I want to ask a very simple question! How obedient do you think we are as a church?I want to ask a very simple question! How obedient do you think we are as a church?
We come to church to worship God, to love each other, share and learn from each other so that we can grow in our faith. The Bible tells us to meet together as believers and to encourage one another. All of these are very important. It is actually for our own good that God wants us in fellowship with other believers. We need each other to grow up in the faith, to learn to serve, to love one another, and to practice forgiveness. Though we are individuals, we still belong to one another. However, there is another thing which I feel we as Christians often totally overlook. Christian faith is not just about proclamation. It is also about service. So what about beyond these walls?
At Lynton URC, we do all these things but do we all realize that all of us are ministers and all of us can 'reach out' to make a difference in someone's life! Many of us, who are active, can serve our community in a wide variety of ministry roles. We can use our spiritual gifts and work together as the Body of Christ. Those of us less able bodied, can pray and support in that way. All of this is possible with TEAMWORK!
Every person in our church should be able to articulate and share their faith, to be prayerfully and practically concerned for all those they know who are outside of the body of Christ, to be committed to show and share the love of Christ not only among friends, family and neighbours but into our community, and ultimately in our world. Are we able to live up to this challenge?
We need to look beyond our walls to see how we can share the love of Jesus in our own community. It doesn't have to be in a big prestigious scheme, but a simple way, that gets alongside people. The greatest Christian witness can be in the quiet way we show that love to people so that they can see something different in us. It is this simple but consistent witness that is often so important.
To be obedient and effective Christians we have got to stop keeping our faith locked away in the building each week and release it into the world! That is not an option; it is a command from Jesus. I hope therefore, that in our current developments, we will move much closer to this target.
God Bless