A few weeks ago we did a sermon series called "Sent" where Jesus sent his disciples out to do ministry. We spent a lot of time talking about how he trained them up, sent them out and how they learned from their wins and loses. But one thing I should have emphasized is that he did not send them out alone. Jesus sent his disciples out in pairs.
He did this for lots of reasons. He sent them out in pairs for safety. He sent them out in pairs for accountability. But he also sent them out in pairs for encouragement. When things are hard and we get discouraged...we need the other to lift us up. Ecclesiastes 4 tells us, "two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor: if either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up." I am blessed to have friends who help me up. We all fall down sometimes. We all get knocked down sometimes. We are blessed to have people to help us up, dust us off and get us back on our feet. Let us be thankful for that blessing. And let us be that blessing to others. If your brother or sister is in need, or going through a hard time...help them, love them, go with them, be with them, sit with them...pick them up. We are sent, but not alone, we are sent together. In Christ, Pastor Scot
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My 6-year-old LOVES football and wants to play in the NFL someday. We play catch in the backyard pretty often and run a variety of routes, but at some point, he will always want to "go long" where he tries to see how far I can throw and he can still make the catch.
We talk a lot in church about taking steps of faith. Abraham took a BIG step of faith when he left his home and set out for the promised land. Moses took a BIG step of faith when he trusted God and went back to Egypt to set his people free. Peter took a BIG step of faith when he got out of the boat and walked on water to Jesus. We are tempted to take little baby steps of faith. We might ask God for a good parking space or nice weather tomorrow...and while these aren't bad prayers; they aren't big prayers. So why not "go long"? Don't just look for the easy steps, the ones you could probably do on your own or even if you don't get them, it's not a big deal...no trust God with something BIG. Do you feel called to missions? Have you always had a heart to reach the lost but feel unqualified? Are you passionate to serve the poor? Those might feel too BIG for you...GOOD!! Go long and trust God with it! Take that step of faith and see that the Lord is good! In Christ, Pastor Scott |
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