I’m not sure who gets credit for this one. I heard it used by Wayne Smith (more than once) sorry Wayne. Anyway, it is great stuff. Food for thought:
There are two men within my chest.
One is cursed, the other blessed.
One I love, one I hate.
The one I feed will dominate!
I can’t believe that fall is upon us! Kids are back in school, vacations have hopefully left you refreshed and now it’s time to settle back into the “normal” routine. How do you feel about that normal routine. I don’t want to sound like Dr. Phil, but how is that working for you? Are you fulfilling your purpose (if you know it)? Can you feel the connection between you and your Savior growing stronger day by day? If your load became too much for you to bear, are you surrounded by believers who have your back?
Sorry about all the questions, but I am going somewhere. The biggest reason people stay at a church is not the stuff that happens on Sunday morning. All the programs and elements of worship are purposeful and play a powerful role in our faith, but most people need to feel like they belong. This need is woven into our core, we call it relationship. That’s what small group is all about.
Who do you know at MCC? I mean really know. Developing real friendships with people who have placed Jesus in the center of their lives is a vital step in nurturing your faith. We are forming groups that will meet for 6 weeks. Would you be willing to try a small group for a short time? This could be the tool God uses to take your faith to the next level!
That sounds like a simple enough question. Shouldn’t every Christian have an answer? Several years ago, Dave Busby posed that question to 27,000 Christian people. Of course he got a lot of different answers. He began to group the answers into similar categories. He ended up with five.
I guess it deserves explanation. How are we supposed to do this relationship with Jesus? We take all (or both) of our relationship skills that are workings so well in the rest of our relationships, and try to apply them to a Lord we cannot see, touch or hear. So how’s that working out for you?
Every one of those bullet points are valid. They all represent parts of the equation, but the calling is greater than the sum. We can’t just place a check mark by each item and expect a deep, meaningful relationship with Jesus. He knows us best. He made us (John. 1:3) and does not call us to something without preparing a way.
“My prayer is not for them alone (the Disciples). I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” John 17:20-21
His prayer was for UNITY! Jesus knew we could not do it on our own. It looks like Jesus is saying the world will not believe the message if the church is not as connected to each other as He was to the Father. You see the viability of our personal relationship with Jesus has a great deal to do with our connection with the Body of Christ – His Church!
If you struggle with “feeling” a connection with Jesus, may I suggest connecting with one of His children. You will learn, they will grow and the whole world will notice the LOVE. The good news goes on!