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Frankly Speaking - May 17, 2019

May 17, 2019

There is a sense of “must-ness” about Jesus without which he cannot be understood. There is always the sense that he is a man on a mission, that he is under orders, that it is only daylight for a while and that there is an urgency about doing what must be done while he can. His great passion in life was to be about his Father’s business, to cooperate with what the Father was doing in the world. If we are to truly be his disciples, that must be our concern as well.
 
We must never lose sight of the essential mission of the church: to make disciples (Matt. 28:19). As we reach out to others – in word and deed - we grow in our discipleship. As we grow in our discipleship, we become more effective and more motivated to reach out to others. 
 
This summer we have at least two major mission initiatives. One is to send a team to work with refugees in Jordan. We have felt led by God to invest ourselves in this extraordinary movement and having people involved onsite is an important part of discerning the situation. Another team (of over 60 people) is going to the Bahamas to work on storm-damaged church buildings.
 
In addition to helping others through these projects, we ourselves benefit. People invariably come back from these ventures with new eyes to see what God is doing in the world. The deepening that God works in them spills over into the lives of others upon their return. On the one hand, they represent our church in the work that they do. On the other hand, they help build us up as well. Discipleship. Outreach. Hand in hand.
 
We are still evaluating whether or not we can send a team in the fall to Japan, one of the largest unreached people groups in the world. If you have any interest in this at all, we would love to hear from you.
 
Your generosity in giving helps make these efforts possible. This Sunday, May 19, we invite everyone to make a special, above-and-beyond-their-regular-giving offering to help support those who are going. It is the way each one of us participates in the trips, even if we do not ourselves go. In that way we are truly “like-minded … one in spirit and purpose” (Phil. 2:2).
 
Yours for the sake of the world,
Frank
 
P.S. – indicate on your check or online that your gift is for the “Short Term Missions Offering”