Dear Church Family,
Over the last few weeks two thoughts from two of my sermons have really been impressed on me personally. Each week before I ever get in the pulpit, I have preached my message to myself all week long. And I have been convicted that I need to heed these two points in my life. My prayer is that God would use the messages He gives me each week for your good as well as for His glory.
The first thought is that I need to be ready to minister in the flow of my life. Peter and John modeled for us this point in their encounter with the lame beggar at the Beautiful Gate. (Acts 3:1-7) This man was not just an interruption to their schedule; he was a divine opportunity that God gave them to minister in the name of Jesus Christ. I know that there are times in my life that I have not been as sensitive to the “interruptions” that come to me. I need to recognize that God is always at work around me. God does not have to clear with me these ministry opportunities. I need to stay ready to walk in the good works that He has prepared for me. (Ephesians 2:10) And I need to remember that often those good works are not going to be on my official schedule for the day. I need to always remember that people are not interruptions to my day, they are ministry opportunities that I had not planned on. God help me to be sensitive to people and what you are doing in my life to minister to those around me.
The second thought that has been pushing in on me is that those who reject Jesus the Author of Life are only left with spiritual death. In Acts 3:14-15, Peter states in his sermon that… “But you denied the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead.” People who reject Jesus as their Savior and Lord are rejecting the Author of Life. And in their rejection of Jesus, they are only left with spiritual death. And if I truly believe this, it should move me to want to share the truth of the Gospel like never before. Faith in Jesus is not optional. It is a matter of life or death. People must actively trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins. And I, as a follower of Jesus, should make it my aim to live in the power of the Holy Spirit to live out Acts 1:8 in my life and be a willing witness to the world so they can trust in the Author of Life so they can receive spiritual life instead of spiritual death.
I do not just want to endure the dark days of the world that we are living in! I want to shine the light of the Gospel in the darkness! Lord help me to be sensitive to the ministry opportunities that you bring across my path. And Lord please break my heart for those who reject the Author of Life. Help me to share with them the power of the Gospel, and then celebrate the changed lives that you will transform as people place their trust in your son Jesus Christ!!
I love you and I love being your pastor!
