Subscribe to Every Post:A Challenge for 2009
I had an opportunity earlier this week to pray with some pastors at “A Hope Center” (formerly known as Crisis Pregnancy Center). We prayed with board members and staff members on behalf of unborn children, parents who are hurting and confused, as well as for the ministry itself. This ministry has been in Fort Wayne for 23 years. The last 22 years they have had one executive director at the helm – Judi Hapke.
Judi retired last month, therefore, there is a current search for a new leader. This ministry has had significant expansion in recent years and is certainly a beacon of light in our community for the marginalized in our society. This Sunday is “Sanctity of Life” Sunday. Please pray for “A Hope Center” and pray in particular for wisdom as they select their new leader.
This past Sunday I gave everyone at Grace Gathering a very practical but significant challenge. In our quest to become more like Jesus in the depths of our character, and in our quest to become more engaged in his mission as a missionary to those around us (loving them, serving them, and calling them to repentance and faith for the forgiveness of sins), here was our challenge:
1) To grow in two specific areas of Christ-like character. The first one I would choose for all of us and the second area each person would choose on his/her own.
The first area is to be more sensitive to the promptings of God’s Spirit in 2009. As God prompts us in our hearts to help someone, to seek someone’s forgiveness, to challenge someone, or however he prompts us, we should attempt to follow through on that even if inconvenient or uncomfortable.
I then encouraged everyone to select a second character trait of Jesus to more intentionally pursue this year from the following list (this is just a beginning list of Christ-like traits): compassionate, humble, firm, loving, prayerful, submissive, truthful, approachable, persevering, patient, bold, gentle, giving, faithful, empathetic, merciful, flexible, Spirit-led, discerning, self controlled, sexually pure, joyful, forgiving, disciplined, caring, thankful, simple, self-denying, content, uncompromising, servant-oriented, gracious, etc.
The other major area of challenge I gave was in regard to taking on more of a missionary mindset in 2009 as we intentionally engage in the mission Jesus gave us of loving people and calling them to repentance for salvation.
I challenged us all to think of two specific people that we interact with: 1) the person we think is the least likely to become a follower of Christ in 2009, and 2) the person we think is most open to repenting and placing faith in Christ this year. My challenge is that we pray for these two people as regularly as we can, and we pray for the opportunity to love them, serve them, and share the gospel of repentance and faith with them this year.
Are you willing to take the challenge of becoming more like Jesus in your character and life this year and becoming more engaged in the mission Jesus has given us?
It is time for us to stop talking about what God calls us to do and start living it.
January 16th, 2009 at 11:14 am
I challenged myself to bring my son and husband to becoem followers I have a job on my hands!!!( My son may not be too bad but mty husband that is a different story…