Pastor's Points April 2018
I just want to begin by saying, I love you all! Please know I mean that. Those are not just words shared flippantly. I mean it. I love you. I am so thankful that God has brought me to Oakhill to shepherd His sheep.
In May I will have been here for 12 years. God has been faithful to us every step of the way. In every pastoral ministry there are highs and lows. The highs are very high, and the lows are very low. But through it all I am so thankful to be here with you all doing life together. By today’s standards a pastor who has been at a church for 12 years is very long. Well maybe so, but I feel as if we are just getting started for all that God has yet for us to do!! I am so excited about our future together.
As we look to the future for God’s guidance we need to be prayerful. But let me encourage you not just to pray for an unknown future, I also want you to pray for the known church. Pray for your church family at Oakhill. I would encourage you to join me to pray…
- That we would always keep the Gospel central to everything that we do.
- The we would pray for our lost friends and family members, that they would come to know Jesus as Savior.
- That we would pray for our families to love and invest in their kids by pointing them primarily to Jesus, with everything else following that.
- That our church would take seriously the mandate to make disciples by investing our lives in one another for our spiritual growth and replication.
- That we would grow in our love and unity for one another, so God can use it as a great testimony for a watching world to see.
- That the elders of our church would faithfully preach and teach the truths of scripture.
- That our deacons would faithfully serve the church and protect it from disunity and division.
- That our church would be distinct from the world, always caring much more about what Jesus thinks of us than what the opinions of the world may be about us.
- That the giving of our church would be faithful, joyful, and sacrificial.
- Thattransparent, meaningful relationships would be what marks our friendships and ministry together.
These are ten wonderful things for us to knit our hearts together to pray for. Would you join me? I am convinced if we will pray and seek God’s will above our own, God is going to continue to use us for His glory!!! I cannot wait to see what He is going to do!
I love you and I love being your pastor!