Monday, September 28, 2015

A Disciple Grows

     I enjoy being alone.  Don’t misunderstand; it’s not that I don’t like people.  I was called to a work that is about people, and I don’t resent that for a moment.  Though as an introvert, my energy level can drain away if I am always with others.  You probably have heard me speak of my love for the outdoors.  I find mountains, streams, rocks, and trees to be good companions from time to time.  They help revitalize my soul when I have grown weary and tired.  But I couldn’t live alone apart from human contact.  It doesn’t take long and I want to see my wife and children, spend time with friends and family, or just interact with the people of God and/or our community.  I’ve been wired that way.  As God put it, “It’s not good that man should live alone.”  
There are many and various reasons God hard-wired us to be with others:
When I’m alone I forget how selfish, prideful, self-centered, etc I am and can become.  Being around people reminds me that life is not just about me. 
People help me learn.  It always amazes me how a good question or comment from the youngest of children to the most mature of adults can help me see the things of God and life in a new light.  Wisdom, the biblical kind, the kind I want, doesn’t come from solitude, but by learning how to live life with God and others.
People can encourage me and share the grace and mercy of God with me.  Indeed, the “keys” of the church are just that, the gift of one human proclaiming the forgiveness of God to another, as if from God Himself. 
I am often inspired and challenged by others to excel all the more in my marriage, parenting, work, attitude, and all areas of life.  So much color is added to life by others and I’d hate to live in the dreariness and “grayness” of a world without others. 
Countless good things can come about by being together, all of which can and have been twisted by our sin (this is an understatement).  Nevertheless, God still works through the sinful people He has redeemed and made saints to bring comfort, grace, healing, and redemption to others.  Thus He speaks through the author of Hebrews, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near (10:24-25).”
We desire that the disciples of Christ who call St. Andrews home, are disciples that love, bless, grow, trust and go.  We want to encourage and equip our disciples to grow into these characteristics by developing habits that transform us into disciples.  Right now we are encouraging working on the habit of “spending one hour each week growing in Christ with others” so that we can become disciples that grow. 
We have made some changes recently in our Sunday worship and discipleship schedule in order to make connections with others easier within our church, especially for those who are new to St. Andrews.  I’m sure it has been a challenge to adapt.  We’ve asked everyone to block Sunday morning off as a time for worship and a time to further connect with God and one another at St. Andrews through word and prayer.  The purpose is to equip, inspire, and encourage each other to become disciples that live out the hope found in Christ as we connect to a community and world in need of the Gospel. 


Pastor Dan