Skip to main content

Leaving the Building

What have I been called to do?

Each of us wrestle with this question as we follow Christ through every season of our lives. Sure, I know I am to love because Jesus first loved me, and I know He set the example of ministry as a servant. Yet there remains the questions of "How do I love when I'm surrounded by hate?" "Where can I go to meaningfully serve others?" "How do I know if I'm doing it right?"

First of all, God is neither a taskmaster nor a scorekeeper.

God knows the plans He has for me. As I go through my everyday life, I know I have been called for such a time as this. I have been sent to minister right where I am. This perspective shifts all my questions to thoughts of "How can I best love this person in front of me?" "Where do You want me to look?" "Am I listening to the Spirit right now?"

What have we been called to do?

To proclaim our community as a church means we believe we have been called out and called together for a purpose. What we are is as eternally impactful as what we do. Whenever I consider growing in my ability to love and serve I begin with demonstrating God's love in the household of faith. How easy is it to reach out to a brother or sister with an encouraging text or email? It may be a small step but every time we leave the building we become a scattered community on a mission. This does not change our status as a Kingdom Family. We can build each other up in the days of scattering as much as we can in our times of gathering. In fact, the practice of loving and serving one another trains our spiritual muscles so that we are ready for action when it comes to our neighbors.

Exercise your freedom in Christ.

Take a moment to pray. Ask God who could use a thank you note, a message of friendship, or a word of encouragement. When He gives you a name or face, follow through. When Jesus was going, His eyes were always lifted up so He was able to see the needs of others. If I intentionally ask the Holy Spirit to shift my focus outward then my faith is strengthened and I start walking in a Kingdom way. When I pause for a moment to reflect on how Christ loved me it propels my next step to move forward as a servant of the greatest cause in the world. I lose the burdening weight of trying to find my purpose, and I gain the joy of looking to serve His purpose.

Last Sunday Pablo looked at the Spirit-led church of Acts and asked us to consider our love and service. How do I answer the call of God when the church has left the building?




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

All In Good Time

Where does my help come from...and when will it get here?! I have a fairly predictable struggle in my faith walk when it comes down to the timing I would prefer versus the timing of God. Mostly this revolves around my own comfort and desires but there have been occasions when God's timing has cause me deep pain and sadness. Still, I trust Him. In the those times of real struggle I place my hope in what Jesus has already accomplished, and then cast my gaze to what the Bible reveals of the final victory. The greatest resource for my peace is not found in a distraction or a pleasant feeling but in the reality of Christ's death and resurrection. Knowing God was able to bring about the salvation of all in that way, I renew my faith in that great and glorious day yet to come. Sure, my anticipation grows with every look ahead but my temporal peace also increases even in the midst of calamity. Still, I trust Him. This statement is not a mantra or religious chat I use to calm myself i...
Post a Comment
Read more

Where does my help come from?

I have to stop to think about that. This past Sunday, Lumumba proclaimed Psalm 121 in the midst of a world in pain and a population trying to process all that has happened. On top of a pandemic, demonstrations of all kinds have erupted all over the world as the evil of racism overtook our collective focus. Where does my help come from? The psalmist admitted he had to lift his eyes to receive the answer. I can look in the mirror to review my own behavior and thoughts but for the people of God, there is no real hope without the involvement of Jesus. He is not only the author of our faith, He is the maker of Heaven and Earth! He has a depth of understanding as to what is wrong in this world that makes my attempt at contemplation seem like a newborn trying to fathom the complexity of the universe.  I keep hearing people preach about the importance of looking "deep within ourselves" and "tap into your basic human morality" but that is not what the Bible w...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Simple Invitation to Prayer

"What has helped me?" Our commitment as a church is to advance the Gospel as a Kingdom family. As we drill down on advancing through small steps and simple invitations, Lumumba was preaching out of Revelation and asked the question, "What has helped me in sharing the word of my testimony?" I was particularly caught by his first point of prayer. Jesus taught us to pray. Prayer is unique to humankind and a primary indicator of the faithfulness of God's people. God hears every prayer. It is transformational, impactful, good for the soul, empowered by the Spirit, and necessary for our intimate relationship with the Creator of the universe. Yet we often treat it as a daily chore. When prayer becomes an after thought for me I begin to forget who I am in Christ, that I have been called and sent by God, and what I have been sent to do. When my prayer life is weak it becomes a laundry list of what I hope God will do for me instead of remembering who He is and lis...
Post a Comment
Read more