DISTRICT BLOG
Over time God has gradually opened my eyes to the reality that when Jesus’ died and the curtain of the temple was torn in two; a way was opened for me to not just experience forgiveness of sin but to also have the privilege of a relationship with God. What mercy, what mystery that God would choose me out of all of the billions of little girls in the world to know Him. I get to live in His presence now and for eternity! What a treasure!
What this means for us is that if we are going to pursue whole heart transformation. We will have to not only discover what is big to Jesus through treasuring him and considering his goodness. We will also have to be honest about the area or parts of our lives where what is big to us doesn’t match up with what is big to Jesus and ask him to change us in deep places.
After almost seven years of district ministry, I have sensed the call back to local church ministry. I have truly loved serving in this role under three different superintendents and alongside some of the best people I have ever had the privilege of working with. It has been an interesting journey to get to this point, but God has made the way very clear. As I take time to reflect on this season of life, I have compiled several takeaways that I would like to share:
One biblical topic of great mystery is the gift of prophecy. Today, I’m sharing a blog that touches on the mystery of prophecy. It’s written by Joel Repic, Director of Church Planting for the C&MA Western PA District and one of the pastors at the Gospel Tabernacle in Aliquippa, PA.: Prophecy, Pandemic, and Comfort
With America diversifying so quickly and in so many ways, this simple fact is more strategic than ever. Even in small towns, no one church can reach everyone. For the glory of God and the sake of those lost outside God’s family and kingdom, it’s critical for every church to pursue making and multiplying disciples who plant churches that plant churches.
It’s a little-known fact that some of the least reached places in eastern Pennsylvania are small towns. In 13 out of the 40 counties of eastern Pennsylvania, the number of people who do not claim religious affiliation is higher than 60% and most of them are counties filled with small towns. Stop and think about it ---- 60% with no faith commitment or connection to a local congregation. Church planting is a big answer to Jesus’ prayer for workers to be sent into the Father’s harvest field. It’s the most direct way to put harvest workers in specific communities and bring the gospel to people in your region.
When we view missions through this lens, what we do in our neighborhoods reverberates around the world and what we do around the world reverberates into our neighborhoods. When we raise our level of engagement in Alliance Missions, it can raise the level of engagement in your church’s local mission. It doesn’t take away from one, it can actually increase both.
We all agree that society disintegrates when evil is embraced as acceptable. I’m not so sure we pay as much attention when we accept and substitute a good thing for an ultimate thing - when we give our time, so to speak, to pencil sharpening and tool refinement, all the while setting aside what is most important.
To help us reach our goals there are many things that must take place, but one key ingredient is the process of assessment. It is like a taste testing or having a coach critique our swing. It is taking an honest look at how we are doing or what we have completed and evaluating it against a standard. As difficult as it may be at times to hear, if our desire is to improve or reach a target, we know deep down that it is necessary.
When we think of gospel multiplication, there are essential ideas about which we must have clarity and which we must keep at the forefront of our minds. Concise and precise words keep these ideas from slipping into the background of our ministry thinking. Clear words help us partner with Jesus in His mission. These six statements can help bring clarity to gospel multiplication in your church or ministry.
The question that we have to ask ourselves today, in this 21st Century, that is full of political unrest, racial tension, inequity amongst equals, a global health crisis, and beyond, is this: are we going to continue the legacy of prophetic leadership that we see evidenced in the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.?
God is a good and generous God. He is so good and so generous that it is not enough for Him to forgive our sin. It’s not enough for Him to give us the righteousness of Christ and to provide us with everlasting life in the new heaven and new earth. He actually makes it possible for us to share in His eternal and divine nature now and forever. We get to share in the life of God.
The New Year is around the corner, and with it, the natural bent toward new starts, new plans, new intentions. Some of us have a principle-based aversion to New Year’s resolutions, while others see the new calendar year as an opportunity to explore something different or try something new. Without making any kind of statement about the pros and cons of action plans for the new year, I thought I’d pass along some ideas on developing new habits of listening to Jesus. My hope is to start a conversation about how we can lean in to Jesus’ counsel as we move into a new year.
We don’t live in a time when God’s sending has been paused. God’s sending doesn’t stop until the world is renewed. The Father sent Jesus to the world to reconcile us to Himself and Jesus has sent us to carry on His reconciling mission of seeking and saving the lost until the Father sends Him again to bring His final righteous judgment and then the renewal of all creation.
