Community Updates from Dr. Bob: 10/11/2023
I’m grateful today to be able to share with you some signs of encouragement about how God has been working through Community lately. God is surely at work in and through us and if we look we can see the signs of his presence.
We’ve seen multiple recent incidences of lay people stepping up to take the initiative in ministry. Lisa Williams has sensed God prompting her to launch a special event to connect our young adults. Juanita Braunwalder is working together with others to create opportunities for ministry to and among women, living out some of the very principles that we’ve been discovering in our current sermon series. GG Crawley is about to start a second round of her highly successful “A Work of Art” ministry. We also have several new process group leaders who have been raised up: Maureen Evans, Joan Florio, Debbie Case, Kammy Sislofsky, and Robin Zamora. The lay-led prayer ministry and prayer walks are continuing to go strong.
With all of this Spirit-led ministry taking place, we can see the initiative and engagement of our people with God and others. We read in James 1:22 that we are not just to be hearers of the Word, but doers as well. These are just a few examples of people taking that to heart and putting it into practice (and we’re excited to see who God raises up next!).
We also see an extension of that same theme in our Monday night Discipleship Labs. We’re close to the halfway point of the Discipleship Lab now and are averaging 45 people per week seeking to put into practice what Jesus has told us to do. I’m particularly encouraged by the young people who are taking part in the Discipleship Lab; they are taking it seriously and truly engaged in listening to what Jesus might have for them.
Now is the season to live into what Jesus has for us, to be the kind of people Jesus called us to be: Not those who shrink back and are afraid, but those who step forward in faith (Heb. 10:39). As we live toward this reality together, let us also pray toward this reality:
– That the Holy Spirit would continue to prompt people to get involved in ministry
– That we would all live into the basic discipleship of doing what Jesus called us to do
– That we would give sacrificially so we can finish the year strong
– That we would engage in pure worship, listening to God, and seeking to join him in what He is already doing
So let’s keep it up and see God do a powerful work among and through us:
So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. (Hebrews 10:35-36)
