JULY NEWSLETTER
“UNITY IN THE BODY”
Thank you Jesus for our reappointment to the Linden and Jefferson UMC Charge. What a blessing it has been to be here a year and see the move of God in our community. As the theme of "Unity in the Community" building the Kingdom of God here in Linden, Alabama resonates in my spirit, I appreciate all the many things that have occurred in our church and community over the past year, and I would like to thank all of you for being a part of the movement of God. As we continue to think about becoming stronger as an individual, church and community, we want to look at the Word of God for inspiration. The LORD put Ephesians 4 on my heart and I would like to share it with you.
Ephesians 4:1 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the LORD beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Be humble and gentle, Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love. 3 Always keep yourselves united in the Holy Spirit, and bind yourselves together with peace. 4 We are all one body, we have the same Spirit, and we have all been called to the same glorious future. 5 There is only one LORD, one faith, one baptism, 6 and there is only one God and Father, who is over us all and in us all and living through us all. 7 However, He has given each one of us a special gift according to the generosity of Christ. 8 That is why the Scriptures say, "When He ascended to the heights, He led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to His people" 9 Notice that it says "He ascended." This means that Christ first came down to the lowly world in which we live. 10 The same One who came down is the One who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that His rule might fill the entire universe. 11 He is the One who gave these gifts to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do His work and build up the church, the body of Christ, 13 Until we come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we will be mature and full grown in the LORD, measuring up to the full stature of Christ. .....16 Under His direction, the whole body is fitted together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. (NLT)
Paul has great insight for the church. I will be praying for each of us in this newly-appointed year that we will understand first, who we are and what our spiritual gifts are, second, to understand how we are to share our spiritual gifts with our community of faith and, third, to become more involved in our church/community as a representative of Jesus Christ.
I have been told that 20% of the people do 80% of the work in the church. I also have been told it is the same way with tithing – 80% of the people give very little and 20% of the people carry the load. I would like to challenge you this year to dig deeper in your soul searching. Asking God to reveal Himself to you in such a way you would know for sure what it is you are to be doing for Him in our church (for example, teaching a Sunday School class, leading youth, singing in the choir, leading the choir, starting a new ministry, or calling on people to organize a function, opening up or locking up the church for services, serving on a committee, etc.). If you have an idea or a question about this please bring it to the pastor. I know many people come expecting everything to be ready, to just walk in and the temperature be set right, the lights to be on, and receive a blessing from the experience. The experience happens because people have given of themselves to make it happen. Are you doing your part to make it happen?? Also, ask God what you are to be giving as far as dollars to His ministry in our church/community. Let Him guide you in your giving. May I challenge you to give just a little bit more and see if God will not make up the difference. The average giving in the United Methodist Church is 2.5%. God asks for 10%. Are you doing your part?? Remember, all we get comes from the LORD as we claim God as our provider!
As we challenge ourselves this year, may we continue to value other people in our church/community and help build up others when we speak and encourage others to follow our lead. Living like Jesus so we can help the other parts grow so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. This is what the LORD Jesus wants for us at Linden United Methodist Church. May you do your part to help us mature in His Service!
Enjoy your Independence Day! Let Freedom Ring! Have a great month of ministry!
In Christ Jesus,
Bro. Tony Antonelli