Tag: 9-11

If You See Something, Say Something

Landon Bryant

Most of us have probably heard this phrase at one time or another in our life’s journey. This slogan was originally coined by the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (NY MTA) in response to the 9/11 attacks. Later, it was adopted by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

For many this slogan brings about feelings of patriotism, but for some there isn’t much meaning at all. Regardless of how this phrase rests on your eardrums it does get to the heart of a very key principle in Christianity. 

Responsibility. Each and every Christian has certain responsibilities. Collectively we can call these the base responsibilities of a member. Furthermore if in the course of your Christian walk you enter into a more specific “church role” you will acquire more responsibilities along the way. Teachers, Preachers, Deacons, Elders, etc. all have their own responsibilities to uphold for Christ’s church. 

For an easy illustration, if someone is teaching a Bible class and they stumble in that role, the church collectively has a responsibility to lift up that individual with love, patience, and gentle correction as shown in 2 Timothy 2:24-26:

“A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.” ESV

Or more succinctly in Ephesians 4:15: 

“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.”

Speaking in a broad sense, many of those that make up the Lord’s Church have no problem with the “correction” aspect of these verses, but the “truth in love” bit is infinitely harder for many. I know I myself have certainly been guilty of this.  One of my base responsibilities as a member is to try and make amends with those whom I have been guilty of falling short with. This is referenced in numerous passages, James 5: 16 being only one of many. 

So I ask you now to reflect on what your roles and responsibilities are as a part of the Lord’s church. Are you a Member? Deacon? Preacher? Elder? Teacher?

Have you ever fallen short in your role? Of course you have! None of us is perfect. But go one level deeper. Even if you acknowledge your shortcomings, did you address the matter with whomever you were guilty? Even when you were factually or doctrinally correct, were you leading with love? Maybe you are the party that was wronged. If you are still harboring a grudge, you need to sort that out. It’s not about who apologizes first; it’s about the heart of everyone involved and only you and God know your heart. 

I’m not necessarily calling for us to go digging up every skelton we have in our respective closets, but we should attempt to bury the proverbial hatchets within our day-to-day walk. And if a specific instance has come to mind with this article, I might suggest starting there. The very fact that there are guidelines for gentle correction and rebuke means we should all be open to correction regardless of what role we occupy. 

But, as with many things in life, there is a bright side to this topic. Nowhere in the phrase “If you see something, say something” does that imply it has to be accusatory or complaining. If you see someone serving in their role who lets their light shine brightly, acknowledge that brother or sister. Don’t assume they already know, and don’t assume someone else will tell them. 

Have you ever noticed someone serving silently in the background for year on year and thought to yourself how wonderful their own personal ministry is? Don’t keep those thoughts to yourself. Tell them. Say a prayer for them. Give them a high five. Volunteer to help them out every once in a while. 

Maybe you have been sitting on the sideline pews and you have been toying with the idea of teaching a class, leading a devotional, volunteering to cook a meal, host a get together, etc. We can all use our talents to glorify God in various ways. 

Wherever you find yourself in your Christian walk, reflect on your shortcomings, reflect on your successes, even your middle grounds, in general where can you improve? Have you left anything undone? Is something weighing on you?

In closing, I again ask you very explicitly to recall a time where you fell short in your current role, recall a time where you fulfilled your responsibilities adequately. Romans 3: 23 tells us that we all sin and fall short of the glory of God, so each and everyone of us has something to think about in both a negative and positive light here. Take those reflections and apply them to your walk going forward. 

PLANES AND PLANS

Neal Pollard

I was in Harrisonburg, Virginia, holding a gospel meeting for the Central congregation.  In the mornings, I was putting finishing touches on lessons on the Conquest through Divided Kingdom which I would be teaching the next week in Coimbatore, India.  That was what I was doing on Tuesday morning while Kathy took our small sons, ages 7, 5, and 3, to a nearby park to play.  Just before 9 A.M., I had the door of our hotel room open when a tearful hotel maid in broken English told me to turn on the TV, that it was very bad news.  It was Matt and Katie on the Today Show, breaking the awful story of a plane crash.  Then, a second plane hit and it was immediately apparent that this was no accident.  While the word “surreal”—bizarre, like a dream—is overused, the events of 9-11 fit the definition.  Suddenly, things changed.

My mission trip to India would ultimately be cancelled, as we were scheduled to leave from Reagan International.  The mood during our gospel meeting changed. There was a change, an increase, in spirituality in the hours and day or two which followed as evidenced even in normally irreverent late night television.  The nation was on high alert, gripped by fear, as three of our landmarks were struck by terrorists and a fourth was spared only after heroic efforts of passengers on a plane over western Pennsylvania.

But more fundamentally, plans for 2,996 people were most permanently changed.  That many people who woke up alive on September 11, 2001, would die in the terrorist attacks.  This included people in the World Trade Center, Pentagon, four commercial airplanes, and emergency responders.  Only God knows how many of them were prepared for death, but no doubt only the hijackers knew that death was about to come for them.

Before and after 9/11, large numbers of people died in airplane crashes, building fires, and other sudden tragedies.  More than 150,000 people in the world have their plans permanently changed by the coming of death.  Matthew 7:13-14 would indicate that the vast majority of them are unprepared for death. Someday, death will change our plans.  Thanks to Jesus’ death, if we have obeyed Him and serve Him faithfully, our death will mean changing from temporal pain to eternal peace.  Do your plans include Jesus?