Leaders Letter – Summer 2016

Something interesting happened to me last weekend.

I share it with you because it encouraged me and I hope will encourage you on a number of fronts. I hope it will encourage you to pray; to listen for God to respond and to look to the future with confidence that no matter what life throws at you God is still in control.

On the Friday I was getting on with life and doing a few chores round the house. As I worked I found myself praying one of those slightly casual arrow prayers. In the back of my mind I was thinking about the future in the light of Susan, our Associate Pastors news the previous week that she will be changing her role and joining the regional team in the Autumn. It was one of those ‘what shall we do now?’ type prayers.

The minute it passed my lips, more of sigh if I’m honest than a prayer, two words popped into my mind – PRESS ON. I found the force with which they appeared quite consoling.

On the Sunday, having told no one of my answer to what can hardly be described as an earnest, fervent prayer, I was sitting in the Prayer Meeting that we hold weekly before each morning service. Recently we have begun to ask God to reveal to us those things that he would want to deal with in our ministry time at the end of the service. We simply asked God to share with us what was on His heart for individuals that morning. As we did so one of our number shared this verse:

“Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,
I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13,14.

Now if that is not confirmation I don’t know what is! I claimed it immediately. It was so encouraging that I thought I would share it with the congregation in the context of the sermon. That, however is not the end of the story. When the service finished the guy operating the IT/Media showed me a Tweet that I had posted in 2012 it said, “Leaders: Press in to God to Press on for God!” I asked him where he had got it. He said that during the service when we were trying to get a picture to come up from a Powerpoint in the service he had gone onto the internet to find it and had put in the search engine my name and this had been the first thing to pop up. Right there in the service! Now I ask you what are the chances of that?

Now why do I share it with you?

For several reasons:

First because God still speaks are we willing to learn how to listen?

There is a verse in the Bible that says, ‘Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.’

This is an interesting verse because it puts us in the driving seat where relationship is concerned. It encourages and invites us to make the first move. To ask the question, ‘What shall we do now?’ And then lean in to listen for the answer. It tells us that God is willing to speak if we are willing to listen.

Second it invites us to walk in our calling.
Each of us and all of us are called to live our lives for an eternal purpose. We are called to be and do something with God and for God. Do you know what your calling is? Will you press on with God into it?

Third it assures us that God will lead us.
If God is calling us to press on he has a purpose and a destination in mind, not generally but specifically. God has something in mind for us as a church to do and where He guides, He leads.

The goal is not redeveloped buildings that is only the means to the end. The end itself is that we might Know Christ more; Grow in Faith; Go to the World and Show God’s love.

Are you interested in being a part of this? Then join us.