What is God Up To?
So I don’t want to belabor the point (that’s not true, I actually really do), but God is most definitely on the move! In case you’ve been disconnected these last several weeks, I’ve been pretty psyched to report that God is doing some extraordinary things in and around us! Here’s a few of the ways He’s been on the move: Opening the hearts of two high schoolers to receive Him as Savior, drawing about 15 more to rededicate their lives to Him, radically transforming an addict’s life found in the dirt at EBC, directing 13 people to be baptized, miraculously healing two people (we believe!), calling two young EBC men to serve Him in vocational ministry (men who have seen great transformation in their lives), using upcoming wedding plans to draw two people to authentic relationship with Him, etc, etc.
Praise God, right?!? Seriously, I encourage you to stop for a moment right now and say a prayer of thanksgiving for what He’s doing!
Now that you’ve hopefully done that, I want to address a question that may have popped up in your mind: “Why now? Why is God seemingly working in more obvious ways now more than ever (or at least than in recent past)?” I can’t answer this question with certainty. But I want to say this: God is needed now more than ever (or at least than in recent past)! Certainly He’s needed at all times equally, but I think we are realizing our desperate need for Him more. As our illusions of guaranteed safety and a bright future are being destroyed, more of us are hitting our knees in prayer. Comfort is often the enemy of the Christian and we are increasingly becoming uncomfortable. And it’s a good thing too, because as we are uncomfortable, we start to wake up from what many would say has been voluminous years of Christian hibernation in the U.S. of A.
So I encourage you church family; pray that God would use you powerfully. It might be tempting to simply pray for a restoration of what we had in February, but what if God has something much better in store? What if He plans to use upheaval to cause countless creatures to look up to their creator? I’ve heard that missionaries in persecuted countries ask not that we pray for their safety but that they’d faithfully minister to their final breaths. Let’s make that our prayer for ourselves! Imagine if we all caught that vision. There’s no telling what Jesus would do with a Church like that. Actually there is; I think we read about it all throughout Acts. Revival anyone?!? You smellin’ what I’m cookin’???
Pastor Matt
Categories: Evergreen Connection