Yesterday was a GREAT day at Emmanuel. Our crowd was back up as many had returned from vacation, we had many guests in our services, and we had a great response at the invitation!
For months, we've been discussing the purpose of the Church, the purpose of our local congregation, the strategy to accomplish that purpose, goals, mission, and other elements that corporate America realize are essential; but the church considers optional. Too many churches meet weekly, but really have no way (other than numbers) to guage their success and effectiveness within their local community. We want to measure our success by our effectiveness in making disciples (Mt. 28:19).
So, during our morning services, I've been preaching an "educational" series on the process for making disciples. During June, I preached on the first step in the process -- Sharing. If we don't share our faith, how will others hear of God's love and begin a relationship with Him? The problem is that too many hear, receive, then park on the Share level.
In July, our sermon series has focused on the 2nd step in the disciple making process -- Connecting. We need to connect people to Jesus, to the church, to other believers, to small groups, to ministries, etc. Today, I focused on "why" we need to help people get connected. It was God Who said, "It is not good for man to be alone..." So, why do so many believers function with an independent mindset, instead of an interdependent mindset? If we truly realized how much we need each other, churches would naturally grow. We concluded our service with people going to others and telling them how much they need them, and taking time to pray for each other. I literally had to wait to close the service, because people were embracing and praying all around the room.
Last night, our guest preacher was Paul Coward, Jr.; a man who grew up at EBC & ECS and is now teaching in Christian school in VA. Paul used the failures of King Saul and the challenge of Paul to encourage us to "get it" as we obey and submit our lives to God... which is our reasonable act of worship!
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