I recently heard a message at a meeting of our Presbytery that confirmed the importance of our getting out of our churches and into our communities to minister to people.
Let’s face it, we in the church can have wonderful programs and inspiring services. We can offer great music and warm relationships. We’ve become very good at ministering to each other. But while Jesus said that we are the light of the world, but we are too often found lighting all ready well lit rooms. We need to get out into the darkness to let our light shine where it is needed most.
So the message was good in that respect. But over and over we heard the words, “go over there.” I don’t hear that as a command from Jesus. I am aware of the great commission, “go and make disciples…”, but we aren’t asked to go over there for the sake of going over there.
The command that I hear much more often in Scripture is “Come, follow me.” If we are following Christ, we’re going over there. Jesus won’t leave us where we are. But I don’t think we should just go for the sake of going, and I don’t think our speaker at the Presbytery meeting was saying that either, though he didn’t make it very clear.
As believers, we should be close enough to Jesus to know where he is working, and we should always be willing to join Him in His work, wherever we see it.
We don’t follow Him by sitting in our churches, we follow Him by joining His work outside our churches. That’s where the people who most need Him are…
Let’s face it, we in the church can have wonderful programs and inspiring services. We can offer great music and warm relationships. We’ve become very good at ministering to each other. But while Jesus said that we are the light of the world, but we are too often found lighting all ready well lit rooms. We need to get out into the darkness to let our light shine where it is needed most.
So the message was good in that respect. But over and over we heard the words, “go over there.” I don’t hear that as a command from Jesus. I am aware of the great commission, “go and make disciples…”, but we aren’t asked to go over there for the sake of going over there.
The command that I hear much more often in Scripture is “Come, follow me.” If we are following Christ, we’re going over there. Jesus won’t leave us where we are. But I don’t think we should just go for the sake of going, and I don’t think our speaker at the Presbytery meeting was saying that either, though he didn’t make it very clear.
As believers, we should be close enough to Jesus to know where he is working, and we should always be willing to join Him in His work, wherever we see it.
We don’t follow Him by sitting in our churches, we follow Him by joining His work outside our churches. That’s where the people who most need Him are…
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