Fellow workers
The last half of 1992 found Ruth and I living on an orphanage in Central America. We were sent there by an organization that had been helping this orphanage. We went there with the idea of staying long term but shortly after arriving we found that the deck was stacked against us. Other couples had preceded us and had lasted only a short time, one couple being close relatives to the American couple who actually owned the property.
We put our hearts and souls into the work but realized that we were being held at arms length. It was hard to pin down what was happening, constant remarks kept puzzling us until after a few months it was obvious that these people considered themselves martyrs, having left the comforts of the US to live in the third world and because of this great sacrifice, they we up for a special reward and it seemed to us that they weren't going to share any of the "Glory."
Now I realize that we will all stand before the Judgement Seat of Christ someday to be judged according to our works, but I think what these folks didn't realize was that this orphanage was the Lord's work and that no one could put a single claim on it or any of it's accomplishments.
Ruth and I have been in churches where this same spirit prevails. We were welcome to attend and give money, but that was a far as we were to go.
I keep going back to Romans chapter 12 which starts out by saying we are to present, or offer our bodies as living sacrifices, but then it goes on to say that we are only one part of a larger body and that each member belongs to all of the others. When our giftedness is blended with the giftedness of all of the others, the body becomes whole, balanced, effective, and it functions as it was designed to function.
ICor. 3:9 tells us, "For we are God's fellow workers, you are God's field, you are God's building."
If we are His fellow worker, we certainly are expected to be a Lone Ranger.
See you next week.
The last half of 1992 found Ruth and I living on an orphanage in Central America. We were sent there by an organization that had been helping this orphanage. We went there with the idea of staying long term but shortly after arriving we found that the deck was stacked against us. Other couples had preceded us and had lasted only a short time, one couple being close relatives to the American couple who actually owned the property.
We put our hearts and souls into the work but realized that we were being held at arms length. It was hard to pin down what was happening, constant remarks kept puzzling us until after a few months it was obvious that these people considered themselves martyrs, having left the comforts of the US to live in the third world and because of this great sacrifice, they we up for a special reward and it seemed to us that they weren't going to share any of the "Glory."
Now I realize that we will all stand before the Judgement Seat of Christ someday to be judged according to our works, but I think what these folks didn't realize was that this orphanage was the Lord's work and that no one could put a single claim on it or any of it's accomplishments.
Ruth and I have been in churches where this same spirit prevails. We were welcome to attend and give money, but that was a far as we were to go.
I keep going back to Romans chapter 12 which starts out by saying we are to present, or offer our bodies as living sacrifices, but then it goes on to say that we are only one part of a larger body and that each member belongs to all of the others. When our giftedness is blended with the giftedness of all of the others, the body becomes whole, balanced, effective, and it functions as it was designed to function.
ICor. 3:9 tells us, "For we are God's fellow workers, you are God's field, you are God's building."
If we are His fellow worker, we certainly are expected to be a Lone Ranger.
See you next week.
posted by Jim Burton at 8:13 AM
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