And it came to pass that a certain people heard the story about Jesus Christ and embraced the message of good news. They were so impressed with his life and teachings that they formed a new movement called Christianity. They organized into religious groups and built places called churches, trying to do what Jesus had instructed. They gathered for worship and study, to sing and pray, and went about doing good things. Sometimes they would eat together and meet to talk about religious matters and what the church needed to do to get more members. Some even told others about Jesus and invited them to become a part of their fellowship, but only a few responded. Others became doubters and turned their backs on religion in general and the church in particular.
As time passed, those involved in the church became puzzled and discouraged because fewer and fewer were interested in joining them. So, many of the church groups declined in numbers and activity, and others shut down completely. Still the faithful held on with hope. They wanted to shout “Hosanna!” (save us), like on that first Palm Sunday, but they didn’t know where to go to be heard. They read books on evangelism and tried several suggestions, but nothing seemed to work. So their numbers continued to decline. The faithful ones continued to hang on and waited to see would happen next.
Then one day, one of the faithful shared a question from the life manual which they called the Bible: “Is there any word from the Lord?” Those in charge began to listen, and decided to search more diligently in the life manual for an answer to that question. They began to apply what they discovered. “And it came to pass…”
How will your church finish the sentence?
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