...a light to those who are in darkness... Romans 2:19
Hello, my name is Cecil Price, and I am the minister here at Village Meadows. I have been here since September of 2002. July 19th was a real milestone for me: it was the 30th anniversary of my entry into full-time ministry. I am glad to have reached that milestone here.
Sunday, September 13, will mark the beginning of our eighth year here.
My wife Nicky and I fell in love with this church family immediately. We are very glad to be part of such a warm, accepting group. This family truly is family. We laugh together, pray together, cry together, hope together—you know—the way Christians ought to be with one another!
I hope you will come see what we are all about—trying to be like Jesus in our world.
Just Do It
This seems to be a world where everyone wants to get whatever they can without putting out any effort. “Get what you can” seems to be the theme that is playing in everyone’s minds. Whatever happened to working to earn a living—working to get a diploma ---working to learn a career? There are websites everywhere selling diplomas---not diplomas that you earn----diplomas that you simply buy. In fact, earlier this month it was reported that a cat had received its GED--- a CAT! In schools, copying someone else’s work is almost a norm, not an exception. Our news programs a re awash with stories about government “gimme” programs, both present and future. Understand, I’m not sniping at or criticizing those who truly need help---I just don’t think we should be helping those who are able to help themselves.
Some of the attitudes that we see in the world are also attitudes we see in the church. We sit around and ask, “Why isn’t this church growing?”. We sit around and ask “Why aren’t there more Bible Class teachers?” .We sit around and ask “Why are things not being done?”. I’ve already mentioned a key problem. The common phrase here is “we sit around”.
Evangelism by proxy is not the name of the game. Letting someone else do all the teaching is not the way it is supposed to be. Each of us has a responsibility to find and use the gifts we have been given by God, and then to USE the gifts we have been given by God. In Romans 12:1-8, the apostle Paul tells us to use the gifts we have been given. Each of us has the responsibility of teaching and LIVING Christ. We can’t afford to sit around and let a few people do all the work. Our eternity is at stake.
Each of us has a gift---ministry, teaching, encouraging, giving, showing mercy---these are all important. We each have something we can do for the Lord. Ephesians 2:8-10 says “For it s by grace you have been saved, through faith---and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
As the song says, “Then onward from the hills of light, our hearts with love aflame—we’ll vanquish all the hosts of night in Jesus’ conquering name!”