Just got this text from Rusty Wirt, pastor of Community Fellowship in Mayfield, Ky.
“We got the van. Thank you so much for the use of this it for our mission. The team will leave tomorrow morning around 6:30 for Dallas TX. We have 36 people going on mission. 4Rivers is a part of any success we have on the trip. Rusty()(
Well class, you made it through Foundations of Life. And you impressed me in the process.
Thank you for all the hard work and commitment. I’m proud of you.
Tonight was very special for me as a teacher. I saw a group of people begin to open up with one another. I heard confessions of doubt and difficulty, frustration and distrust as well as faith and hope. These confessions and stories made me proud and gave me hope that this cohort may really do some learning together.
To all those who opened up, thank you. May your mature faith, developing faith or beginning faith continue to grow and develop.
What was the most special part of tonight for you?
Hey class,
Thanks for a great first night. I had an absolute blast.
Here is your assignment…
Discuss what you learned tonight. Share 2 or 3 new ideas you discovered.
And… Did you have fun?
I hear that statement all the time. ”I love Jesus.” And it perplexes me to try and get to the bottom of the statement. Because as I read what Jesus said about loving Him, I see that its so much more than an emotion, desire, hope or outlook. Loving Jesus takes commitment.
The more I read Scripture, the more I realize that with ‘loving Jesus,’ comes loving several other things. For instance, in John 15, Jesus is teaching about what it means to be connected to Him in love.
And in that passage alone, He makes it clear that those who truly love Jesus will also…
1. Love other Christians (love the church sacrificially.) And this is a very sacrificial love. He reminds us to lay our lives down for one another… just as He did for us. But I see such different responses from Christians who ‘love Jesus.’ I mean, its hard enough to get some of them to show up at a worship gathering, much less give any money to the cause or serve in a way that is regular and reliable. But they are sure that they ‘love’ Jesus.
Jesus says that if we love him, we will love one another the way he loved us… laying down our life for one another…
If you don’t sacrificially love the church & the mission of the church, you probably don’t love Jesus as much as you think that you do.
2. Produce fruit. This is a metaphorical way of saying that the world around us will be better because we love Jesus, love the church & then love the mission of the church.
There is no doubt. That with love for Jesus, comes commission from Jesus. You don’t have a loving relationship with Him without Him giving you orders. And you don’t love Him if you regularly say no to those orders.
Read what Psalm 1:1-2 says about loving God by obeying his commands.
I so want the people of our region to love Jesus. I would give most anything to see that happen. He is so worth loving. And the life He gives is amazing.
So don’t miss out. Jesus loves you… love Him back. And out of that love, serve Him by loving the Church & loving the mission of the church which is to see people who don’t know Jesus connect to Him and transformed by Him.
It’s really the best life.
Great job everyone. You are certainly one of my favorite cohorts to date. You dedicated yourself. You worked very hard. You earned good grades.
So what did you think of the class? And what about that other idea I mentioned? Would you be interested? Know anyone in Mayfield who might be interested?
Do you know anyone who is looking for a life giving, exciting church? Where do they live?
I am presently helping coach church planters all over America. I sense that maybe God wants to use this article to help network people you know with these amazing planters all across America.
Or maybe you have interest in helping to plant a 4RC campus somewhere around Western Kentucky. We would also be interested in Southern Illinois or North Western Tennessee. Well, I guess we would be interested in anyone who wants to talk about this.
If you are a part of a congregation that is unsure of God’s next step. Maybe you would be interested in relaunching as a new 4RC campus and reaching your community with the exciting and beautiful Good News.
Let me know if you have any thoughts…
I'm just a guy living a dream with my family, friends, dogs & a cat that I can't believe I actually let live in my house.
Brad
Greg Watson