Tell London – Jesus is Coming Soon

Since the Year began I’ve been casting the vision for our church’s future – being real and authentic about our faith, living what we believe; being real disciples of Jesus. All our life and ministry makes sense only in one context: Jesus is coming soon! Can anyone stop your from running to embrace your Coming Savior? Why would anyone stop you from running to tell others that he is Coming Soon?

Today I challenge you: Tell London! Tell your family! Tell your relatives! Tell your neighbors! Tell your coworkers! Tell everyone you meet that you are expecting Jesus to return soon!

We’ve been preaching for the whole year about what we believe because we’ve been commissioned by Jesus to go and teach all. If there is someone in our midst who is not convinced, convicted, or converted yet to believe that Jesus is Coming Soon – tell each other and affirm what we believe! Get real, then telling will get real too!!! Kids born into our families are our first responsibility – bring the m to Jesus, tell them by your love that Jesus is almost here! We cannot loose our children, our teenagers, our youth!

We are in it together, for there will be only one heaven in which we will enter together at one time, in one accord with same joyous smiles! If we will ever experience the Presence of God we may as well begin right now, this moment! Love one another, smile at each other, and comfort each other as we tell London that Jesus is Coming Soon.

Last year, October 14^th I shared with you about our Church’s Initiative to make Evangelism a Lifestyle. It means we take personal responsibility for witnessing. When we tell our neighborhood – together we tell all London. When we tell London, and other churches tell their cities – we Tell Ontario. When each Conference tells their province we Tell Canada, and together we Tell the World.

Our leadership team is working on many outreach projects for this year. We will reach pastors of all churches in the city on April 18^th with the Broadcast program PREACH from Cambridge, England, entitled “For Such a Time as This: Preaching Truth in an Age of Idolatry.” When hundreds of churches across the city will reach out into community during the “Love London” acts of kindness time (April 21 – May 6) we will do our part. This year we are planning for a major outreach event with Bill Santos of It Is Written right here in London. The Regional Convention of Adventist churches from Niagara to Windsor will also meet here in October. As our plans and finances come together we will present more details. We encourage you to pray unceasingly for God to employ us in His Work to the fullest. And make a commitment to spend at least 10 min every day in prayer & the Word of God above what you usually do. We encourage every active member to commit 1 hour every week reaching someone for Jesus.

Together we can and we will Tell London that Jesus is Coming Soon! Jesus promise to come quickly and we reply with eagerness: Come Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22:20)

D.T.R – “Determine The Relationship”

This postmodern catchy phrase is simply a clarion for understanding people. Nowadays nothing can be taken for granted. I’ve met people who live-in with a boy or a girl-friend, yet get upset and offended if such is referred to as a fiancé. Once I asked: what’s the difference? The answer was “we are not engaged.” Whoa! Determine the “Engagement” then!!!!

People tend to put a cart before the horse all the time, running ahead with doing things before understanding things. Perhaps it’s because physical, tangible, material is easier to perceive. Soul and spirit matters take time, and take another level of perception. They take a new set of eyes – mind to be open. It is common for people to ask immediately “What do you want me to do?” Seems to be a reasonable question.

Yet this is not what we should be asking first. Notice that “Jesus did not command His disciples to do this or that, he invited them to follow.” (EGW, Acts of the Apostles, 18) He invited them into relationship. Meeting Saul (future apostle Paul) on the road to Damascus Jesus did not tell him about the mission to the Gentiles. He simply invited Saul to get to know Him.

In the ancient times it meant “sitting at rabbi’s feet,” spending as much time as possible to learn everything. Same paragraph in the Acts of the Apostles ends with this sentence: “They (disciples) saw Him in every phase of life.” WOW! This one sentence expressed whole essence of discipleship: they were with Jesus not only during the formal teaching time of classes, but all the time: watching him handle money, sleeping, cooking, eating, bathing, doing laundry, conversing with people. The Talmud has a story about a disciple who snuck under his rabbi’s bed. When rabbi’s wife discovered him, the rabbi asked what his prize pupil was doing next to his slippers. The response was a classic: “This too is Torah (the Law)! And I need to learn!” The rabbinic blessing was “May you always be covered by the dust of your rabbi.” To follow meant to be so close that he dust kicked by teacher’s feet would cake your clothing and line your face.

Before attempting to do things – build the relationship, learn by following and observing. This method still stands today. Quite often people come into Church and want to do something immediately, getting distracted like Martha in the kitchen, busying themselves serving, and getting frustrated and angry, because it does not come naturally from relationships. Mind you Jesus does not approve laziness either. It is the order of priorities that matters. Invite Jesus into everything you do. Build a relationship with Him before doing anything. Refuse to go and do things, unless you know that He will do it with you.

Come and discover who Jesus is, not just in theory, reading about Him , but seek to enter a relationship with Him. As I thing about my church, My first vision is that each one of us would be in relationship with Jesus. Then we would not need someone telling us what to do. Jesus would reveal His Plan Himself to us.

Once Jesus told a man to do something first (Matthew 19:21) “go and sell what you have & ten come and follow me.” Note that selling things was not God’s Vision for the young man’s life. That doing needed to be done as a prerequisite for following. Vision begins with desire to follow Jesus. If you’ve got anything in your life that separates you from entering into complete relationship with Jesus – get rid of it, then follow Him, and only then you would be able to see what Plan He has for you.

Faithful to God’s Vision

Reading the first chapter of the Acts of Apostles with the Prayer Group this last Tuesday night we had stumbled on a statement that started a lot of conversation.

“…The church is God's…city of refuge, which He holds in a revolted world. Any betrayal of the church is treachery to Him….Enfeebled and defective as it may appear, the church is the one object upon which God bestows in a special sense His supreme regard. It is the theater of His Grace, in which He delights to reveal His power to transform hearts…”

The question that we began to ponder was: In what way do people, let me make it more personal – in what way do we betray church? Is it faking it, pretending, living double lives, “playing” church? Not taking seriously this place where God transforms lives? Or is it by walking away from commitments, from service, from volunteering ourselves, our means, our time, our beings, offering our life to Him? R is simply by not giving due honor and quality to what we do in and about the Church? Tough questions…..

Some folks suggested that such a betrayal begins at home. Church begins at home – the house church is the essence of the Church. The public assembly is phony if there is no life of worship at home, and the house church is not happening. When a whole generation which walked away from the church has nothing but bitter feelings left toward the place and people we call Church – then the vision of Prophet Ezekiel about the Church as a River of Healing flowing into a sea of stagnant water and making it fresh (Ezekiel 47:8) becomes a dream!

Today I am sharing with you the dream for our church. It is really an outline of our collective work with elders and leaders for the past two years as God is revealing to us what needs to be done, and where the healing needs to take place. We dream of a

· Church as true Sanctuary - place where all lonely, hurting, depressed, confused and even disturbed will find love, acceptance, hope, forgiveness, help and encouragement.

· Church that is a Ministry center, where every believer is discovering God’s calling and purpose, where each is equipped, trained and engaged in ministry. Church that provides classes, seminars, resources, Bible study groups, support groups, retreats to nurture people and grow them spiritually. Church that has a network of ministries to plug people in.

· Church that Tells London – by telling every household in our city – that Jesus soon will come and sharing the call of the Three Angels Message.

· Church that will welcome back 1,000 people of all cultures and backgrounds within next 5 years into our fellowship. Setting priority on reaching former Adventists, disconnected Adventists, and immediate family members. Providing easier access to our church services for people with different lifestyles.

· Church that has real Mission - sending trained missionaries into every group of people in our city, and assisting at least one church in every country represented in our fellowship. Having annual short term mission trips where experienced in age will mentor youth.

· Church that gives birth to new churches every year. Planting an Adventist congregation in every ward of our city, for every group of people

Dream with me about the Church of Jesus dream, the one that gates of hell would not prevail against. The Church where members find happiness in the happiness of those whom they help and bless! And let never betray church of Jesus!

Into New Year with God’s purpose!

I enjoyed this New Year’s eve as the church family got together for prayer! Secular folks were going crazy at hip places with high noise decibels counting down to who knows what. For believers it’s not just a year 2007 – it’s a year closer to our Lord Jesus’ returning to give us eternity back.

Last year I reminded you of Apostle Peter’s words penned to the early believers: “What manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness!” (2^nd Peter 3:11) It’s at times like this, facing a New Year, that I get increased number of calls from people who want to start their year anew. “Pastor, I want to restart the Bible Studies,” “I want to start coming back to church again,” “I am going to stop whatever I was doing the last year.” I listen, I nod my head, and I think to myself: what do you expect from me? I am not your Savior – you need Jesus. But then I think they are also right: they need people, they need us – the Church, that’s why pastor gets called.

In this sea of sin, in this world polluted more and more by lies and deceit people look for lifeboats of salvation. The Church is God’s appointed agency for the salvation of people. It is God’s Plan that through His Church his fullness and His sufficiency, His Grace and His Mercy would be reflected to the world. People need the Lord and He is found in His house, among people who serve Him.

A year ago I invited you to get on board and go to rescue. The questions I posed then still remain: Do you see yourself in the stormy sea, working together as a team, rescuing? I know we are not cuddling comfortably near cozy fireplaces in a safe harbor of the Church building. We are rescuing, building relationships, inviting. Lets not forget that the Church is also a Sanctuary where people come to be renewed.

When I visit with people I have only two offers:

1. Come to Jesus and 2. Come to our Church.

The second is no less important than the first. They are actually inseparable. There is no such a thing as a individualistic Christian. Christ considers the Church to be His Remnant on Earth, His Body.

When I get summoned for help – I cannot go alone without my church praying, serving, teaching, nurturing, helping and loving people. For it is God’s intent that His manifold wisdom should be made known to the whole universe, and especially to the lost people through the church. (Ephesians 3:10)

I pray that we enter into this New Year with God’s Purpose for our being – reflecting His Presence to the world around.