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For many of us Christians we desire a stable quiet life yet hold in tension the global call to make disciples. Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 4:11, “…make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands,”. However, we know Jesus commissions the disciples in Mark 16:15 saying, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation”. What are we to do because we all can’t drop everything and go abroad? We might all not go out, but we all can serve locally, pray globally, and send others to wherever the Lord takes them. Getting involved in the local church solves this tension. Your pastor will help you settle into the local life while maintaining a global view. Being in the local church gives you the opportunity to sometimes go abroad, to often support work beyond the local, yet gives you the stability of being in Kingdom work where you live. It’s not about trying to make the biggest impact but being faithful and obedient in the local body the Lord has placed you. Even the smallest pebbles can make long reaching ripples.
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If you’ve even glanced at the news lately whether it’s national or global, it seems as everyone is either fighting or on the brink of fighting. It also feels as if it’s pitted as us vs them, left vs right, this idea vs that idea, but that’s not really true. The reality of the world is that it’s a battle of good versus evil. We then must answer the question of how do Christians fight evil. Is it time to take up arms and start a modern-day crusade? Of course not! Romans 12:21 says, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Even further Matthew 5:44 says, “…Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” The power of the gospel changes lives, turns enemies into friends, makes peace where there was never ending war. We must stop categorizing evil as just some nebulous definition of the most heinous things. Anything that goes against God and his commandments is evil. Selfishness, lying, stealing, gossiping, etc. are also evil. We must combat the evil in our own lives through prayer, repentance, and confession while combating the evil in the world through prayer and the spreading of the Gospel.
Why should we define what the local church is? When we lose our biblical definition of what the church is and what her purpose is, we then begin to miss the mark on how we do evangelism, discipleship, community, correction, and ministry. Jesus doesn’t say he will build individual disciples in Matthew 16, but he will build his church. The church defined is a local body of believers coming together to meet regularly under the shepherding and teaching of elder-qualified men served by biblically qualified deacons devoted to the exposition of the scriptures, prayer, church discipline, and the ordinances (baptism and the Lord’s Supper). The church’s mission is to glorify God through making disciples which starts with evangelism or the proclamation of the gospel. Paul Washer in his book The Essential Means of Grace said, “A local church is not synonymous with a weekly Bible study, a parachurch ministry, or listening to one’s favorite preachers on the internet.” Accountability and truth must be our foundation which comes through the church Christ built. The church is our beginning for evangelism, discipleship, ministry, etc. and not our last resort. Our mission organizations, parachurch ministries, or non-profits should all be connected to the local church. Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” May you be encouraged to stay connected to the pulse of Christ’s mission by being in the local church.
We’ve spoken frequently of how hospitality has shaped our personal ministry and the ministries we often find ourselves engaging. I could go through a litany of verses that speak truth to the importance of it, but I want to focus our attention on Hebrews 13:2 which says, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” We don’t know who we are impacting or how you are impacting others simply by living your Christian life and practicing hospitality. It could be that you encourage a fellow believer, open the door for a gospel conversation with a lost soul, or are purely glorifying the Lord by showing the world the radical love of Christ by caring for the stranger. Consider Jesus, where in Matthew 8:20 he says, “…Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” It was the hospitality of others (the majority being women) that provided the means to his ministry which was food in his belly, money for journeys, a roof over his head. Hospitality doesn’t mean you need to have the grand big house, be in the right role of leadership, or have the perfect finances to make an impact for the kingdom. Hospitality matters now in these moments God has given us whether we’ve been settled in the same home for 30 years or are nomadic wanderers.
One of the first things Jesus said to his apostles in his final teachings to them before he went to the cross was this, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35). One of the first things we should be known for among non-believers is our deep love for one another. How can we love others if we first aren’t loving one another well? I know it’s difficult for us because too often we only want to show care to those that don’t rub us the wrong way. The reality is that loving one another is not a suggestion but a commandment. The preceding verse (John 13:34) Jesus says, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” Our love for one another is a witness to the Gospel message. Embracing brotherly/sisterly love towards one another glorifies God. It shows the world that regardless of your past, Christ makes you new and you are welcomed into his family. We are unified when we love one another and embrace our different gifts for the Lord. It magnifies Christ and the work he has done. So let us let go of our petty squabbles, political differences, and unjustified grudges so we might love one another, and people will see we are Christ’s disciples.
When you think about it humans are rather fragile things. We get sick, we break down, we’re not overly strong like other creatures, and we barely make it to a century on this planet before dying. Yet God uses us weak little vessels for the powerful message of the Gospel. 2 Corinthians 4:6-7 says, “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” It’s a sobering and encouraging thing at the same time. We’re not so fragile and useless that he can’t use us, but we’re not so powerful in what we do that we strip away his glory. God gets the glory in the simplicity of the gospel message being preached by us little humans. Continue to be that little jar of clay that holds such treasure to change the world because God created you for such a purpose as this.
Sometimes we get so wrapped up into wanting to give our best for the Lord, that we miss out on the work that he puts right in front of us. Instead of scheming on how many you can reach, focus on the ones God has placed in front of you. To glorify God and walk in his character means to take care of the individual, the marginalized, the widow, the ones no one thinks about. We get so focused on our Wednesday Bible study and how great it’s going to be, that we forget the cashier in front of us who needs to hear the healing message of the Gospel. Luke 6:32-33 says, “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.” As Christians we are not called to reciprocate what is given to us, but to show God’s mercy to those around us despite their background or feelings towards us. Jesus loved the unlovable, touched the untouchable, forgave the unforgivable, and welcomed the undesirable. Why did he do this? Because of his mercy. This is the mercy he poured on us, so let us also love the least of these that our Savior puts in our path.
They say in our world the only constant is change. Yet scripture teaches that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Having lived on two continents I’ve seen too often that when the world shifts its values, they want Christianity to shift alongside them. How do we stand firm in God’s truth when those around us say that what we speak is not truth anymore? Standing firm means we speak truth in grace and love. It means we don’t compromise the gospel message to cater to the ever-constant changing of our culture. Ephesians 6:13 says, “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” That armor has truth, righteousness, hope, peace, the gospel, God’s word. That is what we put on to hold fast in the storm. At the same time, we are not alone. God’s word teaches us that a cord of three strands is not easily broken. Hebrews 10:24-25 tells us, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” We can hold fast by standing firm in the truth, spurring one another on, and doing it in a way that is filled with grace and love.
Have you ever been asked, “do you have a Barnabas in your life?”? What people are getting at is do you have someone or a community that is a steady source of encouragement to you? We don’t realize how much life hits us hard and how far even a little encouragement can take us. It’s needed and it’s biblical. 1 Thessalonians 5:14 says, “And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.” We don’t always know what season someone is in, but we can find a way to listen to a bit of their story and say an encouraging word. It’s not just saying something to gloss over their pain, sometimes listening is encouragement enough. Sharing our stories with one another lets us see that we all share similar hardships, and we’re not alone in our journey. Let’s strive to be the Barnabas for one another. Remember, he wasn’t born with that name but was given it by the apostles because of how he lifted up and encouraged those around him.
We’ve talked about seasons before and how Ecclesiastes reminds us there’s a season for everything: a time to mourn, weep, laugh, work, rest, etc. But what happens when those seasons overlap and collide? How do we rest when we are in a season of grieving? How do you say goodbyes and mourn with some and yet welcome and rejoice with others? As Americans we often can’t even take downtime because we feel like we need to keep busy to feel worthy and productive. We will break down and collapse if we try to navigate all these multiple layers of seasons on our own. The key to it all is where we place our focus. Isaiah 26:3-4 says, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.” The waves of change are broken upon the steadfastness of our unfaltering King. He gives us the strength to grieve while we take rest. He gives us the peace to mourn our goodbyes with some while rejoicing in the welcoming of others. We weather our seasons because our Lord gives us what we need for each season, himself!
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Hello!Welcome to monthly encouragements we send as part of our updates to those that support the work we do. Archives
September 2025
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