who were supposed to do the "holy and happy
work." I concluded after looking around at the cir-
cus of sinful humanity (which of course didn't in-
clude perfect me), that they were doing a lousy job.
That conclusion exploded when I read the Bible
and finally understood what God says about the
matter. According to the Book of Ephesians, the
job of church officials is to equip people like you
and me to do the work of ministry. I was not called
to umpire others or remain part of the problem,
but to become part of the solution.
line is that, if Jesus Christ were in charge of a
mountain climbing expedition, His priority would
be that no one would be left behind. He wants us to
share that same loving intention. His love toward
us and His desire to favor or bless us is one side of
the coin. The flip side is that He wants us to coop-
erate with Him, communicate back to Him in an en-
lightened and appreciative way that leads to action.
some results. We have the potential within us to
do the work He wants done.
right in our back yard. We toured the Salvation
Army facility in New Bedford, Massachusetts and
saw firsthand how a ministry that started 147 years
ago in England still flourishes in New England. The
Army's founder, William Booth, described so beau-
tifully the special work that needs our attention, as
expressed in its mission to "meet human need in
[God's] name without discrimination." In his Cab
Horse Charter of 1891 he stated: ". . . every Cab
Horse in London has three things: a shelter for the
night, food for its stomach and work allotted to it by
which it can earn its corn. When he is down he is
helped up, and while he lives he has food, shelter
and work. That, although a humble standard, is at
present absolutely unattainable by millions of our
fellow men and women in this country."
Christ's return. As you read this, is there a convic-
tion to put your umpiring clipboard away and be-
come part of the solution too? "Where can I help?"
may be the question to ask. As for me, I'm going to
volunteer some time to help our nearby missionaries
at our local working church--The Salvation Army!