Pastor’s Note 01/18/2024
“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people,
to grasp how wide and long and high and deep
is the love of Christ”
Ephesians 3:17 & 18
We are a church that Loves God, Loves People and Makes Disciples of Jesus. So as this first month of 2024 unfolds, I want to ask, “How are you growing as a disciple of Jesus?” Are there things that you are doing or are there people in your life who are helping you to grow as a disciple?
One of the things that we are doing each week during our current sermon series are “Soul Training” exercises. These are activities to help us to grow as Christ followers. Some might call them Spiritual Disciplines but each of these Soul Training exercises are intended to help us grow as disciples.
It is interesting to observe that Jesus didn’t make disciples only in a classroom setting. He did teach, but He also did His discipling while doing life with His disciples. He shared meals with them, traveled with them, and in the midst of these times, He taught. Most importantly, He displayed what the Kingdom of God looked like in sharing life with His disciples.
So let me encourage you to find another person who you can talk about the Soul Training exercises. Ask each other how you are doing on the exercise, ask questions about the exercise. This simple act is a part of being a disciple and growing into Christ-likeness.
Grow deeper as a Christ follower and I would love to hear how you are doing with the Soul Training exercises.
Pastor’s Note 01/11/2024
Our new sermon series, The Good & Beautiful Community, is a series on understanding who are the people who follow Jesus? What are the words that can be used to describe a community who are committed to being Christ’s disciples and to grow deeper in their relationship with Him?
The word that was used during last week’s sermon to describe people in this community was “peculiar.” We are a people who are called to live life differently because, as we have received mercy through Jesus, we are transformed by the Holy Spirit to live differently as we are becoming more and more like Christ. Because of this, we do “peculiar” things that many in our world would think different or peculiar.
I also encouraged all of us to do a Soul Training Exercise that was the “2×4 Challenge.” The challenge was to spend 2 hours with God during the week and to do 4 random acts of kindness for others. I would love to hear how you have done with the challenge. Email me at pastortim@lakesidepc.org and let me know how you have done.
Hope to see you this weekend as we look at another characteristic of the Good and Beautiful Community.
Have a great rest of your week.