The Daily Office epistle reading for today was from Romans 10. It says: How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
This immediately made me think of our Easter Invitations. You know that I have asked you to pray and to invite neighbors and friends to participate in our Easter celebration. I have done this because we are Jesus' hands and feet. We are called to share the Good News. I am extremely proud about the steps we are taking together to proclaim in word and deed the good news of Jesus. This past Sunday we had the opportunity to welcome 3 first time guests. We also had 3 present who were attending for their third Sunday! And we have a few other new faces who are learning what it means to be a part of our church. As we are in this season of evangelistic push, we cannot forget that getting people in the door is simply the first step. From there we must also strive to welcome people into our family. We must invite them to our homes, we must share meals, we must include them in serving. I am reading 8 Virtues of Rapidly Growing Churches by Jason Byasse and Matt Miofsky. This book is not looking at schemes or tricks to get people in church, but instead it looks at who the church needs to be so that we are positioned to grow. The second virtue listed is "Rapidly Growing Churches Integrate New People Quickly." Integrating people into the life of the church is my job as pastor. It is also the job of the church board, but we cannot do it alone. We need our church to do this work. I ask those of you who are serving to find ways in which you can invite others to join you in your work. If you are not serving and need a place of service, please be in prayer. We want you serving our King Jesus. You will be blessed by doing this! Please pray for our church as we continue to prepare for Easter. I want to encourage you to follow Jesus every day. To learn how to live like Jesus did. Living like Jesus means that we call others to live like Jesus. I pray that you are proclaiming the gospel, and that you are seeking to invite people to church. Easter Sunday is an easy ask. May you have beautiful feet.
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