by Tom Greenslade

Created on: July 29, 2008

John Fawcett was preparing to move. He was 32 years old. He was leaving the small Baptist church in Wainsgate, England, to move to the prestigious Carter's Lane church in London.
Fawcett had worked hard. Orphaned at 12, he was forced to work fourteen hours a day in a sweat shop. He taught himself to read by candlelight and studied continuously. When he was ordained at age 25, he went to pastor the tiny church at Wainsgate. For seven years he served the 100 members before receiving the invitation from London.

But Fawcett never moved to London. He couldn't break "the tie that binds." The last of his possessions were being loaded on the moving cart as he began his good-byes. He wept - they wept. It was too much for the young preacher. London would have to wait. He unloaded the cart to stay in Wainsgate a little longer. Fawcett never moved to London; he never left Wainsgate. He died there 54 years later.
Fawcett was destined to become one of England's greatest preachers. He wrote hymns, published books and opened a training school for young ministers. His "Essay on Anger" so impressed King George III that he offered Fawcett "any benefit a king could confer." His love for the people and their love for him not only kept him in Wainsgate, but also prompted this hymn sung even today (Norm Petersen):

Blest be the tie that binds
Our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds
Is like to that above.

That love is what is what made their fellowship as a church "blest." It bound them together in a sweet unity and peace.

Ps 133:1 Behold, how good and how pleasant [it is] for brethren to dwell together in unity!

I once read this in a book for teens, "If you go to pick up your girlfriend and she tells you to wait because she wants to help her mom finish doing the dishes, park yourself on her steps and refuse to leave until she agrees to marry you." (Unknown)
The same is true of a good church. If you attend a church where there is a spirit of unity, cooperation, forgiveness, compassion, and love, you have something very special. It is a taste of heaven on earth. Join that church and never leave it.
As Paul began his letter to the Romans he said, "First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. 9God, whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you 10in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God's will the way may be opened for me to come to you. 11I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong 12that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith." (Romans 1:8-12)
The Lord never gave Paul the joy of settling in one church. He was sent by the Lord to take the Gospel to the gentiles, to start many churches in many cities. That meant separation, loneliness, longing, and joy at returning again to visit these churches. There were some churches that were very special to Paul. The church at Rome was one of them.
Churches are made up of individuals. Those individual attitudes and characters are joined together and form the attitude of the church. What kind of input does your attitude and character have in your church? Is there anyone who would say of you "First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world"?

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