In day camp when I was younger we would always have a
small part of our day for announcements,
It was an important part of the day in order to
communicate the next day’s plans, information that needed to go home to our
parents, reminders about this or that and so on.
But prior to a day of fun and games or following a day
of fun and games announcements were always seen as:
So much “Blah, blah, blah!”
So our day camp staff tried to make even this part of
the day’s schedule fun and usually began this portion with a single line song with
this single word:
Announcements, Announcements, Announcements.
And, our part, as the campers?
We had a refrain that went like this:
What a terrible death to die,
What a terrible death to die,
What a terrible death to be talked to death,
What a terrible death to die.
While it was a humorous routine we followed each day
in camp; I think many of us have grown up with the same feeling toward meetings
we jung ‘ens had toward announcements.
We just plain don’t like them!
Many times meetings are only slightly more enjoyable
than a root canal.
And some might even prefer the root canal!
Listen to what some have said over the years
concerning meetings –
“A meeting is an event where minutes are taken and
hours are wasted.”
James T. Kirk
“Meetings are indispensable when you don't want to do
anything.”
John Kenneth Galbraith
“People who enjoy meetings should not be in charge of
anything.”
Thomas Sowell
I think we’ve all experienced that one. Someone is put
in charge of a project and the only thing standing in the way of accomplishing
it are all those meetings the boss wants to have to ‘check progress’.
Even our churches are not immune from meetings with
poor outcomes. This is something Paul wrote to the church at Corinth –
In the following directives I have no praise for you,
for your meetings do more harm than good. I Corinthians 11:17
The Bible even suggests a meeting to avoid in Proverbs
17:12:
“Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool
bent on folly.”
Avoid meetings where fools are (as the Message Bible
puts it) hell bent on folly.
Ahhh - Meetings; We all have them - at work, at
school, at home, at church as well as in other clubs and organizations we
belong to.
And you always, always, always love them; right?
Of course you do!
But I want to talk with you this week about three
types of meetings that are a regular part of all of our lives as believers. I
want to share the purpose, the benefits and some of the outcomes of each of
those meetings.
So, exactly what type of meetings am I talking about?
There are many different types, but I want to look
with you today at three in particular.
Three types of meetings; (and Admittedly, I may be
stretching the use of the word ‘meetings’) but the three types I want to look
at with you are:
A meeting between a Christ follower and the Lord
A meeting between two Christ followers and –
Finally, a meeting between a Christ follower and a
non-Christ follower.
As we look at each of these types of meetings we will
ask (and answer I hope) three questions:
1. What is
the purpose or motivation of the two meeting together?
2. What is
the attitude of each as they meet together?
3. What is
the result or the outcome of the meeting?
