"A Tale Of Two Churches"

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Tuesday, 14 June 2011 09:15

June 12, 2011

“A TALE OF TWO CHURCHES”

Revelation 2:4,5 3:7,8

By Pastor Ole Lillestolen

The first time I ever visited East Hartland was in the summer of 1948, about the time of one of the most important events in modern history, that of Israel becoming a nation again. We had just arrived from Norway and my uncle, Lars Lillestolen, was pastor here, so we came for a brief visit. I don’t remember it. I was two.

The second time I visited East Hartland was in 1971 just after my first year of seminary. I remember wondering where I was and stopping at a store to ask directions to Hartland. I was told that I was there and got directions to Phil Skaret senior’s home. Yes, there was actually a store here back then! Little did I know then that I would live here for 24 years. But, that store stands out in my memory, and it was sad to see it burn a couple of years after we moved here.

There are a few other things that used to be in town that are no longer here, but one thing that is still here from back then is this church. Bethany was just getting its start back in the forties and it has grown a lot since those early days. We don’t have any more of our charter members with us, but Einar Olsen and Ruth Nipe go back just about that far. They could tell us a lot of stories about things that have happened down through the years.

But, as I prepare to end my time here I’m thinking that those who started the church back in 1941 will have a lot to be happy about as they see the fruits of their efforts coming home to glory to look them up and thank them for making the sacrifices needed to get this church started. I’ve been deeply touched by hearing people who have grown up in this church tell about the impact of Bethany on their becoming and continuing to live as Christians. You might remember the song, “Thank You!” that was popular a few years ago, which pictured people thanking others like Sunday School teachers who had been influential in their coming to know Christ. My point is, there are people we don’t even know to whom we owe a huge debt of gratitude for sacrificing so that we can have this wonderful congregation and its facility today. My concern is the legacy we will leave behind.

One of the sad realities of church life is the fact that churches come and go. There is typically a life cycle for churches where they get their start, grow, and then lose their focus on reaching the lost and start to decline into status quo, institutionalism, lackluster interest, and a slow death. The good news is that what is typical doesn’t have to be!

It’s the same with marriages. Statistically there are only about 5% of married couples in America today who consider themselves happily married. Apparently something like 85% of marriages are either just passable or poor. But, leaving statistics aside, if a couple is willing to go at marriage God’s way and with God’s help, they have a 100% chance of having a happy marriage. The same is true of churches! My concern comes, however, from the fact that Bethany is well into the ‘red zone’, age wise, of the normal decline/dying part of the cycle.
What that means for us is that we are probably continually bouncing along between moments where we need to redecide whether to keep and grow our focus or to back away from it. I believe the years ahead are critical for Bethany because at this point in our history we have to be more conscientious about keeping our church ministry vital than in those heady, early growing years.

I read two texts for you today, each pointing to different prospects for two different churches in Turkey at the end of the age of the apostles. The first, the church in Ephesus was on a downhill slide because, as Jesus said, “You have lost your first love.” No one knows what Jesus meant for sure, but the best guess is that the sense of urgency to reach the lost, to help their children grow to love the Lord, and to encourage each other in the faith was sagging. I believe that they were no longer truly convinced that there is nothing in this world more important than knowing and walking with Jesus!

This church was getting distracted. They were busy and they were careful about their doctrines. In verses two and three Jesus says, “I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot endure evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name's sake, and have not grown weary.” But, I wonder if had become more busy preserving than in promoting freshness in their walk with Christ.

So Jesus warned this church that they were in danger of becoming a church in name only. He was about to disown them! I pray that this will never happen to Bethany.

The other letter was to the church in Philadelpia, a church which was struggling with outside opposition. It cost them a lot to be Christians and to share their faith in Philadelphia. Yet the Lord tells them, “See, I have set before you an open door which no man can shut.” This is my prayer for Bethany, that God will continue to put before us an open door of opportunity to share Christ with all of our neighbors near and far.

But, I don’t believe the Lord just arbitrarily does this. I believe the Lord opens doors for people who are knocking on them. “Knock and it will be opened to you.” In order for us to have an open door in Hartland, we need to be knocking on that door! But, what does this mean?

I answer that with one word. You may have a different word, but very close to the center of what this is all about you will invariably find that churches which enjoy open doors of opportunity to minister in their communities are churches where the people of the congregations are committed to sacrifice so Christ can be seen in them.

In the early church that sacrifice often took the form of sacrificing their whole way of life and maybe even their life itself. Farmers and craftsmen often ended up getting next to nothing for their labors because in order to sell in many market places you had to offer sacrifices to pagan gods. And, if you didn’t join everyone in worshiping Caesar you could end up dead! Christians were targets of violence, just as they are in many African, Middle and Far Eastern countries today.

But, let’s not kid ourselves. It will take just as much sacrifice today as it ever has to sustain this church for the generations which are growing up here. It will take your sacrifice for this congregation to be a town shaper in the years ahead. The question is, “How much do you want Bethany to be there, strong for your children and grandchildren and for the community?”

Our natural way of thinking is that, “It doesn’t depend on me. Others do a better job than I do, and they don’t need me!” The fact is, while churches thrive because of the sacrifices of the committed, they die because of the lack of sacrifices by the uncommitted. Often, in fact, it is the one who feels the least needed who can be the most needed!

Let’s think about the dynamic here. We don’t have a store in town any more and it would be nice to have a store in Hartland. It was fun going there because you always ended up visiting with someone and it was handy when you needed it! But, do you know why there is no store there today? It’s because I didn’t shop there very much.

I was a poor customer and I knew that it wasn’t very good for the store when I did as much of my shopping as I could at the supermarket because the prices were cheaper. But, this was a sacrifice that I didn’t feel like making, so I because I took my business elsewhere the store died. Oh, sure, it burned to the ground. But, that was just the way it ended. That wasn’t why it ended. It ended because I didn’t shop there enough!

Of course, stores thrive on good customers. But, the critical margin is always the marginal customer, just like in politics. There it’s the independent voters who make the difference. And, which link in a chain is always the one that breaks and turns peace into chaos? It’s always the weakest link!

Now, as I said, there is preservation and there is fresh growth. Don’t hang in there for the sake of preservation. But, take hold for the sake of a constant fresh experience with and service of Christ. This church depends on your regularly taking your place in the pew, volunteering your time to minister, being excited about the opportunity of sharing Jesus with our community, and - yes - contributing your percentage to the operating costs. Here’s a point to ponder: I wonder if any of us has given to this church as much as this church has given to us?!

What kills churches is when people say, “I’ve got somewhere else to be or something else to do, something else to spend on or to give my money to.” I believe that there is no more important help to you and to your children than this church, especially if your children are part of his community. Look at your children and then decide where to be, what to do, and where to spend and what to give. They need this church more than you will ever know, and so do a whole lot of other people you may not even know! I wonder how our commitment and contribution would be affected if we could see the true potential impact of this church upon ourselves, our children and our grandchildren, as well as the significance of our participation toward that end.

The Apostle Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 4:6,7, “For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels.” We are the ones who bear this treasure! May we bear it enthusiastically and carefully, and may we share it freely!