FROM KEVIN SHEDD:
Thank you to all who chose to brave the weather for our divine appointment with the Lord. It is always a joy to worship with you, and an honor to present God’s word from the pulpit.
I had one saint ask me, in regard to my subpoint on not abandoning a mission, if I meant that we should keep putting resources into a failing ministry. This is a great point.
I was referring to a vibrant ministry that is showing much fruit in sharing the Gospel and is faithfully executing upon their mission.
God wants us to be good stewards of his resources, our time and His money. If a ministry is not accomplishing the mission that they set out to do and are struggling even with our time and His resources, then the responsible action plan is to prayerfully consider putting our time and His resources into other ministries that are working toward God’s plan.
Another saint said that it was interesting to him to describe sharing the Gospel as “suffering.” He stated that we often do not think about it that way, and it would come as a surprise to many people to hear that.
It’s true that we do not bear the same consequences as Christians in the first and second centuries and we should be grateful that we can share the GOOD NEWS without fear of disruption, dismemberment, or death…Praise the LORD!!
Yet, a new study showed that only 64% of American Christians found sharing the Gospel to be optional. Only 2 out of every five born-again Christians believe that they have a personal responsibility to share their faith. This is truly a place where American Christendom has tried to avoid suffering because of embarrassment or apathy. However, we are called, above all else, to share the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
There is a basket at the front of the sanctuary on the altar. This is for the first names of the people that you, our local church, has shared the gospel with. Wouldn’t it be grand if we had two names in that basket each week!
There is an opportunity to share in the suffering of others over the next month: RORO Expo is a great place to learn how to evangelize with experienced veterans like Dick Nohr. You can support our missionary team that is going to help our church plant in France by suffering through a six-course gourmet meal (I believe the main course is chicken).
Let’s not be a church where only 2 out of 5 of our congregation shares in the suffering of the Gospel. Let’s all work together to perform our sacred duty.
Remember: Ministry is better, when we suffer together!
-Kevin Shedd