The following is said to have been a favorite story of former President Lyndon Baines Johnson, who apparently never tired of sharing it.
A preacher was becoming terribly distracted by a man who came to church every Sunday and slept through the entire sermon.
One Sunday, the preacher decided to do something about it. As he began to preach, the man, true to form, fell fast asleep. Thereupon the preacher said quietly, “Everyone who wants to go to Heaven, stand up.”
The entire congregation immediately stood up - all except the sleeping man. When they sat back down, the preacher shouted at the top of his voice, “Everyone who wants to go to Hell rather than Heaven, stand up!” This startled the dozing man.
Still half asleep, he jumped up, looked around to see what was going on, and then said to the preacher, “Well, Preacher, I don’t know what we’re voting on; but it looks like you and I are the only ones in favor of it.”
Now, obviously, Hell is no laughing matter. But neither is a flippant attitude toward hearing the Word of God being proclaimed from the pulpit. And yet, it is not for either of these reasons that I share this story; but for another.
As we near the end of an admittedly contentious campaign season, I share this simple story in the hopes of reminding each and every one how important it is to stand up and be counted.
Christians, especially, need to participate in the election process. And this is only done meaningfully by staying alert, paying attention to the issues at hand, evaluating the platforms of the candidates and parties running for office, and then casting one's vote in accordance with the dictates of one's conscience.
As we do this, we prove that we value the system of government bequeathed to us by our founders – a government, in the words of Abraham Lincoln, “of the people, by the people, for the people”.
And in the process, those of us who are followers of Jesus Christ also fulfill a multitude of Biblical admonitions for believers to be responsible citizens.
For my part, I personally plan to fulfill my civic obligation and participate in the upcoming election. I plan to do so by voting in accordance with my personal values and convictions as a Christian. I trust all who are believers will join with me and do the same.
And together, we will glorify God by fulfilling Jesus’ admonition (in the New Testament Gospel of Mark, chapter 12, verse 17) to “render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and unto God the things that are God’s”.
STORY SOURCE: http://javacasa.com/humor/pastor.htm.
SCRIPTURE SOURCE: http://biblehub.com/mark/12-17.htm.
A preacher was becoming terribly distracted by a man who came to church every Sunday and slept through the entire sermon.
One Sunday, the preacher decided to do something about it. As he began to preach, the man, true to form, fell fast asleep. Thereupon the preacher said quietly, “Everyone who wants to go to Heaven, stand up.”
The entire congregation immediately stood up - all except the sleeping man. When they sat back down, the preacher shouted at the top of his voice, “Everyone who wants to go to Hell rather than Heaven, stand up!” This startled the dozing man.
Still half asleep, he jumped up, looked around to see what was going on, and then said to the preacher, “Well, Preacher, I don’t know what we’re voting on; but it looks like you and I are the only ones in favor of it.”
Now, obviously, Hell is no laughing matter. But neither is a flippant attitude toward hearing the Word of God being proclaimed from the pulpit. And yet, it is not for either of these reasons that I share this story; but for another.
As we near the end of an admittedly contentious campaign season, I share this simple story in the hopes of reminding each and every one how important it is to stand up and be counted.
Christians, especially, need to participate in the election process. And this is only done meaningfully by staying alert, paying attention to the issues at hand, evaluating the platforms of the candidates and parties running for office, and then casting one's vote in accordance with the dictates of one's conscience.
As we do this, we prove that we value the system of government bequeathed to us by our founders – a government, in the words of Abraham Lincoln, “of the people, by the people, for the people”.
And in the process, those of us who are followers of Jesus Christ also fulfill a multitude of Biblical admonitions for believers to be responsible citizens.
For my part, I personally plan to fulfill my civic obligation and participate in the upcoming election. I plan to do so by voting in accordance with my personal values and convictions as a Christian. I trust all who are believers will join with me and do the same.
And together, we will glorify God by fulfilling Jesus’ admonition (in the New Testament Gospel of Mark, chapter 12, verse 17) to “render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and unto God the things that are God’s”.
STORY SOURCE: http://javacasa.com/humor/pastor.htm.
SCRIPTURE SOURCE: http://biblehub.com/mark/12-17.htm.