I hope that you have been both challenged and encouraged by our present series of messages. I realize that in issuing the challenge to step up and make contact with those who are far from God, as well as with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, so that the church might have the impact that it was designed by Christ to have it brings with it the potential for discouragement. I understand that some of us may struggle to find ways to implement the things in which we have been challenged. So with
that said, I would like to give you one way in which
you could implement the challenges we have laid out in this series almost every week. Are you ready?
Picture the following scene with me: Walking through the front doors of the church and into the foyer is an individual who you haven’t seen at church before. He is nervously looking around, not sure of what to do next or even where to go. What do you do? Well, if you are a person seeking to make contact in order to make an impact, you will see that person as a gift from God, and therefore as someone who should be treated in such a way. As a result, you may have to excuse yourself from a conversation with a regular church attendee in order to come alongside the guest, start a conversation with them, walk with them to the nursery or Kidtown if the individual has children, and even sit with them in the auditorium during the worship service.
This is just one example of how you can implement the challenges of this series in your life right here at church. The opportunities are all around us; we just need to be looking for them. I hope that this series has helped us to be much more aware of such opportunities.
Pastor Scott