budget that year was being reached easily. So, the Pastor arose and said, "David, what you are saying is that you do not like me; you want to hurt me." There was no reply. From that day forward neither this person nor any member of this family ever came back to that church.
Moral: Christ appears a second time to save those who are waiting for him.
-- Smyth
Christ died for all people.
To me this statement means that you and I do not have to die always for someone else. We do not have to be eternal scapegoats. In most congregations in most places there are people who would like to make church leadership a painful experience. Such people want to inflict pain and hardship upon servants, be these servants lay or ordained. Such people often project their own sin and poor self images upon others. In other words, they like to kill because of some distortion of God, Christ, others, and self. Christ died so that church leaders may live, too.
In a congregational meeting one year a person arose from the midst of the congregation and declared, "The pastor's salary is too high, let's cut it." Now, this statement was not true. The budget that year was being reached easily. So, the Pastor arose and said, "David, what you are saying is that you do not like me; you want to hurt me." There was no reply. From that day forward neither this person nor any member of this family ever came back to that church.
Moral: Christ appears a second time to save those who are waiting for him.
-- Smyth
