From: The Pastor’s Heart
To: You
”Title: “A GOOD bowl of Soup”
Like many of you I enjoy a good hot bowl of homemade soup especially on a dreary, rainy
day when I’m not feeling my best. It’s something about firing up the stove, tossing in a
variety of ingredients into a simmering pot of water, and mixing them all together by
stirring both clock and counter clockwise. It’s important that if you’re actually making the
soup that you stir it with patience and precision until there’s an equally distributed mixture
of contents ready for consumption. As a matter of fact, I just finished a yummy bowl of
chicken, rice, and vegetable soup a few minutes ago and it had me thinking about the
similarities between it and the body of Christ.
The church is a conglomerate of spiritual and carnal ingredients that have been tossed into
the mix together through either the direct instruction of the Lord, someone’s personal
curiosity of the organization, through an invitation from an already committed member, or
by sheer accident. The methods and reasons why a person ends up becoming a part of the
family of Christ is not really important at all. What’s important is that we make sure we
treat them with respect and love because now, they are in the pot and on the stove with
us. We cannot separate ourselves from them because they are apart of us and like it or not,
God permitted them to join the journey.
One of the worst things that can happen to a church is it allows clicks or fashions to
materialize within the ranks. It’s debilitating and dangerous to the strength of the ministry
because it reduces down the ultimate effectiveness of the holy union. Jesus was very clear
when He told us to allow the wheat and the tare to grow together and whenever the Father
makes the determination, He, and He alone will separate as He sees fit. It’s not our job to
say who belongs and who does not belong in the soup.
Some in the pot are spicy, some are very tart, some are sweet, and some are overbearing
and take up more space than others, but they are needed just the same. Christ came to call
‘whosoever will’ to come toward the heart of His Father and be changed and transformed
by the power of the Holy Ghost. Change happens when placed in hot water and if all
items are allowed to move about together, the ultimate outcome is going to be spectacular.
That I can promise you.
You may be living Christlike now and walking by faith as a good believer should walk, but
I bet it wasn’t always that way. There were things you did in the light and in the dark, but
God allowed you to stay in the pot until that hot water and connection with mature
ingredients began working for your good. Help somebody else get there too. It’s a great
thing to be able to say, “I was responsible for helping to make “A Good Bowl of Soup.”
EVERYTHING WE DO MOVING FORWARD WILL BE INTENTIONAL AND DRIVEN WITH
PURPOSE TO REPRESENT THE KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE BEST POSSIBLE LIGHT!
NOTHING WILL BE DONE WITH ENERGY LESS THAN OUR BEST AND EFFORT BELOW
OUR MAXIMUM POTENTIAL.
OUR SERVICE IS LOCAL, BUT OUR REACH IS GLOBAL – SO WE CANNOT REDUCE OUR
PRESENTATION DOWN TO WHAT’S CONVENIENT, BUT RATHER WE MUST RAISE IT TO
THAT WHICH IS EXPLOSIVE!
Get ready for major change that’s coming systematically, intellectually, purposefully, and
professionally. Nothing we do moving forward will be done haphazardly, sloppily, poorly,
or carnally.
We Are the LIGHT!
Sincerely,
Pastor J.E. Chandler, Sr.
(CEO/Pastor of MLCM)