Then Agrippa said to Paul, "Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?" Paul replied, "Short time or long--I pray God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains." (Acts 26:28-29) Sometimes the church forgets its purpose. I recently heard someone comment, “I don’t care whether they ever join us, we need to reach out and serve people in our community.” I know what was meant—that we need to build relationships and demonstrate our value to neighbors before they will consider the claims of Christianity—but that’s not to say we don’t care whether people join us. Even after two years of unjust imprisonment, when given a hearing before the Roman Governor and visiting King Agrippa, the Apostle Paul pleaded, not for his own freedom, but for his hearers to experience the freedom found through faith in Christ. That was his purpose, and it remains our purpose: to encourage all people to convert to Christianity, to join us in God’s Kingdom. “Heavenly Father, amidst this busy season of delight and distraction, focus our hearts on the purpose for which You have called us and the reason You patiently wait to remake the world, through Jesus Christ our Lord, amen.” CONVERSION TABLE 1. Ratio of an igloo’s circumference to its diameter = Eskimo Pi 2. 2000 pounds of Chinese soup = Won ton 3. 1 millionth of a mouthwash = 1 microscope 4. Time between slipping on a peel and smacking the pavement = 1 bananosecond 5. Weight an evangelist carries with God = 1 billigram 6. Time it takes to sail 220 yards at 1 nautical mile per hour = Knotfurlong 7. 16.5 feet in the Twilight Zone = 1 Rod Serling 8. Half of a large intestine = 1 semicolon 9. 1,000,000 aches = 1 megahurtz 10. Basic unit of laryngitis = 1 hoarsepower 11. Shortest distance between two jokes = a straight line 12. 453.6 graham crackers = 1 pound cake 13. 1 million-million microphones = 1 megaphone 14. 2 million bicycles = 2 megacycles 15. 365.25 days = 1 unicycle 16. 2000 mockingbirds = 2 kilomockingbirds 17. 52 cards = 1 decacards 18. 1 kilogram of falling figs = 1 FigNewton 19. 1000 milliliters of wet socks = 1 literhosen 20. 1 millionth of a fish = 1 microfiche 21. 1 trillion pins = 1 terrapin 22. 10 rations = 1 decoration 23. 100 rations = 1 C-ration 24. 2 monograms = 1 diagram 25. 4 nickels = 2 paradigms 26. 2.4 statute miles of intravenous surgical tubing at Yale University Hospital = 1 IV League +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Lord grant you a great measure of joy this week! In Jesus, Pastor Kirk
1 Comment
Sue Hille
12/3/2015 02:53:33 pm
Do we not also have Jesus' directive to serve all who hurt, e.g. feed the hungry...simply as a way of living out God's love? Yes, we always pray each person may know Christ as Savior, but should that be our only motivation?
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Kirk HilleAs Pastor at Pilgrim, Kirk is fueled by a passion for God's Word and a lot of good coffee. Archives
January 2021
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