Church

One of our ambassadors to a foreign country said, “You have invited me to tell you about the duties of an ambassador. Let me begin by telling you first of the embassy, the place where we live. The embassy is a little spot of America set down in an alien land. On the walls we have pictures of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Robert E.

“I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble.”—Helen Keller

“The highest reward for a man’s toil is not what he gets for it, but what he becomes by it.”—John Ruskin

“You can measure what you would do for the Lord by what you do.”—T. C. Horton, quoted in Christian Life

A little boy was sick on Palm Sunday and stayed home from church with his mother. His father returned from church holding a palm branch. The little boy was curious and asked, “Why do you have that palm branch, Dad?”

“You see, when Jesus came into town, everyone waved palm branches to honor Him, so we got palm branches today.”

The little boy replied, “The only Sunday I miss is the Sunday that Jesus shows up!”

Source: Unknown

Sir Isaac Newton:
The Baptists are the only known body of Christians that has not symbolized with the Church of Rome.—The First Church, J. T. Mann

Mosheim (Lutheran):
Before the rise of Luther and Calvin, there lay secreted in almost all the countries of Europe persons who adhered tenaciously to the principles of modern Dutch Baptists.—The Baptist Spirit, Isaac J. Van Ness, William D. Nowlin

A preacher was in Atlanta, several years ago, and noticed in the restaurants section of the Yellow Pages, an entry for a place called Church of God Grill. The peculiar name aroused his curiosity and he dialed the number. A man answered with a cheery, “Hello! Church of God Grill!”

A grandmother told her granddaughter, “Tomorrow, we’re going to Sunday school”

“I don’t like Sunday school,” said the granddaughter.

“We need to learn more about God,” replied the grandmother.

The granddaughter said, “I learned about Him last week.”

“I’ve been going to church all my life, and I haven’t learned enough,” said the grandmother.

The granddaughter replied, “Well, maybe you weren’t paying attention!”

Source: Unknown

I don’t know why some people change churches—what difference does it make which one you stay home from?

Source: Unknown

An usher speaking to another usher said, “We have nothing but good, kind Christians in this church until you try to seat someone else in their pew.”

Source: Unknown

Mormons say that the angel Moroni visited Joseph Smith and completed the compilation and writing of the Book of Mormon. He told Joseph Smith where to find golden plates buried near his family home. He then translated what was written on those plates (the Book of Mormon). Eleven men are said to have seen the plates and three of them were relatives of Joseph Smith.

From 1990 to 2008 the percentage of those who identified themselves as having “no religion” grew from 8.2% to 15%.

Source: 2008 American Religious Identification Survey

Eighty-five percent of church members who were formerly unchurched said that they are active in Sunday school or small groups. Seventy-two percent of churched people said the same thing.

Eighty-six percent of new Christians who remained active in their church for at least five years were active in Sunday school as well.

Source: Surprising Insights, Thomas S. Rainer

Ninety percent of people said that friendliness or facilities was a major factor when deciding where to attend church.

Out of 353 people interviewed about the first time they attended a new church 311 mentioned the friendliness of the church. Out to those same 353 people 117 specifically mentioned greeters or welcome centers.

Ninety-one percent of formerly unchurched people said that the beliefs of a church were important in their decision about where to attend church. Eighty-nine percent of those who transferred their membership said the same thing.

Some parents say, “I don’t believe in making kids go to church. They will resent it later.”

Do you make them brush their teeth? Have you ever heard a teenager say, “When I turn eighteen I will not brush my teeth again!”

Source: Unknown

Question: Can I be a Christian without joining the church?

Answer: Yes, it is possible. It is something like being:

A student who will not go to school

A soldier who will not join an army

A citizen who does not pay taxes or vote

A salesman with no customers

An explorer with no base camp

A seaman on a ship without a crew

A businessman on a deserted island

An author without readers

A tuba player without an orchestra

A parent without a family

A young man, who was to return home and be married, came sooner than was expected. He did not notify his bride-to-be of the exact time. He desired to please her with a surprise. He loved her devotedly and had worked hard and saved his earnings in order to purchase a home for her. It was about midnight when he arrived, but, with a happy heart, he felt he must go by her home. However, when he came near he saw the house was all lighted up. As he came nearer he heard music. Still nearer he saw dancing.

On a dangerous sea coast where shipwrecks often occur, there was once a crude little life-saving station. The building was just a hut, and there was only one boat, but the few devoted members kept a constant watch over the sea and with no thought for themselves went out day and night tirelessly searching for the lost. Some of those who were saved, and various others in the surrounding area, wanted to become associated with the station and give of their time and money and effort for the support of its work. New boats were bought and new crews trained.

On a hot summer day in south Florida a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house.

In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went. He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore.

Jim Corley met his friend, Alex, at the dealership where Alex worked.

“Jim, I feel like a hypocrite every time I go to church because I fail to live for Christ so often.”

“Alex, what do you call this part of the dealership?” Jim asked, nodding to the area outside his cubicle.

“You mean the showroom?”

On October 15, 1997, David Huxley strapped a harness around his upper torso and attached it to a steel cable some fifteen yards long. The other end of the steel cable was attached to the front-wheel strut of a 747 jetliner that weighed 187 tons. With his tennis shoes firmly planted on the runway, Huxley leaned forward, pulled with all his might, and began moving the jetliner down the runway. In fact, he pulled the 747 one hundred yards in one minute and twenty-one seconds.

A fourteenth-century Italian stained-glass artist was summoned to design and create a huge portrait for the window of a cathedral in Chartres, France, a place well known for its stained-glass work. He laid all of the pieces he was going to use out on the floor of the cathedral. They were beautiful to behold; most of them were large and colorful. Among these awesome pieces of glass was a small, clear piece about as big as your fingernail. As the stained-glass portrait was assembled, that little piece remained on the floor. Only the big colorful pieces of glass were used.