Church of God (Holiness)

Jn 15:1-7 (4)

Wong Yoke Lin had moved with her family to Singapore just a weeks earlier in order to earn better wages. She was getting accustomed to the large, noisy machinery in the plywood factory where she was now employed. That morning in April 1975 all seemed to be going well as the plywood planks rolled down the chute to the conveyor belt. Then a plank got caught and Yoke Lin tried to free it from the machinery. In horror and pain she screamed as her arm was quickly torn off at the elbow.

She was rushed to the hospital. Her severed arm was removed from the machine and was sent with her in the lorry. Four surgeons battled for five exhausting hours to save the seventeen year old girl and to reconnect her arm to her body. The surgery was successful. Later she returned to the factory where she worked for four more years.

The stark reality is that if the vessels, tendons, nerves and muscles on both sides of the arm had not been wedded together the girl would have lost the arm. In much the same way each born again believer is part of the body of Christ. If we are severed from Him by sin then we loose our ability to function and maintain life. Without Christ we are nothing… and without Christ we have no spiritual life.

Eze 44:5-9)

I was in for a shock the first Sunday at my new pastorate. The rural church had been without a pastor for about two years and the effects of being without a leader were evident. I sat down in my pew to enjoy the preliminaries of the Sunday School service. A lady who did not have the appearance of an acquaintance with the conservative holiness culture walked up to the platform with a song book in her hand. I later discovered that she was not a Christian, BUT her granddaddy had be a founding father of the church. I also discovered that she seldom missed a service, knew everybody in the country and was a gossip.

With a lot of help from God and intestinal fortitude that accompanies immaturity I was able to 1) get a new song leader, 2) convince the church people that they should only elect Christians to positions in the church, and 3) win the lady’s friendship and support.

A person who is involved in the leading of worship to God must be a person who loves God. To give someone a position of leadership just to encourage them to become a part of the church organization is to misunderstand out mission. We are to seek and save the lost.

Rev. 10:1-6 (4)

Eleven-year-old prince Arthur was amazed! This had to be the highest mountain in the world. The entourage stopped their horses long enough to look at the magnificent sight.

Immediately Arthur wanted to know. “Has anyone climbed it?” No one had. It wasn’t possible. That was all that was needed to make up Arthur’s mind. As Arthur rode off toward the mountain Cai begged permission to follow his friend. Ectorius was immediately against the idea because his son had one lame leg. Merlin saw the hope in Cai’s eyes and took up the argument. A short time later Cai was permitted to ride after his friend Arthur.

Ectorius and Merlin sat up camp. They waited through that day and the next. Ectorius was beside himself with worry. He griped and grumbled. He was certain that his boy had fallen and was on the side of the mountain bleeding to death. Merlin soothed him again and again.

It wasn’t until after dark that evening that they heard the jubilant call. The boys staggered into camp, bone-weary, but with victory lighting up their countenance. They were heroes.

Cai looked at Arthur and said, “We reached the top. But I never would have made it without him. He carried me most of the time.” Arthur responded, “No don’t say that. We climbed it together – you and I together.”

The bond of friendship that was born that day was to glue the hearts of these two men together so that they fought for the kingdom together – and yes, in a sense reigned together.

The life we face looks hard. It looks impossible. But we have King Jesus as our companion. That makes the difference. When we can’t go any farther He carries us. He takes us to the peak and shows us the glory of a holy life. Because of our love for Him we too will be His right arm. We will serve Him with all loyalty and love.