"Do a Few Things and Do Them Well" (Part 2)

“Do a Few Things and Do Them Well” (Part 2)

So what are those “few things” right now that God wants St. Peter and St. Paul to be (and DO!)? Well, in part this question still needs to be worked out together in tangible ways, however, I think that there are some things that we all need to think and pray about.

It is my belief that the scriptures teach that there are key characteristics that a healthy church family will exhibit (making the main things, the main things). These identification markers should include:

• the worship of the triune God
• the effective communication of the Holy Scriptures
• the development of Biblical family
• the centrality of prayer
• the training of people in their ministry gifts
• and a life-long approach to reaching out to others with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

God calls the church to engage these things as a gathered “body” of Christ, and as we live as the church individually¹ out in the world.

If you are familiar with the “core values” of our current Vision Statement, you will notice the parallels between the above mentioned truths and the things we as a church say that we value. In the pamphlet entitled “Our Vision”, we state that our foundation is to “Know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and to Lead Others to Him”. Fantastic! However, the next question is, how does that vision statement help us in our “on the ground” planning and prioritization?

In time we will engage each characteristic or mark of the church listed above, but for today let's look to some local and specific things that we can apply right now. If we as a church body want God to bless, and if we indeed want to encourage a real season of “growth” (spiritually and numerically) then what can we do to prepare for it?

While we are a family together, we are also unique individuals. How does God want to use you? Yes, I am talking to you (insert your name here:___________________________). First of all, do you believe that he wants to use you? I know enough about Father Philip to be quite sure that he has taught our body regarding this, and I will also flesh this out this idea more in upcoming sermons and teaching. However , you are the one who has to believe that God wants to use you right where you are, at your age, your circumstance, in your financial situation. Do you believe it?

Secondly, are you asking him to use you in any way that he chooses? We are not the lords of our own lives, HE is. So are you willing to submit to this? This might mean that you will have to involve yourself in attempting things that you have never attempted before. This may mean that you have to STOP doing other good things in the church so you can do what God is calling you do do FIRST OF ALL. Open your heart to him in regular prayer during the week and ask HIM how he wants to use you.

Thirdly, are you praying for others in our body, that God would use them? Yep, more prayer (grin). Sometimes we are so busy doing, that we don't have time to stop to listen and communicate with our Lord. With the resurrection power of the Spirit, change this. Don't beat yourself up, or put unrealistic expectations on yourself, but make time during the week to pray for yourself and others that we as a body would let HIM lead us. It is his strength and guidance that we must have.

Fourthly, do you love those you know who are unchurched or who are seemingly uninterested in knowing God? Are you praying regularly for these same people? Who are those people in your life? Start (or continue) praying for them, that God would soften their hearts to the Gospel and use our church (starting with you [insert your name here:___________]) to lead them to Jesus Christ.

Lastly, prepare yourself through prayer and meditation for UNCOMFORTABLE CHANGE as our church grows. NO, this does not mean that the pastor has any crazy ideas that he is going to surprise you with...what it means is that if a church is going to choose to love one another and love the world outside, then we must embrace that there is no real love without sacrifice. As a body grows numerically, the dynamics of that body change...the friendships and warmth don't have to change...but you might find God using you (or those you know now) to spend time with other newer people in our church that need to be served...which might mean that you don't see them as much...which means that you might be called to do different things...which means YOU (meaning all of us) will not have control over what God wants to do in our church. He might answer our prayers by bringing “undesirables” to our church (remember Jesus and the Leper?). Embrace this pain, don't run away from it! Through prayer and seeking God with all your heart, prepare yourself now to be what he wants you (and all of us at SP & SP) to be.

Remember, the Lord is already in the future waiting for us. We have nothing to fear.

1Individually, but never on our own...we are always a part of the one church of Jesus Christ