A couple weeks ago I was teaching the young adult’s Sunday school class, the lesson was on Christ’s mission. Acts 1:8 (NLT)
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
I was so excited about this lesson. At had to wait a couple of weeks because of sickness in the church. The Sunday I taught it I felt like I was teaching to the choir because the only people that were there were Dale and a woman who is one of our supporters when it comes to missions. I guess this subject should be a passion of the Compassionate Ministries Director at the local church. Dale and I have heard people in the churches say, “God had called me into ministry but he did not open the doors to what I wanted.” Wow, I have learned in the ten years since we have been ministry that God puts us where he needs us — we may never know why God puts us in that place. We just have to remember that God is perfect and knows what he is doing. Truthfully, when God called Dale and I into ministry, I told God “Do not send me to the south”. Why? I do not like hot weather, but here I am in southern Virginia. Sometimes Dale and I wonder why God has sent us here. Dale jokes if he knew he was coming to Martinsville to be a youth pastor, he would have never come. But here we are and God is doing His part. Matthew 28:18-20
18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
This commands us to go and tells others about Christ. So why are there so many in the pews that are not going. The number one job of the church is send people out to ministry — not to keep as many as we can in our pews.
