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Weekly Devotional

May 4, 2009

• Reminder that Vacation Bible School is June 8-12.  Please be thinking about how you can help.

• Also, a Happy early Momma’s Day to all the momma’s out there. 

God’s peace be with you all.

Matthew 11:1-6  And when Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.  ² Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples  ³ and said to him, "Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another?"  ⁴ And Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see:  ⁵ the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.  ⁶ And blessed is he who takes no offense at me."

            It would be nice to say that summer is here, especially since we seemed to have skipped spring.  But then again, reflecting on the weather that we had yesterday morning at the lake, I would say that summer is not quite here.  School is still in session, and while vacations may be planned, they are not underway yet.  Summer is an interesting time for the church.  Summer usually brings fun once-a-year things, like Vacation Bible School.  But it also shows a trend of lower attendance.  I look at summer as the prime time to do some good ol’ down home evangelism.  “Go and tell”, as the Bible often puts it.

            In his book “Evangelism for “Normal” People”, John Bowen gives four discoveries he has made on his journey of evangelizing for the church.  They are:

1. Evangelism is God’s idea, not ours

2. Jesus embodies God’s concern for the world

3. Evangelism is best understood as a process

4. Evangelism is the work of the whole Christian community.

Bowen goes on to say that the most important part of evangelism is being able to use your own gifts, to do what you know and what you are good at.  For SOG, this is also the most important part of evangelism.  Not everyone is good at knocking on doors or speaking about the church.  However, you may be really good at simply telling your story, and about the journey that you and God go through every day.  There is not one aspect of evangelism that is better than another.  All these things combined are what make evangelism possible. 

            As we continue through spring into summer, there is one aspect to evangelism that I want you to never forget:  God’s evangelism never ends.  God is always at work inviting, coaxing, nourishing, challenging, telling, warning, encouraging, showing, and bringing people to God’s house and in God’s direction of life.  As people that believe in God, worship God, and love God, remember that these things go for you as well.  God is always at work in your life, just like he is everyone else’s.

In our prayers this week: 

Ann, Doris and her mom, Jane and her mom Irene, Joseph

God’s Peace

Pastor Judson