Reading: ACTS 13 v1-3 Lessons From Antioch. -Spiritual unity encourages unity in obedience. -They fasted and prayed with focus – to hear from God and receive direction to fulfill their purpose. -Their devotion to God and one another was way more than skin deep.
- For the church at Antioch, obeying God’s direction meant sacrifice.
Are We Missing Something? As we seek God’s will and direction for Grace Church, we must understand that to follow God means sacrifice. How do we steward time and talent? Churches cling to good people, programs or processes when they are called to see beyond their own comfort to fulfill their Kingdom mission. Jesus’ model: Share Gospel – Make disciples – Train them up – Send them out. We underestimate the emotional toll of change, especially in church. It hurts when you start stretching, but it frees you up to work better! How do we steward money? Sometimes God calls us to do faith filled things that don’t make sense on paper but in the end, we see growth because we have been obedient. Our calling, our mission, is bigger than our budget. “God’s work done God’s way will never lack God’s supply.” What’s Next? Much like Antioch, we need God’s perspective on what our church must do. They unapologetically made a big scene of inquiring of God. Where we all end up worshipping and serving God in the next few years has everything to do with how willing we are to selflessly seek God and obey him now. Trust AND Obey. The future can be exciting or terrifying based on what lens you look through. Men give advice, God gives direction.” – Leonard Ravenhill We desperately need a word from God – direction from Him. Seeking and obeying God’s direction for the future of our church is deeply connected to whether or not this church has a future. Our capacity to impact this community for God is determined by how much we are willing to live sacrificially for God. What will hearing and obeying God’s direction look like for you?