Well dear friend it has been way to long since I last wrote you. I wanted to just express something that has been on my heart the past few weeks and years. It is the fact that we are all on common ground. I have been preaching about it and trying to stimulate the thoughts of our church and youth and myself on how to be a more effective church in the community.
What things can we do or pray about?
What are some areas of need in Ozark?
What people need to hear the gospel?
How can we share this love story with them?
These things have been consuming my mind and thoughts lately. What will it take for use to reach out to somebody else, that quite possibly could be spiritualy dead and going to Hell. What will it take for us to fulfill our Christian duty and not just go on with our normal routine?
This past weekend we got to hear Pastor Jim Raley speak. Wow what an anointing he has!
Two things that he said, well maybe three:
1. Minister to the Father and take care of his sheep.
This is the biggest job for myself and anybody in ministry. Serve God day and night, like a waiter. Wait on his needs and not our own, move when he says go and listen when he says be still. Minister to the Father, and take care of the sheep.
Taking care of the sheep: Taking care of those who God has placed in your care. Looking out for them, feeding them and leading them. Protect them from the things of this world that can hurt that or kill them, feed them the word of God the bread of life, make sure that they have the rights things in order to grow into the man or woman God has intended them to become. Lead them by what you do. A great blog was just recently wrote about this by my great friend Amanda Bock www.amandabock.com
We must lead our sheep to God and what he has for them.
2. You don't create what you want, you reproduce what you are.
I can try and create the atmosphere of worship for our kids.
I can try and show them how to read the Bible more.
I can try to create relationships.
But in reality I can only reproduce what I am as a Christian.
If I don't read the word, if I give my life to worship, if Im not relational, if any of those and others things are lacking so they too will be lacking in their lives. We reproduce what we are. We need to start living like that as pastors. We want revival to break out in our youth, we need to have it break out with us first. We cannot ask our kids to do something we are not doing.
3. The four things Hell has that we need in church!
Pastor Raley preached on these four things that Hell has that we as the church needs. It was so good. and so true. The point that stuck out the most for me was that Hell has a burden for the lost! We so need more of a burden for the lost and dieing in this world, in or country, our state, our county, city, town, village, apartment complex, neighborhood, and home. We need to have a great desire to see the lost saved.
God wants us to get uncomfortable and spread the gospel, he wants you and me to reach out and touch a life.
What are we willing to do with the opportunities at hand?
What would it look like if our schools were turned upside down for Jesus?
What would it look like if our church came together to prayer weekly for the city?
What would it look like if the passion that Jesus has for the lost became our passion?
We are all on common ground, we all need hope , love, and a saviour.
