It’s here! Fall has arrived. As the sun has set on yet another summer we enter another Fall ministry season with great anticipation of all that God will do. Fall Kickoff is over. Our 3G focus for the year has been explained and launched. All that’s left is your response. What response am I referring to? A willingness to embrace sacrifice for the Kingdom of God.
We are at a place and a size where unless more people are willing to embrace sacrifice for the purposes of God, the advancement of the Kingdom of God will be hindered. Sacrifice IS the lifestyle of the follower of Christ. Sacrifice is not some optional, when I have time kind of commitment. Sacrifice is what it means to be a believer. Without sacrifice we live for ourselves. Without sacrifice we think the church exists to simply meet my needs. Without sacrifice needy people are ignored. Without sacrifice ministries are short-handed. Without sacrifice lack of finances hinders the vision. Without sacrifice the church becomes a social club that exists for it’s own pleasure instead of a movement that changes the world. Listen to the words of Jesus.
Mark 8:34-35 “Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. 35 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.” (NLT)
We are here to “give up our lives for Jesus’ sake and the Good News. Only in embracing this type of a lifestyle, do we truly discover the life Jesus promised. The greatest privilege of our lives is not what Jesus can do for us. It is giving our lives to Him and allowing Him to use our lives for a greater purpose. Embracing sacrifice is not the way to lose life…it is the path to find life!
As we enter another Fall, so many of you already embrace this lifestyle. God is using you to make Foothills into a church of tremendous Kingdom impact. For others, I can only encourage you to embrace this lifestyle and discover life. We need people to change services to make room for visitors. We need people to attend Saturday service that begins this week. We need more volunteers serving in a variety of ministries. We need people signing up for classes so they can grow in their maturity as believers. We need people reaching out to their neighbors. We need people giving financially in a consistent manner. It all takes a sacrifice of some kind. BUT…it’s worth it. The byproduct of embracing sacrifice for the Kingdom of God is life! It’s really not a bad deal! What can you sacrifice for the Kingdom of God this year?
Embracing the joy and privilege of sacrifice with you,
Pastor Dale
