We are commissioned
to take the good news to the world. The subordinate missions are to make
disciples, baptize, and teach the words of our Master. We are the body of
Christ. We are letters
and ambassadors
from Christ. We are a family of faith.
· We as believers are charged to put
the words
of Jesus into practice.
· We are challenged to take
his yoke and learn from him.
· We witness
to the lost.
· We testify
among believers. Sometimes, our testimony and witness use the same words.
· We are to be
good examples
for others, salt
and light in the world.
· We carry
our own loads and help those who need help with theirs.
· We fellowship
with one another.
· We grow
in God’s grace as individuals and as the body
of Christ.
Our comfort
zone is labeled Growing.
We as the session
in our role as the spiritual leaders of this body must be aware of our balance
in doing so many things, with so many others not listed.
Too much evangelism
(if there is such a thing) at the expense of education and discipleship gives
people the illusion that they have reached the finish line when our race of
faith has only begun. Real and abundant
life is just
beginning.
Too much
teaching and training at the expense of fellowship detracts from the assurance
that we know as believers. We must always encourage
one another, pray with and for each other, and just enjoy being family.
That doesn’t
mean that we divide up what we do evenly. It means that we who have been called
to this special form of ordained service observe, discuss, and take action when
needed if we think we are a little out of kilter.
We are the
keepers of the balance keys. That said: Unto
everything, there
is a season…
There will
be times for surges. Evangelism should be ongoing, but often it gravitates to
events (Day at the Park, VBS, Backpack Ministry).
Fellowship
should be continuous, but what once came naturally, is now challenged more than
ever by the demands
of the world. What do we do?
Discipleship
and Christian education take us to and through difficult topics and issues if
we are up to really hearing what God is saying to us. Making disciples will cause friction
with the world. If you haven’t read your Bibler lately, that’s
a good thing.
As we do our
best in our positions which God has called us to and to which we have answered
the call, realize this. You are not here by accident. God knew exactly what he
was doing when he put you here. Surrender to God’s leading. Put the gifts and
talents that God gave you to
work now. Produce
good fruit.
What will
that fruit look like?
· Reaching more people with
the good news.
· Choosing
wisdom over sentiment and jumping on the world’s bandwagon.
· Helping those who truly need help.
· Speaking
the truth in love (not judgmental
condemnation) not only to help those to whom we speak, but as a sign of our
maturity in Christ.
· Discipling a new believer by walking
with them as we follow Christ together.
· Enjoying doing what God leads us to
do and enjoying each other in the process.
· Living less as an organization and more
as a family.
· Trusting
God over our own understanding more and more.
· Being known
as a follower of Jesus by our love.
Surely there
are others that come to mind. Sometimes, the proof is in the pudding, aka, we
know we are balanced when we are producing fruit by reaching
the lost and enjoying the fellowship of the body while we do it.
Sometimes,
we see where we should be producing fruit but we are not. Do we try another
way? Do we continue with what we are doing but fertilize
a little more and give something more attention?
Please think,
pray,
and meditate
upon these statements, some of which may be provocative.
Remember,
that group thinking is improved many times over if preceded by
individual thinking, and such thinking can help avoid
the trap of groupthink.
Remember that acceptance time takes time. That is, when you hear someone
else’s idea and it’s just different, your first tendency is to reject it. If we
give our minds some acceptance time, we might see value where we only saw
difference before.
So do your
individual thinking, Put this balance thing into your prayer life. Give the Spirit
that lives within you a chance to speak to you. Let’s discuss balance
at our July meeting.
