Newspapers / The Charlotte post. / Sept. 19, 1985, edition 1 / Page 7
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<§ ® SPunday ^ PPcAcc/ By Bettle WUboe INTRODUCTION As a boy, Jesus grew in four ways: mentally, phy sically, spiritually, and socially. As Luke puts it, “Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man,” (Luke 2:52). The church is Christ’s body. It also grows in two ways: bigger and better. Growth in size is evident as new members are added, as a building becomes overcrowd ed and has to be replaced, as the parking lot is expanded to ' accommodate the growing membership. Our lesson centers on the other kind of church growth. A church grows better as its members improve their spiritual tone s^ndtheir physical lifestyle, as they work together more Mmonlously and more vigorously together as they Bpiar more plainly as lights to the world. THE LESSON *1 urge you, then -1 who am a prisoner because I serve the Lord: live a life that measures up to the standard God set when he called you. Be always humble, gentle, and iKtient. Show your love by being tolerant with one another. ► your best to preserve the unity which the Spirit gives by means of the peace that binds you together. There is one body and one Spirit, just as there is one hope to which God has called you. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism; there is one God and Father of all mankind, who is Lord of all, works through all, and is in all. Each one of us has received a special gift in proportion to what Christ has given,” (Ephesians 4:1-7). Paul was a prisoner in Rome. He was the Lord’s prisoner, not because the Lord Himself had put him in prison, but because others had imprisoned him because of his service to the Lord. He had given up his freedom willingly for the cause of Christ, and that gave more power to his plea that the Ephesians would make any sacrifices that were necessary in order to live in a way worthy of their calling. Christians are called to follow Jesus. To walk— worthy of that calling is to live in a way that is pleasing to God and suitable to followers of Jesus. We are not worthy of our calling but we can strive to be more like Jesus by putting aside our pride and arrogance. We must patiently endure some things that we do not like;' for the sake of brotherhood we put up with some things that are not pleasing to us. But who among us has endured anything to compare with the suffering of Jesus: Toleration of some unpleasantness is a small price to pay for the privilege of unity with God’s people. If we find it difficult, we need to cultivate love for our fellow persons and God. If we arrogantly demand our own way, if we are furious at every slight, if we seek revenge for every wrong, we shatter the bond of peace and destroy the unity into which the Holy - Spirit leads us. Such a wav is umvnrthv nt nnr railing The one body is the church. It is designed to work smoothly in coordination without friction. If one member . fails to follow Jesus perfectly, the other members respond with forgiveness, not fury. The hand is not angry with the foot-not even if the foot stumbles. The one Spirit is the Holy Spirit, who lives in each Christian. He motivates and guides us through the Word of God. He motivates us and gives us power to do and the patience to endure. The one hope of our calling is the hope of Heaven, with eternal life and joy. To that, all of us are palled. Let us try not to mar this hope by bickering and animosity and grudges. In love we forbear as much as necessary to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. The one Lord is Jesus. He gives the order to love one another, (John 15:12). If we falter in love we are not only doing wrong to another; we are also disobeying the Lord. The one faith is our belief in Jesus, our trust in Him, our devotion to Him. Belief and trust and devotion add up to obedience. One faith in one Lord ought to keep har mony in the one body. One baptism washes away our sins in our Father’s loving forgiveness and ushers us into one body, the church of our Lord, where we are led by the Spirit to keep the unity that He teaches. Unity in the church is not achieved by making all the members exactly alike. The church is a body, and any body needs different members that are designed to do different things. Christ, in His grace, gives a gift unto every one of us, but not the same gift to all. This does not mean a person can have only one gift and do only one job. It does mean that we ought to use our gift or gifts for the growth of the body - the church. “It was He who gave gifts to mankind.” He appointed some to be apostles, others to be prophets, others to be evangelists, others to be pastors and teachers. He did this to prepare all God’s people for the work of Christian service in order to build up the body of Christ. And so we shall all come together to that oneness la our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God; we shall become mature people, reaching to the very height of Christ’s full statue. Then we shall no longer be children, carried by waves and blown about by every shifting wind of the teaching of B’men, who lead others into error by the tricks they nstead, by speaking the truth in espirit of love, we aw up in every way to Christ, who is the head, [is control all the different parts of the body fit by every joint with which it is provided. So when »rate part works as it should, the whole body fnrbX ltM,r up ,Eph“*“ The King James Version of V. 12 says: "For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” This may be taken to mean that the apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pas tors are given to do three things; 1) perfect the saints; 2) do the work of the ministry; and 3) edify the body of Christ However, the Greek prepositions seem to suggest that the apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors are given to do one thing; to perfect the saints so that the saints will do two things; 1) do the work of the ministry and 2) edify the body of Christ. These two responsibilities are not the worit of officials alone. All Christians are to be involved in these two tasks. All of us are to be trained to build the church, to help it grow bigger and better Let’s all grow up! Brewington Knows “Secret91 Rti . Of Successful Teaching -p—t Stitt vur^n_ After 44 years of successful teach es. some people probably wouldn’t want to see another textbook, meet another student, or hear another problem. Such is not the case with Mamie L. Brewington. The former Oharlotte Mecklenburg teacher, retired since 1973, still enjoys working with children. For the past several years, Mrs. Brewington has worked in the tuto rial program at First United Pres byterian Church. “Our church is near a housing project," she ex plains. “We have a lot of children come every day after school until 5 or 5:30. I work with primary chil dren. You can see they need special individual help." Her reward, she adds, is watching her students make progress in their school work. In all her years with the public school system, the elementary teacher taught in only two schools: Alexander Street and Briarwood. She stayed at Alex ander Street until integration in the late sixties. "We had such a lovely relationship,” she recalls of that school experience. "The kids were lovely. We had a close relation ship with parents and we visited iiuuies. _ At Briarwood, “Everybody was interested and everybody worked. At Christmas time, I received more gifts than I could return home!*’ During her years in front of a classroom. Mrs. Brewington saw lots of changes. "Now, there’s more stress than ever on reading and academic work,” she notes. Asked her “secret” of successful teaching, she replies, "You have to have a special love and interest in children. If you have that, children know it. If you doo’t, stay out of teaching.’’ She adds that creativity is im portant. “You’d better be creative because there are so many dif ferent types of students. What works for one child won't work for an other." Back before kindergarten, she recalls, students would come to first grade with no educational back ground whatsoever. By the end of the year, they’d be reading. That, says Mrs. Brewington, was always thrilling for her and very reward ing. Mrs. Brewington always thought of her students as her children and would try to offer them guidance. Even in retirement, that continues. “I do that with the neighborhood IJrMtX To Sponsor “Open House” The Admissions Office of the Uni versity of North Carolina at Char lotte is sponsoring an open house for prospective students and their parents Saturday, September 28, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Representatives from admissions, financial aid, residence life and stu dent life will be on hand in the entrance area of the Reese Admin istration Building to discuss educa tional opportunities with all in terested students and their families. Tours of the campus also may be arranged for those who request it. “This is a perfect opportunity for anyone interested in attending UNCC at some point in the future to look the campus over and have a good time, too,” said Kathi Bau com, director of admissions. The 11th annual International Festival will be held in the central campus area throughout the day, while nearby University Place, a European-style village, is staging its grand opening. A lecture by famed scientist Max Dresden is scheduled at 2 p.m. in 110 Physical Sciences Building. Dr. Dresden is executive director of the Institute for Theoretical Physics at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He will discuss his relationship with “The Greatest Sci entific Personalities of the 20th Century” at this free public lec ture. . .. ’ ✓ Like a good neighbor. State Farm is there See me for car. home, life and health insurance. f KAREN L. BYERS. AGENT 523-6063 521 Clanton Rd., No. 140 Charlotte, N.C. 28210 State Fai/m insurance Companies • Home Offices Bicx:m.ngton m.no'S . ■' 1 .2- -i* *!' j . . • Mamie L. Brewington .Retired but active kids, too,” she relates. They often I ---- accompany her on her daily walks, she says. Although Mrs. Brewington en tered teaching because “Then, there was nothing open but teaching and preaching,” she would still choose the profession today because of her love for children. Besides her tutoring and daily walks, Mrs. Brewington provides transportation for neighbors who need help getting where they want to go. She's also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. “I stay busy all the time,” she admits. “If you don’t stay active, you fall apart." If that's the case, Mrs. Brew ington should remain together for a long time to come. City Council At-Large Naturalizer... Priced for Value! *31*° Black Taupe Navy 4A 7 to 10 2A 6 to 11 Naturalized Our basic pump is a great wardrobe invest ment. Accented with upfront stitching, it offers the comfort of a moisture-absorbant Cambrelle,. lining. And best of all, it’s specially priced! NATURALIZED 2 LOCATIONS IN CHARLOTTE _ EASTLAND/SOUTHPARK SllOCS for People and Understanding. Charlotte Treatment Center P.O. Box 240197 1715 Sharon Road West Charlotte, NC 28224 (704) 554-8373 . & 'f jmL JCAH Accredited Licensed by the State of" North Carolina .% Member: NAATP, AHA; ADPA !Wr **V- ^ . V«VP®T JT “ Through many years of experience we've discovered that ‘Recovery' is the most rewarding profession that there is.” J.F. Emmert Executive Director, CTC • Inpatient/Outpatient treatment based on the 12 Step Program of A A • Extensive aftercare planning and involvement ifY ’ & v • Full time medical staff of MD’s and RN’s • Family Program p *. - * *• ; V9 * • _ • Intensive 1 year follow-up with treat ment outcome evaluations — data available on request • Sensitive to the needs of the patient and the referring professional • Warm, friendly and attractive environment f
Sept. 19, 1985, edition 1
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