I love to think of Jesus’ church alive and on mission, but as I heard the podcast I had an even deeper passion rise up in my soul! What might happen if we would welcome the Spirit to breathe Gospel-saturated community not just into our churches but right into each of the households that make up those churches!

In a healthy ecosystem, the living organisms are healthy because they interact in a proper way within the right environmental structure. The same is true in the church: the people are healthy when they interact with Jesus and others in a proper way within the right environment.

The prophets named idolatries. The prophets named strongholds. The prophets addressed economic and social ills. The prophets defined compromise and clearly outlined its borders. No one asked them to write best-selling books or host seminars. God commanded them to write out messages that were more often than not hated and rejected rather than celebrated.

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

Just as the rhythms of creation properly aligned with God’s design are necessary for life on our planet, the rhythms of our church, when properly aligned with the Gospel, are necessary for life in our churches.

Often the things we find most difficult to talk about are the very things we need to talk about the most.

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.

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.

Jesus described an essential part of making disciples as “teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you”. When we read this, we tend to focus on the what more than the how.

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.

Fluency in a new language and culture happens when you stop having to pause to translate every word or idea and you start thinking, hearing, and talking in that new language.

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.

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.?

This Gospel perspective is a blessing to us as it allows us to see through the rapids, through the limitations of human understanding, and to approach life armed with the hope and peace of Jesus.