Excitement Over the Most Important Thing
I had a couple of ideas for posts just about ready to go for this week, but those can be shared anytime. Instead, I decided to write something more “in the moment” that I hope will encourage you. It was something I said almost off the cuff a couple of days ago, but then reiterated in public just a few hours later.
At Central, we have been working hard for awhile now to organize a congregational emphasis on evangelism. Instead of just preaching and teaching, “do this,” we are putting several things into place where each and every member has a role and so that many seeds can be sown. We are doing much of our model using the House to House School of Evangelism, and we have Rob Whitacre scheduled to come help us even further later this year.
Sunday evening at our worship services, another piece of the puzzle started to come together, as representatives for World Bible School came to show people how we can teach the Gospel throughout the world using that great tool, both online and through print. When services were over, so many people were so excited to learn more, sign up to teach, and get started.
The following night, we had our first “Mission Monday,” where, for about 100 minutes, all we did was evangelistic in nature. I won’t share all we did (or plan to do), but every single thing had to do with evangelism, both local and throughout the world. Again, there was so much energy and excitement.
As we closed Monday night, I told the very large group who was there what I had said “off the cuff” to our daughter Sunday night after services: “It’s great to see a church so excited about the most important thing.”
It’s fine to get excited for fun activities. It’s good to be excited when there is a dinner or reception in your honor–maybe a Bible class teacher dinner or senior’s banquet. All that is well and good and there is certainly a place for it.
But to see a huge group of people truly excited about reaching the lost, from their own neighborhood to other parts of the world? That is what it is all about!
I’m sure there will be steps both forward and backward in the future. I know that some of the excitement is because this is still a new “push.” But things have gone better than anyone could have dreamed, and I believe it is because God’s people really want to do this most-important work; they just sometimes need some “how to” in order to be involved. It also helps to know that others really are working, so they don’t feel alone in trying so hard.
What excites your congregation? Be brutally honest about answering that question. Changing a culture takes a lot of prayer, time, and energy. But if that change is toward doing the most important work of all, it will be worth it because God will be most pleased.
AUTHOR: Adam Faughn
