Every Opportunity Is Sacred!

This week I re-read a great quote in Rick Warren’s book – The Purpose Driven Life.  He said:  “The great commission is my commission.” (page 304) See Matt 28:16-20

The quote reminded me that each and every one of us, Christian or not has a mission in life.  As Christians our mission is the great commission – it is making disciples – beginning with ourselves and then moving like it says in Acts 1:8 – and moving out into every part of our lives.

This commission and pattern is easily adaptable to every part of our lives.  I have a friend in the financial services industry who has been talking about this with me even.  He trains his sales people to think about selling to their “whole” world – starting at home, moving out in waves to friends, to colleagues, to those far away.    It is a pattern that works  for other sales people too – and in every industry and in every life.

For us in the church it is a pattern we can easily follow.  We can start at home – even with ourselves.  Move out to immediate family, friends, colleagues and eventually into the far reaches of our world.  It is a perfect and well thought out plan that God has given.  It puts before us opportunity unlike we have ever seen before.  And (thank you Theo Epstein, new Chicago Cubs President)   EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO WIN is sacred.  Every opportunity to bring a family member, a friend, a colleague, or some one you have just met off the street into relationship with Jesus is SACRED.

Let’s not miss a single opportunity!

Your Pastor Dude!

www.disciplesgurnee.org

Pursuing Love Brings In Power

Pursuing Love Brings Power

This formula when I first thought about it scared me. Love and Power in the same sentence - in the same thought pattern did not really seem to fit together. At least not the love that is talked about in 1 Corinthians 13 - that agapic - unconditional love seen in the redemptive act of Jesus. We hear the word "love" and we think "nice" "calm" "hopeful" we hear the word "power" and we think "control" "strong" "decisive." They seem at best to be contradictory and at worst inflammatory towards the other.

IN REALITY - the formula above is exactly right, pursuing love brings power to our lives. As we pursue the love of God - we find forgiveness for our own sin, reconciliation to our own God and restoration relationship with our God. As we pursue the love of humanity we also find forgiveness, reconciliation and restoration. The love talked about in the Bible - isn't a noun but a verb. It is an action that we take, not an object of affection. As we love God we are given more power for loving others. As we love others our capacity and strength for loving grows exponentially and cannot hardly be measured. But it can be seen and understood. Loving others means "doing good" to and for others. Loving means to forgive faults and accept people for who they are - even if we don't "feel" like it. When we love like this - we become powerful. When we love like this, lives are changed. When we love like this, hope is found. Broken hearts are mended. Broken relationships restored. When we love like this the lame are made to walk and the blind are made to see. The hungry are fed, the naked are clothed. That is the kind of power I want to have.

Pursue love my friends, pursue love.

On the Journey -

YourPastorDude

David