Thinking about our special meetings at the end of the month, I was considering what to do in preparation. There are three words that come to mind: pray, give and invite. As a church, we have been doing these things. I want us to continue in them, and abound – for the conference, and beyond.
Pray.
Let’s be encouraged to pray for these meetings. Pray for The Spirit of God to be with us, and to teach us from His word. Pray for pastors Gene Harmon and Eric Hollingsworth, who will be endeavoring to preach the Gospel to us. Pray that they would have God’s message to meet us directly in our need. Pray for visitors who will come. Pray for our church members. As we plan and prepare, let’s never lose sight of the fact that we need God. Trusting Him to be present, and to speak, and to save, let’s call on Him in faith, asking Him to show His glory and power.
Give.
Let’s be encouraged to give toward these meetings. As Heshimu mentioned a couple weeks ago, we will spend approximately $500 to have these men out for the conference. In addition to our regular gifts, let’s plan to give some extra toward this very important event. Times are tough, but there are enough of us, and our God is mighty and gracious to meet our needs.
Invite.
Let’s be encouraged to invite people to these meetings. I’m ashamed of my timidity, in this regard. I want to be more loving, as to invite people to church. If we really expect God to speak, and we know that people will be saved through Gospel preaching, why would we not want to bring in as many people as possible? I pray that we would grow in this grace, stepping out of our comfort zones, and fulfilling our commission to evangelize the world. What we enjoy is to be shared, if we truly have it.
Praying, giving and inviting are three responsibilities of every Christian. But they’re also responses of renewed and thankful hearts. Having been captivated by God’s love, we love Him back, and love the souls of other people. May these things that we’re going to do in preparation for the conference be regarded as our lifestyle, from now on. Our lives will be better for it…and many others will be helped by it….and God will be glorified in it.
