Pastor’s Note 05/04/2023

What part of God’s Kingdom are you building?

 

I was asked that question once and pondered what my answer should be. I wanted to answer that I am planning on building something big, something that God and I would be proud of. I would want to build something that stood out and people would notice.

 

But as I thought about it for a few minutes, my grand thoughts turned. As I thought about what part of God’s Kingdom would He want me to build, it turned to the things that are right in front of me. I want to invest in the people that are a part of my life – my wife, my children, my friends, the people I know at church. These are the part of God’s Kingdom that I want to build, that I want to invest in. I want to build God’s Kingdom in the way that I treat others. The way that I am loving them.

 

I think that is what Jesus would want me to do. Big buildings, great acts of generosity, fabulous sermons aren’t necessarily what God wants in building His Kingdom. What He wants is for each of us to be faithful with what He has given to us and to treat others with love.

 

Jesus wanted to make sure that His people knew that the way that others would know about Him would be in the way that His followers treated each other, the way that we love others.

 

God’s Kingdom is built, it grows when someone we meet sees Jesus and they want to know more. I think that is what Jesus wants from us. It isn’t knowing more (although that is important), it isn’t in giving more (although that too is important), it isn’t in serving more (although that is another important part of God’s Kingdom). What Jesus wants is for us to love God and love others and point others to Him. When we do that faithfully, with those that are around us, God’s kingdom grows.

 

Our sermon series in John’s letters is helping us to do that. We are learning from the pen of John what a follower of Jesus should do in helping to build His Kingdom.

 

I hope that you can join us this Sunday as we learn a bit more of the basics in how we can build God’s Kingdom together from John’s first letter.

 

Have a great rest of the week and I will see you on Sunday.
 


Pastor’s Note 04/27/2023

A Day for Prayer

 

“He who forms the mountains, creates the wind, and reveals His thoughts to man,

 He who turns dawn to darkness, and treads the high places of the earth—

the LORD God Almighty is His Name.” 
—Amos 4:13 NIV

 

Thursday, May 4 is a day designated as the National Day of Prayer. It is a day that many across the United States will set aside for prayer and here at Lakeside Community Presbyterian Church we are going to take time to pray for our needs here in Lakeside, in our Nation and in our World.

 

Let me invite you to two different events:

  • The first is a prayer walk for our town of Lakeside. We will meet at church 12pm at then go on a Prayer Walk pausing to pray for our local needs, for the SD Sheriff and the substation here in Lakeside, praying for our local businesses as we walk down Maine Ave., and praying for families as we walk to Lindo Lake Park.
  • The second is an Evening Prayer Gathering starting at 6pm in the church sanctuary. Join others as we pray for personal needs – for healing, for relationships, for finances, etc. and as we pray for the needs of our church – for a zeal for sharing Jesus with others, a deepening commitment to love one another, for making disciples of Christ and carrying out the mission that God has called us to here in Lakeside.

 

Come and join us for one or both of these times of prayer as we humble ourselves and come to the Lord God Almighty.