Things We Can Agree On…
Matt. 18:15-19
15
Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. 16But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. 17And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. 18Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. 20For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.Bro. Hulon's family came up this week. He has very little family left, but it was easy to see they were special. As they were beginning to leave, I was talking to my wife on the phone, and I saw prayer was about to happen. Bro. Hulon's grandnephew, Mike Johnson, the pastor of East Prairie, Missouri's Full Gospel Church was kneeling in front of Bro. Hulon for prayer. It was not he praying for Bro. Hulon, but Bro. Hulon praying for him. At first, I was surprised, but as the prayer was given and I had time to reflect, I realized what was going on. They were agreeing together for the Lord.
You see they do not totally agree doctrinally about the Lord, but they do agree on some things. It is about these I want to preach today.
One thing that they can agree on is…
Salvation is God's great gift
Bro. Hulon and I talked this week about 2 Corinthians 7:10.
"For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
I ran about some words this week that the Conviction of sin is best described:
"My sins, my sins, my Savior,
How sad on Thee they fall."
Today, I realize…
How great is God's gift
How special that it is free
How precious that it is eternal
How fortunate that we know Him
Truly salvation is God's great gift, not life, health, wealth, but salvation. If God offered each of us life, would we say nay? What of better health or even wealth? How can we say no to His gift of salvation?
It is also obvious they know that…
Souls are precious to God
Poor or rich - they are precious
Young or old - they are precious
Timid or bold - they are precious
Red, yellow, black or white they are precious in His sight!
Listening to the talk, I knew…
Sharing the gospel is our goal
They each shared of loved ones
Friends
Mutual acquaintances
People they knew that needed the Lord
People they had tried to tell about God's great love for them
Sharing experiences and efforts, I could tell they were more than programs and ideas…
Supporting God's work is our greatest work
I could sense their joy in doing His work
I could sense the obedience in preaching God's Word
I could sense the rejoicing over souls turned to God
I could sense the expectation of their entrance into an eternal abode.
Finally it was with joy, no doubt, they knew…
Sickness and stress will someday be gone
I was able to observe…
Their sadness because of Bro. Hulon's sickness
Their promises to watch for the others when they arrive on the other side
Their anticipation of a great reunion
Their understanding that all these difficulties will soon be over
Their understanding that all these difficulties will not prevent their rejoicing over there
It was after all this, when they gathered and held hands and prayed for Bro. Hulon, that I felt another time of agreement. As they prayed for God's providential hand to be upon him. It was all their trust and confidence in the keeping power of God that helped them look to God, and trust Hulon in His hands.
Gary Marcum - New Beginnings Church - 120703am