Hello Church Family,
I find myself easily distracted. My thoughts are hardly ever still on a variety of any number of topics. In this season of life together as a church, this is more intense than usual. Caring for the faithful of The Village and those who call it home, ministering in the word and prayer without regularly preaching, answering questions, planning, discussing, all of these things, on top of being an every day Christian, husband, father, and homeowner, there are any number of things consuming my thoughts.
Today, I want to encourage us (I’m encouraging myself) to stay focused on the right things—the main things.
Over the past many weeks we have been updating you on the merger discussions between The Village and Byron Baptist. These discussion are still ongoing and are going well. This passed Sunday night both churches held Q&A meetings for respective members and regular attenders. Both meetings went well. And while this discussion is perhaps the biggest thing either church has ever walked out…it cannot be our focus.
So I ask myself, “What are the main things, John?” And God’s Word answers me ins this way, “Well, John, Jesus said that to love the Lord your God with all our heart, soul mind, and strength and to love your neighbor as yourself were the two greatest commandments (Mark 12:30-31). Let’s start there.”
As I study to preach this Sunday, about how how a man named Jehoshaphat dealt with being overwhelmed, this one phrase from this passage I’ve known for many years has struck anew: “he set his face to seek the Lord.” In every station that God has called me too as a man, this must be my resolve. I must seek the Lord in all things. I must love the Lord more than all that he has given me and called me too.
But that’s no the end. Along with seeking the Lord, we cannot, I cannot lose sight of the mission assigned by Christ. This discussion about becoming one church is happening between two groups of people who are, I pray, already known and marked off as belonging to Christ in this world. Meanwhile next door, in line at the grocery store or gas station, outside the doors of our gatherings, even among us lives a people lost and in need of the hope that we have. The discussion about becoming one church is right and necessary to work carefully through, but we are the church of Christ and Christ said he will build his church; that’s not our job even though we have responsibilities within Christ’s work of building his church. You and I must first love our neighbors. We must determine to know nothing but Christ and him crucified.
If you took time to read every word that is here, please join me! Together, let’s set our faces to seek the Lord. Let’s love God with all that we have, all that we are, and let’s direct the overflow of that love out to the world around us as we gather to worship this Sunday, as we interact with the community next Saturday (Byron Family Fun Day), as we have this great discussion about becoming one church, and as we exist for Christ in this life!
Lord willing, I’ll see you Sunday.
Grace & Peace,
John
You can reach the elders anytime by email at:
Jon Collins, jcollins@thevillagemi.com
John White, jwhite@thevillagemi.com