Thomas Smith, son of former Raleigh District Superintendent, Tommy Smith, weighs in for installment number four in our Generously Speaking communications. Thomas is a writer, musician, and ordained Elder in the North Carolina Annual Conference. He offers his musical talents at the contemporary worship experience at Millbrook UMC each Sunday morning, and is particularly interested in helping local churches 
discover how to strengthen and enrich corporate worship. His thoughts follow……….
Generously Speaking
A friend who served in the Air Force had a favorite saying: Plain talk is easy to understand. So let’s take a few minutes for a little plain talk. The truth is, we usually find a way to afford the things we want. Cars, houses, iPods, iPads, plasma TVs, the latest smartphone. The list is pretty long.
And there’s nothing wrong with having the things we want. We set our priorities and make our financial plans accordingly. It’s a good system.
That being said, let’s look at the church. The church is God’s vehicle for bringing salvation to the world. Not Starbucks. Not your workplace (unless you’re on the church staff). Not the schools. Not the local library or the country club. The church. That’s the place God has set aside to do the important work of spreading the gospel and offering the story of salvation to a world that desperately needs it.
One person at a time. And it starts with you. Jesus told his followers a story: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory…Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ ”Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ ”The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ (Matthew 25: 31, 34-40)
It is through your gifts, regardless of the size, that the church does the holy work entrusted to us by God. So … is making it possible to spread the message of salvation a priority for you?
Thomas Smith
