Looking Good

This is pastor tim from Hazard First Baptist with Today’s Good News.

In the Book of Romans Paul tells the readers, “If you think you can trust the Jewish religion to get you into heaven, you are wrong!”

But what is the application for us today. If someone asks you the question, “Are you a Christian?” and you answer, “Well I’m a Baptist” or “I’m a Presbyterian” or “I’m a Methodist,” chances are you fall into the same trap the Jews did.

I am thankful to be a Southern Baptist Today, I am thankful for our Association of churches that work together for the Cross of Christ.

However, I am certainly aware that we are not the only ones doing the work. Over the years I have had opportunities to work with many different denominations, in community ministries, or as volunteer chaplains, or in flood relief work. And I find many people just as passionate about serving the Lord as our denomination.

Reminds me about the story about the little town where there was a poor family. The Baptist preacher kept visiting them saying, “Hey, we want you to come to our church.” Finally, the father said, “Well, listen. We want to come to your church, but we are afraid what people might think of us. We don’t have any nice clothes.”

The preacher says, “I’ll take care of that.” So, he took up a collection, and he bought a nice suit, tie and shoes for the husband, he bought a nice dress for the wife and clothes for the children. Then he said, “Now here you have plenty of good clothes. Now, no excuse, we’ll see you in church this Sunday.”

Sunday rolled around, and he looked out in the congregation and that family was not there. So, he was pretty upset about it. The next week he knocked on the family’s door and he said, “Hey, what’s the problem? We bought you all these clothes and you still didn’t show up at church.”

The guy said, “Well, this is what happened. We dressed up in our nice, new “Sunday go to meeting” clothes, and we looked in the mirror. You know, we looked so nice, we decided to go to the Presbyterian Church.

Well, while there are many denominations of churches – there is only one way to God, Jesus said I am the way.

This has been pastor tim with Today’s Good News.