March 2010 Newsletter Column

This year our churches have been focusing on what followers of Jesus Christ look like. Our goal is to be individuals who are totally committed to God’s will for our lives. There are four things that are crucial to our development as fully committed disciples of Jesus Christ.

1. We need to have an authentic personal relationship with God. One of my colleague’s, John Piippo calls this, a very small group meeting, You & God. If we are to be followers of Jesus Christ we need to spend time with God and develop a deep intimate relationship. We will never know God’s will for our lives if we don’t take the time to listen to Him. This small group meeting needs to include time to read the Scriptures, prayer (conversation with God), time for reflection and listening and worship. As I read my Bible, I try to allow God’s words to flow into my heart and mind. I think through the words in light of my own life journey and its events, actions and desires. I desire to enter into a dialogue with the text as if it is a personal letter written to me by God. I ask these questions to gain insight. A. What is the passage telling me about God? B. What is the Scripture (i.e., God) telling me about myself? C. What is God trying to say at this very moment? D. What is God trying to say to me about my life, my family, and/or my work? These questions help to create conversation

2. Be connected to a LifeGroup. A LifeGroup is a small group where relationships are built that makes the difference in your spiritual growth. These are the people who are "there" for you when the tough times hit. These are the primary people that will celebrate your victories too. The goal is to do life together in a relational environment that will help us develop the tools and skills necessary to change ourselves and our community one person at time through a growing relationship with Jesus.

The Bible shows us that the early church met in two different settings: in small groups in their homes and in large group celebrations in the temple. "Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts." (Acts 2:46) A "LifeGroup" is: A group of people (five to fifteen) who meet regularly for the purpose of spiritual growth, fellowship, and outreach. If you want to be in one of our LifeGroups, contact me at the church office.

3. Consistently attend and participate in Sunday Worship. Sunday morning is our large group gathering where as followers of Jesus Christ we come together to worship God, to celebrate His love for us and spent time in God’s Presence. Our Sunday services consist of:

4. Serve in a missional ministry. One of the main ways we grow as a follower of Jesus is to use the gifts the Holy Spirit gives us to serve in God's church and in our community. This gets the self-centeredness out of us, and we become more like Jesus who came, not to be served, but to serve. It is our goal to be a church who is making a difference in our community one person at a time by demonstrating God’s love for others in visible acts.

Now I am aware that many of you are unsure of your Spiritual Gifts. To help you discover your areas of strength so that you can serve God to your fullest I recommend you take a spiritual gifts test. You can find a good test on the internet at http://www.kodachrome.org/spiritgift/. If you can’t access the internet I encourage you to call the office and I will mail you the same gifts test.

I would love for you to share the results with me or another elder so that we can help you find an area of service that matches your area of giftedness.

It is my prayer that all of us together will pursue these four areas in our lives so that we will continue to grow into devoted followers of Jesus Christ.

Praising God for His Grace,