Dear Westminster Family:
One of the best ways to serve the people with whom we live, work and play is to share our experiences with God’s power. Every encounter we have with Jesus is an opportunity for us to experience God’s strength and authority and every one of those experience needs to be celebrated and shared.
In II Timothy 3 the Apostle Paul warns Timothy about some of the difficulties that he will experience in the future. One of those difficulties will be spiritual in nature. Paul says that people will be “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power” (Vs. 5). Why would anyone want to sign up for a powerless religion?
Contrast that peek at the future with the reality of God’s power experienced by the Thessalonian followers of Jesus…”For we know, brothers loved by God, that He has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction…For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achai, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything” (I Thessalonians 1:4,8).
The Thessalonians possessed “spiritual albums” filled with experiences of God’s power and they shared those experiences with the people with whom they lived, worked and played. On Sunday we will challenge you to examine your own “spiritual albums” and offer some guidance as how to share your experiences while “serving where you live”.
See you in church.
Pastor Gary