From Pastor Mike
At the church’s annual meeting in February, I encouraged those present to focus on 3 things this calendar year: 1) Prayer 2) Evangelism 3) Hospitality.
In regards to PRAYER I’m encouraged to hear more willingness to share personal issues during our prayer time every other Sunday during worship. I will continue to nudge us to share ways we have experienced God’s activity and presence in our lives as well as ways we personally struggle, for it’s in sincere sharing that we grow closer to one another and that we open ourselves up to the care and healing God would want to pour into our lives through others. This is not to discourage sharing requests for health issues and some of the more “usual” requests, but it is a call to become more transparent as a church with one another.
In regards to EVANGELISM I want to continually urge us toward the 4 S’s of evangelism: 1) Sincerely pray for those you know who do not know Christ – that their hearts and minds will be open to their need for Christ; 2) Share your life with those you are praying for who do not know Christ – meeting their needs, having them over to eat, spending time with them; 3) Share your story with those you are praying for who do not know Christ – have one specific, detailed yet brief story to tell of how Christ has impacted your life – about how your life is better as a result of accepting him into your life; 4) Share Christ’s story with those you are praying for who do not know Christ – be ready to speak about our sinfulness and inability to save ourselves, about Jesus’ death for us to pay the penalty we owed but could not pay, about his resurrection from the dead and victory over sin, and about his free offer of mercy and forgiveness. Remember, it is not your responsibility to save someone. Instead God gives you opportunities to be used by him to move people one step closer to accepting him.
In regards to HOSPITALITY I want to encourage us to open up our homes to one another, especially those within the church or connected to the church who we don’t know very well. I shared this story with those at the annual meeting in February. They are words from a recent visitor to PCC, someone who has visited a handful of times over the last 6 months. This visitor’s words cut me to the heart when I heard them. This person said this in speaking of our congregation, “They are friendly, but you can tell they don’t want to go beyond Sunday morning.” In other words, this person’s experience was that we were friendly but this person felt as if we really weren’t interested in sharing our lives beyond an hour or two on Sunday. A.k.a. we’re relationally shallow. Ouch!!!
I know this is not everyone’s experience with us, and that there are several within the church who have found friendship and support from other church members. But at the same time, it should be enlightening to us as to what a recent, 30 something-aged, visitor experienced not just on one isolated visit but on several.
Hospitality is a lost art in the broader American culture but more startlingly in the American Church. Hospitality was one of the main characteristics of the early church in the book of Acts that bonded believers in Christ together during persecution.
Hospitality and a willingness to care for believer and non-believer was a huge reason Christianity grew during the time the Roman Empire was struggling with plagues and threats to its national security. Hospitality is to be characteristic of church leaders – not just pastors but lay leaders as well (1st Timothy 3:2 & Titus 1:8). Hospitality is what the writer of Hebrews says we ought not forget for in showing hospitality some people unknowingly have shown love to angels. (Hebrews 13:1-2). And hospitality is what Peter exhorts us to show to one another in these last days as a way of demonstrating love, “The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because lover covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.” (1st Peter 4:7-9)
My challenge to all of us is to get into the habit of having people over to eat at our homes and to more openly share from our life experiences, both the hurts and the joys. In doing these things, we connect ourselves to others and create natural opportunities to speak of God’s goodness to us.
Sermon Series
During Lent, the worship services, children’s moments and sermons will have some theme within them related to the Cross. In the cross of Christ we see both our need to be forgiven and also our assurance of forgiveness. A special aspect of each of these services will be that we will construct a cross, piece by piece on the platform. Each Sunday, one part will be added to the cross until by Holy Week we will have a completed cross. I encourage all of you to be praying that God would prepare you during Lent to see and hear what He is saying to you.
