We offer you ... relationships

The Full Gospel Baptist State Convention, meeting in Decatur last week, was being carried along with the theme of relationships. I was an invited guest due to the fact that my dear friend, the Rev. Mamie Harris, was one of the featured speakers.

After returning home I did a little background search on this denomination and found that it had its beginnings in New Orleans at the Superdome in 1994 in an insistence that Black Baptists could and should operate in the fullness of all spiritual gifts and offices.

What struck me was that here was a growing religious organization, founded mainly because of spiritual gifts and offices, which was now placing its emphasis on relationships. It made me return to an old quote from an old mentor from the old days. He’s Dr. Jess C. Moody, founder of Palm Beach Atlantic University. He said more than 30 years ago, “We will win the world when we realize that fellowship, not evangelism, must be our primary emphasis. When we demonstrate the Big Miracle of Love, it won’t be necessary for us to go out — they will come in.”

By changing one word, which means the same thing as the other, you’ll read what I mean: “We will win the world when we realize that relationship, not evangelism, must be our primary emphasis. When we demonstrate the Big Miracle of Love, it won’t be necessary for us to go out — they will come in.”

Fellowship is not a bunch of fellows getting in a boat for a day’s fishing and beer drinking. Fellowship is not a pizza party or an ice cream social. Fellowship is the interaction of people who care for one another by praying for one another, forgiving one another, being kind to one another, bearing one another’s burden, refusing to judge one another and, of course, accepting one another as God has accepted us in Christ.

Not everyone has the special knack for evangelism, but everyone can participate in fellowship. The word is that only 10 percent of the church has the special ability to evangelize, but everyone can be involved in fellowship. What church member do you know who can’t care for another or pray for another or be kind to another?

I hope I am not making the following statement as pastor of a smaller church because we have a smaller church, but, I fear the large, mega-churches have substituted a whole bunch of things for relationships in a attempt to lure members: exciting, huge worship services; a program for every need you might have; free care for all your children; acres of free parking; your own credit union; tithes by debit card; and on and on it goes. Smaller churches can’t offer those things, but we can offer relationships.

Jesus said it: “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” To paraphrase Jesus’ statement, “By this all men will know that you are my followers, if you have a relationship characterized by love for one another.”

I just bet you could use a friend or two or three. Jesus said love two or three in the way he loves us and you will have two or three for life — everlasting life.