A Rededication to the Gospel

Church Relationships — admin on May 8, 2009 at 8:30 am

 

Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”

Its been an incredible series this past three weeks!  We have seen over 40 people saved and experienced an incredible sense of God’s presence.  I want to thank everyone who takes our mission very seriously and invites and brings the unchurched weekly.  I believe we have to continue to raise the level of risk that we are willing to take to bring the unchurched to Christ.  This month I have been challenged as I see dozens of hands go up at the end of our worship experiences.  I am thankful for God’s continued movement in our church.  As I’ve reflected on all God has done and is doing I am rededicating my best energies to the advancement of the Gospel of Jesus. Below is a few lines that Pastor Steven Furtick (one of my heroes)shared in his dedication to the gospel and I was incredibly moved by it in addition to our experience in the “Gospel” series I have made this my rededication as well.

I am rededicating to leading people far from God into a relationship with Jesus Christ, through the bold preaching of the Scriptures.  I am rededicating myself to the hyper-focus on evangelism that Jesus seemed to advocate in Luke 19:10 and those who don’t like it can happily find a home at one of our 599 other churches in the Mahoning Valley.  I am rededicating myself to the vivid realization of what is at stake every single Sunday as we gather and I stand to preach to dying men and women who have no hope outside of Christ.  I will give shamelessly intense opportunities for people to enter into a relationship with Christ and I will let the instruction of Jesus set me free to liberally offer the Gospel to all people and let Jesus sort out the sincere from the insincere.  I am rededicating myself to selective hearing toward those who have another vision other than this vision: that people far from God will be filled with life in Christ, will not gain an audience with me regarding the direction of this church.  Their complaints will not occupy valuable space in my heart, that space is reserved for the compassion that Jesus wants me to feel for the lost and the hurting the people He died to save.  I am rededicating myself to the domination of this city by aggressive and strategic measures. A passion for unapologetic Holy Spirit filled preaching will continue here in this man and in this Church.  I will not waste another nano-second engaged in fruitless debates about methodologies I will simply advance the gospel by any means necessary.  The Church has given up too much ground and run away too far- too fast from culture and I am rededicating myself to harnessing and leveraging any cultural medium that will help me communicate the themes which are concurrent with Christ and culture. I will speak into every vital component of this culture, I will not shrink back the earth is the Lord’s and I am His child. That’s my rededication and I thought it might be wonderful if we rededicate ourselves corporately to the Gospel of Christ.

If your a Christ follower I pray that this is your heart and your desire as well.