My primary ministry is to coordinate the work of my denomination in the region where I live. In that role I get to spend time with many fine
young couples who have a passion for changing their corner of the world. They are often serving in challenging settings, whether off the beaten path rural communities or inner city urban areas. Many of them are serving small churches with limited budgets. Many of them are starting new churches in places underserved by existing congregations. One of
the things I help them do is connect with partners who will stand with
them in prayer, giving and volunteering until their ministry is strong enough to stand on its own. Those partners come from other area
churches as well as from churches outside our area. It is a lot of work to find
partners willing to sacrifice their time, their treasure and their talents to
help a church they are not even part of. But the Lord touches hearts and
partners join the cause.
One week a pastor sent a Facebook message to me. He
had been working the social media angle pretty hard trying to find partners.
Though some people had responded, many had not. In a pointed moment of
realization it occurred to him that many of the people he was contacting about
partnering with him were ignoring his messages about
partnering but sending him countless messages inviting him to play games
on Facebook. He found it ironic that they would talk to him a lot about video
games but not about sharing Jesus with others. His message pondered what
it would be like if he could get people as excited about partnering with him in
ministry as they were about playing games on Facebook. I wonder the same thing.
People who tell me they do not have time to volunteer seem
to have the time to play on both softball and basketball leagues. People who
tell me they do not have money to donate somehow have the money to drive the
latest model car with all the upgrades. Pastors who tell me their church is too
stretched to help plant another church find money for another round of
renovations in a sanctuary that already looks pristine. Church youth groups and
senior adult groups go amazing sight-seeing trips on fully equipped buses, but
seem unable to take those same people on a mission trip. Once I got a letter
from a mega-church asking me for money. They wanted to build a $120,000
playground for the children in their already well-funded private school. I sent
them a letter back suggesting they tithe off their playground fund to a church
plant in New England. I never got a response.
The point I am trying to make is that we have somehow gotten
our priorities all messed up. Now Christians play games and have fun instead of
being about the business of winning others to Jesus. I am not suggesting that
we should never have fun or play games, but somewhere along the line we must
stop playing games with our faith and start doing whatever it takes to win our
nation to Jesus.
Lord, help us be serious about the business of sharing
Christ with those around us. Amen.
This devotional is from the book “Heavenly Mundane” by Dr.
Terry W. Dorsett. Dr. Dorsett has been a pastor, church planter, denominational
leader and author in New England for more than 20 years. He is a
happy husband, a proud father and adoring grandfather. He is a
cancer survivor and believes that God works powerfully
through times of suffering. He writes extensively and you can find all of
his books at:
We can do what we want to do!
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