a Word from the Sheriff of the Church for September 2024 – a Message to the Church of God of Today.
It is said that there was a little life-saving station on a dangerous coastline, where shipwrecks often occurred. Though the building was dilapidated and small, and they only had one small boat, there was a small but dedicated group of volunteers who kept a constant watch over the sea. With no regard for their own safety, they would often spend day and night tirelessly searching for the lost at sea whenever they were called upon to do so after a storm.
Others learned about the bravery and dedication of this small group and soon started supporting them. Some gave up their time and others contributed financially. Soon, they decided that the team needed a bigger and better place to house and treat those rescued from the sea. They added on to the building, replaced all the furniture, and decorated it beautifully. Since it was such a lovely facility, they soon started using it for functions and get together s. Sadly, the members became less interested in saving lives and soon they hired professional lifeboat crews to do this work.
Shortly afterwards a large ship was wrecked off the coast, and the hired crews brought in boatloads of cold, wet, half-drowned people. They were dirty and sick and some of them were foreigners, difficult to understand. The property committee felt that letting these people in just as they were, were no longer an option. They built a shower house outside housing where shipwreck victims could be cleaned up before coming inside.
At the next annual meeting, a huge debate broke out. A number of the members wanted to stop all lifesaving activities and focus on recruiting new members. Not only did they feel that going out in the storms were unpleasant, but that it also interferes with their now normal activities. Others insisted that saving lives should remain their priority. Soon those who wanted to remain true to their purpose of saving lives were pushed aside and forced to start a new lifesaving station. Sadly, since history has a way of repeating itself the same story unfolded here. Despite many new stations being started, many shipwreck victims were now drowning, since nobody seemed interested to live out their original mandate.
This Story is now the Church of God TODAY!
Today I pray that we will not lose focus, that we will not get so busy building fancy “lifesaving stations” that we forget our mandate, to bring in the lost at any cost as instructed in Matthew 28:19.
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‘n Woord van die Balju van die Kerk vir September 2024 – ‘n Boodskap aan die Kerk van God Vandag.
Daar word gesê dat daar ‘n klein lewensreddingstasie aan ‘n gevaarlike kuslyn was, waar skeepswrakke dikwels voorgekom het. Alhoewel die gebou vervalle en klein was, en hulle net een klein bootjie gehad het, was daar ‘n klein maar toegewyde groep vrywilligers wat konstant oor die see gewaak het. Met geen agting vir hul eie veiligheid nie, het hulle dikwels dag en nag onvermoeid deurgebring om na die verlorenes op see te soek wanneer hulle ook al na ‘n storm gevra is om dit te doen.
Ander het geleer van die dapperheid en toewyding van hierdie klein groepie en het hulle gou begin ondersteun. Sommige het hul tyd afgestaan en ander het finansieel bygedra. Hulle het gou besluit dat die span ‘n groter en beter plek nodig het om diegene wat uit die see gered is te huisves en te behandel. Hulle het by die gebou aangebou, al die meubels vervang en dit pragtig versier. Aangesien dit so ‘n lieflike fasiliteit was, het hulle dit gou begin gebruik vir funksies en byeenkomste. Ongelukkig het die lede minder daarin belang gestel om lewens te red en kort voor lank het hulle professionele reddingsbootspanne gehuur om hierdie werk te doen.
Kort daarna het ‘n groot skip langs die kus verwoes, en die gehuurde bemanning het bootvragte koue, nat, halfverdrinkte mense ingebring. Hulle was vuil en siek en van hulle was buitelanders, moeilik om te verstaan. Die eiendomskomitee het gevoel dat dit nie meer ‘n opsie is om hierdie mense in te laat net soos hulle is nie. Hulle het ‘n storthuis buite behuising gebou waar skeepswrakslagoffers skoongemaak kon word voordat hulle binnekom.
By die volgende jaarvergadering het ’n groot debat uitgebreek. ‘n Aantal van die lede wou alle lewensreddende aktiwiteite stop en fokus op die werwing van nuwe lede. Hulle het nie net gevoel dat uitgaan in die storms onaangenaam was nie, maar dat dit ook inmeng met hul nou normale aktiwiteite. Ander het daarop aangedring dat die redding van lewens hul prioriteit moet bly. Binnekort is diegene wat getrou wou bly aan hul doel om lewens te red opsy geskuif en gedwing om ‘n nuwe lewensreddingstasie te begin. Ongelukkig, aangesien die geskiedenis ‘n manier het om homself te herhaal, het dieselfde storie hier afgespeel. Ten spyte van baie nuwe stasies wat begin is, was baie skeepswrakslagoffers nou besig om te verdrink, aangesien niemand blykbaar belangstel om hul oorspronklike mandaat uit te leef nie.
Hierdie storie is nou die Kerk van God VANDAG!
Vandag bid ek dat ons nie fokus sal verloor nie, dat ons nie so besig sal raak om fancy “lewensreddingstasies” te bou dat ons ons mandaat vergeet om verlorenes tot elke prys in te bring soos voorgeskryf in Matteus 28:19 nie.