HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2013-04-11, Page 19THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2013. PAGE 19.
By Pastor Mark Royall,
Huron Chapel Evangelical
Missionary Church, Auburn
When I was younger I had
different opportunities to work with
some great Canadian musicians, one
of them being Bryan Adams.
One night, when all the stage
equipment had been set up and the
sound check was finished, he and I
stood alone before an empty
auditorium. No one else was there.
It was the calm before the storm.
Bryan looked down and pointed to
the front of the stage and said, ‘In a
couple of hours this place will be so
different. It will be filled screaming
fans.’ What a contrast that would be
to the quiet we were now
experiencing as we chatted together.
Instead of watching the show from
backstage I decided to go and stand
at the front of the stage where the
most enthusiastic fans were. It was
crazy. To make matters worse Bryan
saw me there and took an
autographed poster and handed it to
me. Suddenly I was mobbed by
people wanting this concert
souvenir. Bryan smiled. He knew
what he was doing.
After the show we were sitting
backstage in the quiet once again
eating some supper. I can’t
remember why but at one point I left
to go to the front lobby of the
building and there I saw lots of fans.
They were outside pressing up
against the glass hoping to get in and
go backstage. Then suddenly I
realized I recognized one of those
fans. It was my sister Anne. She saw
me and I could tell she wanted in. I
motioned to her that I would be back
in a moment.
I went and asked Bryan if I could
bring my sister backstage reminding
him that he owed me one after
almost getting me killed with his
poster stunt in front of the stage
earlier. He was very gracious and
said it would be fine.
I took security with me and
managed to squeeze Anne in through
the door while keeping every one
else out. Once inside I told Anne,
‘Now you have to stick with me.
Follow me and I will take you
backstage. This the only way you
will get back there. I will vouch for
you and get you through security.’
She did as I said and she met Bryan,
got his autograph and hung with us
for awhile. I was in my sister’s good
books for a long time after that.
The only way my sister got in was
that she knew me and I knew her.
We had a relationship. A lot of
people could have called my name
but I didn’t know them and I didn’t
let them in.
In the same way Jesus desires for
us to be in a saving relationship with
Him.
In Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus
declares, ‘Not everyone who calls
out to Me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter
the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those
who actually do the will of my
Father in heaven will enter.
My sister also had to follow me.
She was a fan but it was only
because she was willing to follow
me that she got backstage.
Jesus never cared about having
fans. If you define a fan as an
‘enthusiastic admirer’, then fans
were not important to Him. He
wanted followers.
When Jesus called His disciples
He said, ‘Come, follow me...’ He
didn’t say, come and be a fan, come
and watch’. Jesus wants followers
who would obey and trust Him. But
following comes with a cost. We
know this because Jesus said, “If
any of you wants to be my follower,
you must turn from your selfish
ways, take up your cross daily, and
follow Me”. Luke 9:23
Today as a Church we focus on the
Cross because we know this was the
place where Jesus secured our
salvation. We honour that place. We
hold it up in high esteem. So we put
the Cross in our church buildings,
we wear the Cross around our necks
as jewelry and we admire the Cross
in the beautiful artwork that we hang
in our museums.
But when Jesus told His disciples
to take up their cross Jesus hadn’t
died on the Cross yet. The Cross
didn’t represent grace and love and
salvation at this point. Instead it
meant that His followers had to be
willing to bear shame, rejection,
suffering and even death.
We all want to get to heaven. But
to get there we must follow Jesus
and following Jesus involves the
Cross and the Cross represents a
living a life of selflessness and
obedience to God. If heaven was the
only goal for being a Christian then
God would zap us up to heaven as
soon as we made the decision to
accept Jesus our Saviour. But He
doesn’t do that. Why? Because
being a Christian is more than just
dying and heaven, it is about living
and following.
There is an old hymn that says,
‘The way of the Cross leads home’.
Jesus is calling us to live a life
selflessness and obedience now. My
sister trusted me and followed my
instructions for a while believing it
would lead her to a desired place
where she would meet someone
famous. Today we must trust Jesus
and follow Him now and let Him
lead us home to heaven. This means
we will have to humble ourselves,
put the needs of others before our
own and serve them.
As the Life Application Bible
says, “Recognizing and confessing
belief in Jesus as the Messiah is only
the beginning of discipleship.
Following Jesus doesn’t mean
walking behind Him, but taking the
same road of self-denial and self-
sacrifice.”
THE CATHOLIC PARISHES OF NORTH HURON AND NORTH PERTH
CORDIALLY INVITE YOU TO ATTEND HOLY MASS.
OUR SUNDAY LITURGIES ARE AS FOLLOWS:
Brussels:
St. Ambrose
Saturday
6:00 p.m.
17 Flora Street
Wingham:
Sacred Heart
Sunday
9:00 a.m.
220 Carling Terrace
Listowel:
St. Joseph
Sunday
11:00 a.m.
1025 Wallace Avenue N.
Youre Invited
to come worship
with us
Sunday, April 14
Brussels Business & Cultural Centre
at 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Sunday School for children
4 to 11 years of age at 9:30 a.m.
Childcare provided for infants and
preschoolers during the sermon.
Coffee & cookies after the morning service
For additional details please contact Pastor Andrew Versteeg 519.887.8621
Steve Klumpenhower 519.887.8651 Rick Packer 519.527.0173
You’re Invited To Join Us In Worship
SUNDAYS
Morning Service 10:00 am
Evening Service 7:30 pm
BLYTH CHRISTIAN
REFORMED CHURCH
Hwy. 4, Blyth 519-523-4743
www.blythcrc.ca
MELVILLE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
BRUSSELS
Rev. Elwin Garland
SUNDAY, APRIL 14
Wheelchair accessible ~ Nursery care available
519-887-9017
10:00 am - Sunday Morning Worship
- Sunday School
Worship Service & Sunday School at 11 a.m.
CORNER OF DINSLEY & MILL STREETS
MINISTER
Rev. Gary Clark, BA, M. Div.
All Welcome
MUSIC DIRECTOR
Floyd Herman, BA, M. Ed.OFFICE: 519-523-4224
APRIL 14 ~ Miracles Happen, Believe It Or Not
APRIL 21 ~ The Good Old Hockey Game
BRUSSELS
Sandra Cable, Pastor
Church Office 519-887-6259
E-mail - beunitedchurch@gmail.com
SUNDAY SERVICE 11:00 am
Sunday School
Celebrating our Christian Faith together in worship
United Church
getlivingwater.org
Living Water
Christian Fellowship
10:30 a.m. ~ Worship & Sunday School
Wingham Bible Study - Tuesdays 7:30 pm
Youth Group - Tuesdays 7:30 pm (at CRC)
Women At The Well - 1st & 3rd Wednesdays 7:30 pm
at 308 Blyth Rd. (former Church of God)
Pastor: Ernest Dow ~ 519-523-4848
Apr. 14: Matt. 4:17ff
Guest - Regional
Minister Claran Martin:
“An Invitation and
Promise from Jesus”
April 12-13 at Morrisons’:
Congregational Retreat
Evangelical Missionary Church
April 20, 7 pm: Free Movie
- “October Baby”
250 Princess St., Brussels
519-887-6388
www.bmfchurch.com
Pastor Jim Whitehead
Guests Welcome
Jesus Is Lord!
Brussels
Mennonite
Fellowship
Worship Service 10:00 am
Sunday School 11:15 am
From the Minister’s StudyThe right relationship opens the right door
ALWAYS A PLACE FOR YOU
HuronChapel.org Sundays @ 10:30