Do you volunteer or do you have to be asked?

Do you volunteer to minister or do you have to be asked? Jesus commands us to go... to make disciples and to be "Jesus" to the world.

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

We live in such a selfish world... it has truly become the "me" society. You want "me" to go and do... not unless I have to or I am asked or worse told to! What happened to the I will go "immediately" and not wait for someone to have to ask or tell me to go. The disciples stopped what they were doing and immediately followed Jesus.

If the world is to know us by our love... why are we so reluctant to show our love? Even in the church we are reluctant to show our love. Do you have to be asked to minister to your fellow believer or do you volunteer before being asked or told? If someone is in need of prayer do you pray or do you say you will pray? If someone is in the hospital and has a need do you have to be invited to go and minister or do you just so and be "Jesus" to them in their time of need. Ever heard the term Nursery duty" it's not a duty it's a ministry! You are touching the lives of those little ones!

There's a saying; "no one cares how much you know until they know how much you care". As Pastors, Sunday School Teachers, Elders and other church leaders you can preach and teach on Sunday morning and show how much you know but until your congregation and fellow believers know how much you care your knowledge is nothing more than empty words.

The next time someone needs a phone call, a cup of coffee, a hospital visit, someone to volunteer in the nursery or just someone to listen to them... don't wait to be asked - just go and be "Jesus" to them... after all that's what we are called to do!

Pastor John

God's Plan or yours?

Wow it's May 6th already! Where has spring gone? All of sudden it's 80 degrees and the grass green and trees are in full bloom. Before we know it summer will be here. I recently read our Pastor's blog (Here) where he responds to Donald Miller's blog about God having a plan or not having a plan for our lives. I've been doing some reflection on God's plan for us and I believe He has a plan for us! Check out Acts 2:14-36

The last twelve weeks has been a real faith walk for me and my family as we have been asking the Lord for direction and (His plan) for our lives. That's one of the reasons for my lack of blogging as I have been using my evenings to really seek the Lord and not get distracted by my busyness.

As I look at scripture it is clear that God likes to have a plan and He uses plans to carry out His will. Here's where it gets fun... It's one thing to have a plan. It's the implementation of the plan that gets interesting. God's plan for our lives includes choices (He is not surprised when we deviate from or don't implement His plan or when we make choices). That's called our free will to choose.

Here's the personal application. I work for a great company (and a great Christian man) but my office is located in Springfield, IL and I live in Kansas City, MO. For two years I have commuted to work leaving my wife and son during the week. (I did this so my son could complete his High School career). Well, Bradley graduates next week and now it's decision time. Do I stay or do I go (could be lyrics to a song). It's been Brenda's and my desire to eliminate my travel and get me off the road to be home at night so now it's decision time.

So, God's plan or mine? Actively praying and seeking the Lord for direction doesn't mean just reading my Bible every night and just waiting for God's voice to direct me. It requires action! I tried to find work in Kansas City and in fact I had an opportunity even presented to me, but it still wasn't right. How do I know that? I would be here for hours listing the conversations, prayers, scriptures and sermons that confirmed my decision to relocate to Springfield, IL this summer.

God's plan is confirmed to each of us through His word and those He places in our lives. There is nothing better than knowing that He wants the best for us and we get to an active part of His plan for our lives.

God's plan or yours... it depends on who's leading and if you're following the plan!

Pastor John