Have you noticed our attendance over the last several months. Our attendance is increasing for worship on Sunday mornings, Sunday evenings and on Wednesday evenings. I’ll have to admit that seeing more smiling faces out there has a direct impact on how good I feel about our worship services. I am encouraged not only by the increase in attendance, but by the spirit of those who are worshiping with us. I believe God wants to do something wonderful in our midst, and I am excited to be a part of it. I wish I could take credit for this change in the atmosphere of our church, but most of the changes we are seeing are the result of our new pastor’s efforts to reach out to people and draw them in. I also expect that some people are hearing about his winsome personality and are coming to see for themselves.
As tactfully as possible, let me say that if we want this trend to continue, we can’t leave it all up to Brother Ronny. We’ve got to get involved ourselves and find where we fit in the process of growing in Christ. Eventually, we have to come to a point of giving more of ourselves in service to Jesus rather than languishing in the service of others. Actually, our need to get involved should not be motivated by our love for our church or its leaders, but by our love for our Savior, Who gave His all out of love for us.
Jesus tells us a story in Matthew 21:28-31 of two sons who were told to go work in the vineyard. The first son told his father no, but later repented and went to work. The second son said yes, but didn’t go to work. Jesus then asks the question, “Which one did the will of his father? The obvious answer is the son who went and did what his father asked.
We are about to enter into a phase in the life of our church which will require us to go to work. As we look for a place to serve, let’s remember who it is we are actually serving and give our best ‘as unto the Lord.’ (Colossians 3:23) It’s going to be a great journey as we work and fellowship together.
