Pastor's Message
2 Corinthians 5:18 states that we are called to a ministry of reconciliation.
The Meaning of the Church
We think of the church in two respects. First, we think of it in a universal sense. All those who believe in and trust Jesus are a part of the universal  church, the bride of Christ. We don't have to worry about her. Christ takes care of her and adds people to her as they are saved.
Then there is the individual church to which we belong and whose work is our responsibility. We speak of the individual church as "a body of baptized believers engaged in Christ's work in the world." Therefore, we see the church as a body of baptized believers doing Christ's work in the world.
For us our church is Bethany United Methodist Church, but we are also members of a much larger church-the body of Christ throughout the world!
The Message of the Church
What is the message that the church has for the world? It is not simply, "Keep the Ten Commandments." It is not simply, "Observe the Golden Rule." It is not simply, "Help the unfortunate." It is not simply, "treat your fellow man right." The message of the church is, "Christ crucified, risen, and coming again." Or, one could say that the message of the church is, "Look up to the Lord Jesus Christ who died on the cross for your sins."
The Mission of the Church
The primary mission of the church is to "make disciples" (Matthew 28:19). It is not the mission of the church to make a better world, but to win the people of the world to Christ. Often there is a cry for the church to be represented at the peace table, but when did the rulers of the world ever listen to the representatives of religion? Our business is not to clean up the slums but the hearts of people, not to bring peace to the nations, but the peace of God to individuals. The object of the church is not reformation but regeneration, not to wield worldly influence, but to win people to Christ. The church's business is to point people to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
The Means of the Church
Where does the church get its power? The power for the church comes from the Bible, the consecrated lives of its members, the gifts of its members, and  most importantly, from the Holy Spirit. The Bible is God's book and the church rests on the truth it contains. If the members of a local church live consecrated lives, they become a bulwark of power lifting that church toward the heavens. God affords us the opportunity to earn money so that our needs may be met. In return, God asks that a small portion of our income be given to Him. The gifts from members of a church have the power to bless the world. Acts 1:8 tells us Jesus said, "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you". God promises us His power to keep the church growing. When church members throw sin out of their lives and let the Holy Spirit come in and take charge, the church receives power to move the world.
The Opportunities of the Church
The church provides opportunities for fellowship, worship, and service to the world. The fellowship in the church is sweeter and finer and more helpful than any that the world has to offer. The church is the only institution in the world that invites us to come and bow before God and worship Him with all our soul. You have perhaps heard someone say, "I can worship God on the golf course---anywhere." But people don't do that, outside of the church they are thinking about other things. There is no encouragement in the world to worship, so we need to shut the world out and come to God's house to worship. We need to worship, it is a vital part of life. As in the darkness we look up toward the light, so the church needs to look up toward the Light of the World, which is the Christ. The church is where the soul worships best and most.
The best in people inspires them to want to serve others, so they go into organizations and institutions of the world and spend their time and strength in a service that soon fades away. However, they can give their service to Christ in the church, a work that goes on through the eternal ages. At the same time they find a joy that really abides. Yes, the church furnishes us with the greatest opportunities and fills our deepest needs.
The Hope of the Church
The hope of the church is not that every person should be a Christian, for we know that shall never be. It is not that every person should be perfect. The hope of the church is that Christ will come again and that we will spend an eternity with Him and the saints that have gone on before us.
 In October 1942, the Reverend J.D. Franks [no relation] was serving the First Baptist Church in Columbus, Mississippi. Reverend Franks had a son in seminary preparing for the ministry, but his son felt that he ought to serve his country, since we were at war, so he joined the Air Force. Several months later his son was in Africa where he and other pilots were told that on a certain day they would be sent on a very dangerous mission. They were to fly over Ploesti and bomb the chief German source of oil for that area. He wrote his father a letter to be mailed to him if he did not come back. On the flight the Americans dropped their bombs but some of the men were killed, including the young ministerial student. The letter finally reached Reverend Franks. In the letter he told his father about the Ploesti mission and how he might not return. Then he wrote, "Dad, if I don't come back, don't be bitter. You know it's all right with me. Just keep on telling the old, old story of Jesus and I'll see you at His feet someday."
My brothers and sisters in Christ, that's what every mission church is doing, trying to get people ready to meet Jesus. That is the greatest work in the world. God help us to have a part in it.
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