Have I
told you lately how much I love you? Well, I do. It is an awesome honor to
pastor such a wonderful people.
Only
two regular and one handicap parking places left open on Easter Sunday! That
means we had a great group of people who came to worship the risen King, but
that also means we've got to do something about parking. Nice problem to have.
But with this problem we have responsibilities. We have the responsibility to
nurture and love those who come (you know, minister to them). We have a responsibility
to turn the curious into disciples. Jesus said, “Make
disciples”, not get a crowd. We need to find out what Jesus did with the
crowds when they gathered around Him.
We
notice in Matthew 4:23ff that He
taught them the gospel and how the gospel comes to bear on their lives. The
gospel is transformative and that is what we should be shooting for with our
teaching and preaching. Whether we are sharing with one or two hundred, whether
it is on a Sunday, Wednesday or Friday night, it is a sacred time.
Jesus
also met their needs. At times Jesus healed them and at other times He fed
them. Over and over I read that Jesus had compassion
on people and that compassion moved Him to action. He didn’t see them as numbers to be counted or potential givers; Jesus saw
them as people who had genuine needs. This is going to take time and energy
from all of us; we must get involved in people’s
lives.
Finally,
He got the other disciples involved in the ministering. While teaching the
crowds He was really teaching His disciples. For example, when He fed people He
asked His disciples what they would do. Their response was to send them off to
get their own lunch (14:15). Because they were wrong He corrected them and got
them on board with what He wanted to do. Ministry is not a one-person show; it
is going to take everyone doing his or her part. What part are you playing?
Grace
& Peace,
Scott
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