Mt. Zion Christian Church
3631 Combs Ferry Road
Winchester, KY
859.745.2446
exists to... Worship God. Love Others. Share Jesus.
I have two stories to relate. One is an email I recently received from someone in Alabama where our youth visited and ministered. I thought everyone should be able to read it and brim with joy. The second is a story you might remember...well you might remember the first part of it but the end of that story is really good. Please read them both. Here is the email:
Darlene,
I am sooo glad your group enjoyed their time here, but I must say I was so blessed by your kids dedication to serving God! (not to mention their manners, and respect, both fantastic). We at Rigby Street have a renewed spirit from your visit & are trying to get some activities & missions going for our youth. I know God sent you to our church for a good reason, our kids were able to see what THEY could do for God. Thank you so much for coming & if you are ever through here again PLEASE call me!
GOD BLESS YOU & YOURS,
Heidi Fenske
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Now for the story:
Donna grew in a Christian home in South Carolina. She went to church beginning in nursery school. In high school and her early college year she devoted herself to Christian youth groups, and even served as a summer missionary teaching the Bible to young people from 50 churches.
In her later college years, Donna says her priorities began to shift. She entered a beauty contest with the motivation of winning a free trip to New York hoping to gain a foothold in a career modeling and acting. She stopped attending church and reading her Bible. She says, "My going prodigal was a series of left turns. It didn’t happen overnight. It was a series of subtle compromises."
In 1987, her life would never be the same for Donna Rice when magazines and newspapers around the world published pictures of her sitting in Democratic Presidential Candidate Gary Hart’s lap.
When the scandal broke, Donna was on her way to achieving her dreams. She had become a pharmaceutical sales representative and television commercial spokeswoman. She resigned both jobs due to the negative publicity, and worried about paying the rent.
She refused offers to sell her story for a movie of the week, and even her own television series. Instead of going public, Donna sought out the friendship of Christian friends and family, and began to seek the Lord again.
Donna found hope in the words of the Apostle Paul in Romans 8:28. She realized that good could result from her situation. In those difficult times, she learned to love her enemies. After praying all night for a particular journalist who berated her, Donna saw the same person slandering her on a national TV show the next morning.
Donna says, "I realized that to die to self was all that really mattered. My identity was really in Christ. Even though I had made a big mistake with my lifestyle, God used the trials to conform me to His image."
Over time, God rebuilt Donna’s life and is using her again. In the process of restoration, God is using her to help, protect, and reach other people. Donna married John Hughes in 1994, and today is the spokeswoman for Enough is Enough, an organization dedicated to protecting children from Internet pornography. Five years ago, she authored a book outlining ways parents can protect their children from obscenity online. Looking back on her life Donna Rice Hughes says, "If none of this had happened, I may not have come back to the Lord. In spite of our failings, God does use all things for good."
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The reason for sharing the email and the story is because we need to restore one another or none of us will be able to perform the great commission to go into the world and preach the gospel. If we get down and think we aren’t good enough to share Christ news of forgiveness, the good news might never be given to those who need to hear it. Each of us has messed up, sinned, broken God’s Ten Commandments but God wants us to be restored and get back in the game.
This past Sunday we looked into the Biblical desire for us to forgive one another. This Sunday I want us to go one step further as we look into the need to restore.
Our Church is one of many Churches which has it’s foundation in "The Restoration Movement." However there are basically two forms of restoration. One has to do with going back to the Biblical way of making sure the Church itself is governed and operated as the original New Testament Church operated. But the way I desire to approach this subject of restoration is toward the person themselves being restored.
We as a Church too often shoot our wounded but that is not what we are called to do. Forgiveness is one thing and restoration is the next step. The following scripture should give us some insight into how we (Who are able) are to help those who are down and out. This passage takes us further down the road that Christ wants His Church to travel.
Galatians 6:1.NIV "Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted."
Wherever you are in your Christian walk...whatever you might be going through...Keep going. Never give up, even if you stumble, even if you fall. Somewhere, someday, someway God will send someone along to help you back up.
See you Sunday as we discover ways to "RESTORE" one another.
For the Cause of Christ,
Bro. Kenny