Today I say goodbye to January. As I took a few moments to think about the past month I was amazed at how many things we did and how little we accomplished in relation to all that activity. This little revelation really has gotten me thinking about how I am spending my time.
We have definitely had some good things happened this month. We continued to have our weekly Gospel Community Group on Thursday evenings and I believe that our time has been fruitful. We also began Launch Team Training on Saturday mornings. This too has been a profitable time of teaching and growing in relationship with our team.
My mentor and good friend, John Nyquist, often could be heard saying, "Ministry would be great if it wasn't for the people!" The point he was making was that ministry is the people and ministry is hard because people can be hard to deal with.
Church planting is interesting for a number of reasons. One of them being the people that are drawn to the mission. People have many different reasons for becoming a part of a church plant and many of them are not good reasons.
There are only two good reasons I can think of to be a part of a church plant. 1) God has called you to partner with other faithful men, women and children to plant a new church. & 2) You have come to saving faith in Jesus Christ through the ministry of a church plant. If people become a part of a church plant for any other reason it is best for the health of the church plant for the church planter/pastor to direct them to a place where God may be calling them.
Church planting is hard. It takes wholehearted commitment. You cannot dabble in church planting. If you do you will be completely unsatisfied with the experience and you will hold back the work that the LORD God Almighty wants to do through that church plant.
January has been a good month for us. It has been a difficult and heartbreaking month in some ways. It has been an adventurous and exciting month in some ways. It has been a faith stretching month in every way. There have been high highs and low lows. Through it all Jesus Christ has been faithful to build Pointway Church both deeper and wider.
As I think of how I have spent my time in the past month I am going to need to refocus on some crucial things and set aside some of the lesser things. Brainerd/Baxter is filled with people who are going to hell if they do not repent and believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am going to do everything I can to make it difficult for them to go to hell. If they are to go to hell they are going to have to do so while ignoring my pleas for them to receive the gift of salvation that comes from Jesus Christ alone.
I will do this even if I am the only one willing. I will remain faithful whether people stand along with me or not.
For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!
~1 Corinthians 9:16
Goodbye January! Thank You Jesus for everything.
We have definitely had some good things happened this month. We continued to have our weekly Gospel Community Group on Thursday evenings and I believe that our time has been fruitful. We also began Launch Team Training on Saturday mornings. This too has been a profitable time of teaching and growing in relationship with our team.
My mentor and good friend, John Nyquist, often could be heard saying, "Ministry would be great if it wasn't for the people!" The point he was making was that ministry is the people and ministry is hard because people can be hard to deal with.
Church planting is interesting for a number of reasons. One of them being the people that are drawn to the mission. People have many different reasons for becoming a part of a church plant and many of them are not good reasons.
There are only two good reasons I can think of to be a part of a church plant. 1) God has called you to partner with other faithful men, women and children to plant a new church. & 2) You have come to saving faith in Jesus Christ through the ministry of a church plant. If people become a part of a church plant for any other reason it is best for the health of the church plant for the church planter/pastor to direct them to a place where God may be calling them.
Church planting is hard. It takes wholehearted commitment. You cannot dabble in church planting. If you do you will be completely unsatisfied with the experience and you will hold back the work that the LORD God Almighty wants to do through that church plant.
January has been a good month for us. It has been a difficult and heartbreaking month in some ways. It has been an adventurous and exciting month in some ways. It has been a faith stretching month in every way. There have been high highs and low lows. Through it all Jesus Christ has been faithful to build Pointway Church both deeper and wider.
As I think of how I have spent my time in the past month I am going to need to refocus on some crucial things and set aside some of the lesser things. Brainerd/Baxter is filled with people who are going to hell if they do not repent and believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am going to do everything I can to make it difficult for them to go to hell. If they are to go to hell they are going to have to do so while ignoring my pleas for them to receive the gift of salvation that comes from Jesus Christ alone.
I will do this even if I am the only one willing. I will remain faithful whether people stand along with me or not.
For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!
~1 Corinthians 9:16
Goodbye January! Thank You Jesus for everything.
1 comment:
You won't do it alone!
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