Good morning,
Well, now what do we do? Very soon after I accepted Jesus as my Savior I learned that what the Lord wanted me to do in life was to trust him with all of my heart and learn not to trust myself when making decisions about how to respond to his leading.(Proverbs 3:5-7) Now that the Lord has clearly indicated to my wife and me that I needed to step down from my role as pastor and focus more on my mentoring ministry, how do we decide on where we will become a part of a church in our area. Although the Bible is quite clear that we should be a part of a local body of believers, And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.(Hebrews 10:25), how do we go about finding that group? As a pastor and mentor, I have lived with and tried to live by the guidelines for that particular role, but now what about this new role of becoming an attender of a local church? Adding to that complexity is the fact that there are over 50 churches in our area that by name and reputation are good places to attend.
Included in this mix is that the size of the buildings and the number of people that are attending are not really a good measure of their relationship with God and with one another. When Paul wrote to Timothy, he warned him and us that, For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.(2Tim.4:3) We are surrounded by pastors and people who know the words of the Bible, but have chosen to give God’s words their own meanings so that they can live their lives under their own standards and “guilt free” life styles. For many years now Christians have been taught in seminaries and local churches that comfort and control are the two most important parts of living a life that pleases God. When you add to this mix that every human being, believers or not, are still sinners, we find ourselves in an impossible situation. However, the Lord tells us through Paul that there are things we can do that will solves this situation. He tells us that, you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don't be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.(v.5) Now we are back to Proverbs 3: 5-7 where we are instructed to trust the Lords leading in our lives, not to trust or natural desires and wait for the Lord to give us his peace when following his set of circumstances and guidance. Let’s pray for one another that we will each be at the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing for his glory and praise.
2 Timothy 4: 3 For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.
Roy Wisner
