I Hate Buttermilk. 

The story is told of a city preacher that was offered an opportunity to work with a country church way back in the hills.

The city preacher wanted to see if this was something he wanted to work with or not. 

That Saturday morning the men were having a prayer breakfast. 

The preacher thought, “When I listen to their prayers, I will learn how developed their spiritual life is”

They ask an old farmer to bless the breakfast.

He spoke loudly. 

Lord, You know I hate buttermilk!

The preachers head was bowed, but his eyes popped open in shock!

“And Lord, you know how much I hate lard or shortening”

The preacher was getting concerned. This man wasn’t sounding very thankful as he should.

“And Lord, we have talked about how I do not like to eat plain flour.”

The preacher was just about to interrupt when the old farmer spoke again.

“And Lord, you know how much I just LOVE buttermilk biscuits!”

The preacher held his breath wondering what was next.

“And Lord, I know that you are a good mixer. You have put this congregation together. Some of us are like buttermilk, others are like lard. And then you put in all those that are like flour. And you have mixed us, and baked us, and now we are a congregation that everyone loves. Thank ya’,God.

There were the 12 men that Jesus was going to “Mix together” and change the world with, to use as a foundation for His church.

We read about them in Luke 6.13-19 (rfb)

• And none of them were what you would think of as “the most useful ever”!
• One was a self-proclaimed sinners
• Professional sailors or fishermen, with all their bad habits.
• Argumentative, that is “sons of thunder”
• Curious to a fault and had a big mouth
• One was a hated Roman employee
• One hated everything and everyone that related to Rome
• Others were just “plain flour” people, with nothing outstanding about them.
• And one was a betrayer.

How was Jesus ever going to mix that group into a “buttermilk biscuit”?

They simply spent a lot of time with Jesus

• They watched his miracles
• They learned how to imitate his teaching skills
• They saw how he handled opposition
• They saw his love, his compassion, his mercy

And they spent a lot of time with these others.

• The sinner felt God grace and mercy through the other apostles.
• The argumentative became calm.
• Sailors practiced good habits,
• The Roman employee quit
• The hater-of-Rome became patient with others
• And they all allowed Jesus to gently bake them into a “buttermilk biscuit”.
  • And they changed the world

For us to change our part of this big world, we must spend a lot of time with Jesus.

• Watch his miracles
• Reproduce his teaching skills
• Witness him handling opposition
• Experience his love,
• Copy his compassion, 
• Mimic his mercy

If you try to change the world without constantly being around Jesus and other Christians, you will be about as successful as a lump of lard by itself.

• You alone can’t do what these men did.
• You and Jesus alone can’t do what these men did.

The church Jesus built 

• follows Jesus’ words, 
• they follow Jesus’ examples, 
• they give patience and mercy to other imperfect people like you and me, 
• and we can use our abilities to help them, 
• And together they will use their abilities to help us change our little part of the world. 

Everyone has something they can do for His church, His kingdom.

• But they need to begin practicing with other Christians.
• I am hopeful you will visit a Church of Christ near you