I haven’t blogged in ages as I have come to rely mostly on
facebook as my place to document reflections and musings. However, I am going to try to do more
blogging during 2013 simply as an exercise in journaling.
I am increasingly excited about the evangelistic efforts we
are going to undertake at Bethel during 2013.
The church, in the larger sense, has fallen basically flat in terms of
evangelism and it is time to change that.
If we are not at least as excited about sharing our faith in Jesus
Christ as we are about telling folks about the latest sales at the store or the
last great movie we saw or concert we attended, then we are falling FAR short
of the call that Christ has placed on our lives. While sales and concerts and movies may
enrich our lives for a time, Jesus Christ enriches our lives eternally and that
is of paramount importance as we seek to carry out our mission as disciples of Jesus
who himself came to “seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10).
I have been reading the latest material and blog posts from
the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, especially with regard to the “My
Hope with Billy Graham” project. I am
increasingly convinced that this simple yet effective formula is the very
answer to the questions I have been asking for my entire ministry relative to
doing effective evangelism. It is so
incredibly simple, yet has proven to be extremely effective throughout the
world. As the project comes to the
United States during 2013, I am excited to have been trained already to lead
this effort in my own church and to share it with other churches as well.
I am dreaming today about what it might look like if the 100
or so active members of the Bethel Baptist Church truly began to live their
lives and make their decisions based upon asking themselves the question: “What
can I do to maximize my impact for the kingdom of God in THIS very moment?” I think the resulting impact on our local
community and on the larger area would be noteworthy if we could begin to truly
live that way. In fact, I cannot hold
the people of my church to that standard unless I am willing to commit to that
standard myself, so beginning TODAY, I make that commitment to Christ, to my
family, to my church and to my world!
Exciting things are on the horizon for our church. I believe that the addition to our building
will take place smoothly beginning in May of 2013 and lives will be impacted as
we use that facility to minister to those outside of the church as well as
those inside the church. I believe that
more people will commit to reaching out to their unsaved friends, neighbors and
family members and the kingdom will expand.
I believe that our corner of the world will be a better place at the end
of the next 12 months than it is today as a result of what God will do in our
church in the coming days.
Laus Deo! (May God be Praised)!
