The 4:6 Principle

"We’ve never done it that way before” and “I wish we would try something different” are two phrases that probably every pastor and pastor’s wife have heard before. We personally believe the church must be careful not to get mired in routine, nor should it change just for the sake of change. The church’s purpose is to love God and love others. The best way to fulfill that purpose is to be and build disciples. That takes a special effort on our part. We, as pastor and wife, want to live a life and lead a ministry that multiplies disciples. The “4:6 Principle” will assist us in fulfilling the purpose of God here at Gospel. The principle stems from two verses: “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” - 2 Corinthians 4:6; “So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.” - Nehemiah 4:6. Just as the light of Jesus has shone in our hearts, others need the light of Christ in their lives. In order for God, through us, to build disciples, we must have “a mind to work”; not a mind to be negative, complain, or sit in apathy but a mind to work together.

Seek First The Kingdom Of God

“Seek first the kingdom of God” - Matthew 6:33
I am asking everyone here at Gospel to embrace this verse and live with a Jesus First mentality. We are entering a time of increased ministry involvement and evangelistic outreach. During this time of growth it is understood that we will have to make some important decisions. Some of these decisions will include large purchases and building for the future. Undoubtedly we will arrive at some crossroads which we have never encountered before.
Before we arrive at the point of decision, let’s determine to put Jesus and His will before our own desires. Let’s try to see the big picture and not just view things from only one vantage point. We should also attempt to put the interests of others before ourselves (Philippians 2:3-4). And whatever we do, we should not think “small”. Our God can do great things that we can’t even think or imagine. Let’s be careful not to limit our usefulness or effectiveness because of a “small” faith.
When faced with great opportunity, some close their eyes while others retreat. Let’s embrace the challenge before us and glorify the Lord.
Jesus First for His Glory,

God's Way

Psalm 18:30 tells us, “As for God, His way is perfect.” Often times we may not know or understand what God is doing in our lives. We must take comfort in the fact that God knows what He is doing. If God created the world and holds all of life in His hands, don’t you think He can take care of you? The Bible also tells us that God knows every sparrow that falls and He clothes the grass of the field. If God cares that much about the grass and birds He must care about us. Sometimes you may wonder where God is. Many times it may seem like He has abandoned you. But it is in those times of utter despair that God’s glory comes through. We may not understand what God is doing, but He does know what is best for us. He knows who you should marry, where you should go to college, what job you should have, and He knows all things about your life. He has established your steps. He has a perfect plan for your life. Your dreams and goals in life do not even compare to what God has already purposed for you. However, it is only when we yield our lives to Him that we can know His way for us. Every time we try to do things our way we slide further off track. We must allow the Spirit of God to control us. We must allow God to control every aspect of our lives. To do this we must spend time in God’s Word every day and also time in prayer. The only way to know God’s way is to read His Word and to ask Him through prayer. To have a perfect life we must follow God’s way. To follow God’s way we must know His way. To know His way we must get into His Word. Stop trying to live life on your own. Your way is full of trouble, but God’s way is perfect. Follow God’s way today and you will be amazed at where He takes you.

Our Focus

What should the church focus on today? With all of the church growth movement information that abounds, it is increasingly difficult to know where to pour our attention. Which style of music? What type of small groups are the most effective for discipleship in today’s society? What type of building should we build? Should we dress formal or casual? And the list of possible questions could go on and on. Though they may be questions we should consider, I have come to the conclusion that many of these questions are a matter of preference.
I believe there are two things that should command our focus: Truth and Love. Matthew 6:33 says, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness”. The kingdom of God and Christ will in reality reflect the character of Christ. John 1:14 says that He is “full of grace and truth”. Solomon, in Proverbs 3:3, says “Don’t let mercy (steadfast love) and truth forsake you...write them on the tablet of your heart”. Peter puts it this way in 2 Peter 3:18, “Grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ”. I believe we should be committed unapologetically to never compromise the truth of God’s Word. I also believe we should love unconditionally from a sincere heart. Let’s keep our focus simple. Let’s set our eyes on truth and love.

Myspace or His Space

There is an epidemic of people being drawn to social networking sites such as myspace.com. The days of communicating in person or even on the phone is being replaced by text messaging and other electronic programs. The difference today is that these new ways of communicating can be very private and often times lead to communication that is displeasing to God. The problem is that we tend to have a ‘my space’ attitude rather than a ‘His space’ attitude. Children and teenagers put a circle around certain areas of their lives where only certain people are allowed and many people, even their parents, are excluded. When anyone attempts to invade the circle, the ‘my space’ attitude kicks in to full gear. “How dare anyone tell me what I can or can’t do?” “How dare anyone enter into MY SPACE?” Unfortunately, many adults have the same attitude. This is where the problem lies. Parents are often shocked and devastated when they catch their children participating in ungodly activities. But yet, those same parents allow their children to have computers and televisions in their rooms and they never monitor what their children do. The sad thing is that we are living in a day when everyone cares only for self. There is a song that I used to enjoy until I began to really listen to the words. It says: “It’s my life, it’s now or never, I ain’t gonna live forever.” This is a lie that so many people today are believing. The truth is, it is not your life and you are going to live forever. Your life is in the hands of God. Until you get out of your space and enter into His space, you will never experience salvation. Parent, if you don’t get out of your space and enter into God’s space and allow Him to have full control of your life, then you will never be able to raise your children the way God intended. If young people continue to live in a world where even their parents have a “my space” attitude, then they will grow up with no regard for good morals and truth. We desperately need to get out of our space and into God’s space. If we don’t, an entire generation will be lost.

Testify!

Has the Lord done something special in your life this week? Do you have a testimony or a word of encouragement to share with us? Post your comments in this blog!

Why are we here?

There has been many books and articles written on the purpose of the church. Unfortunately most people do not understand what the church is all about. The church is not about programs, activities, music, and even hearing sermons. The church is more than just an organization. I have heard some good definitions for what the church is, however, the best one I have heard comes from an unknown source. This definition states: "The Church is a group of baptized believers who gather for the purpose of fulfilling the Great Command and the Great Commission." I believe that this is the real purpose of the church. The Great Command is found in Matthew 22:37-40: "Jesus said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the Law and Prophets." Jesus said that this is what it is all about. We are to love God with everything that is about us, with every fiber of our being. As we learn to love God we then begin to love others and serve them the way Jesus serves. In the church, everything we do should be because of our love for God and our love for people. Though we may have many ministries and many opportunities for people to learn about Jesus, without love it is all in vain. When you look at all that our church has to offer, 'you may ask why do we need to do this or that?' It is because of love. It is because of the love that Jesus demonstrated for us and it is because we love Him. The second part of the definition of the church has to do with the Great Commission. The Great Commission is found in Matthew 28:19-20: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Teaching them to observe all things that I have command you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." As we go through out our daily lives, we are to tell people about Jesus. We are to make disciples. The reason we have Sunday School, Small Groups, Bible Study Classes, and various other ministries is because we are making disciples. As we do this in love we are fulfilling God's purpose for the church. The church. More than just an organization but a group of baptized believers who gather for the purpose of fulfilling the Great Command and the Great Commission.