You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Psalm 16:11 ESV
“For where two or three are gathered in My name [meeting together as My followers], I am there among them.”
Matthew 18:20 AMP
Faith filled followers of Jesus, when on mission, are unstoppable. Mission drift is a real problem though. Simply stated, it’s the abandoning of one’s original goals when they are not continuously and intentionally pursued.
My mission is the exact same as the Church’s. Worship God in spirit and truth. That means being led by the Spirit into the fullness of the revelation of Jesus Christ. Worshipping God means being a living sacrifice, being fully surrendered to doing God’s will, everyday, all-day.
God’s will is that everyone be saved. His plan for doing that is that every believer would become a mature disciple. A disciple preaches the Gospel, declaring God’s message of love and redemption by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. A disciple makes disciples. They reproduce, they multiply, until the face of the earth is covered by the knowledge of the glory of God.
Now ask yourself, are you on mission? Or have you gotten distracted by pursuing lesser things?
The Holy Spirit is doing His job. He’s teaching us everything we need to know, as we need to know it. He is reminding us of everything Jesus told us to do. He’s doing His part faithfully, without wavering. Are we doing our part? What’s our part? Obedience.
Obeying God is not difficult. It’s easy in fact. The Spirit gives us life and power to obey. What stops us short of following God wholeheartedly? Following each other’s bad example. Instead of holding each other accountable to obey God’s commandments, we excuse bad behavior for whatever reason, and thereby enable the enemy to wreak havoc in our lives and ministries.
Family is God’s original building block of the Church. We are God’s family after all. If the enemy can screw up your family, he can screw up the Church.
Here in America, family isn’t what it used to be. It’s fallen victim to consumerism and selfishness. Instead of praying together and for each other, most families are engaged in a civil war. Divorce is the fruit of those who value their individual preferences over covenant. God hates divorce. He is a keeper of covenant.
People are creating their own definition of family, but thankfully, so is God. The Church is God’s family. We are one Body, connected by mutual love in the Spirit, and Jesus is the head of the household.
Redemption is here. Return to your first love. Return to following Jesus by the Spirit. The Spirit is love. The Spirit is truth. In the presence of God is the fullness of joy.
Do you experience joy when you gather with your brothers and sisters in Christ? Or do you experience aggravation and irritation? Pay attention to what you’re feeling. That helps you discern what’s really happening.
Where two or more are gathered in My Name, there I am in the midst of them. If we are gathered in His Name, there should be the fullness of joy in our midst.
Our purpose, if you’re looking for a to-do list, is to make merry missionaries. Equip every believer for joy filled service. It starts at home. It starts with your own family, your children and their children. Teach them the Way. This is your highest responsibility. Everything else can wait. If you can’t get it right at home, you have no business leading a church.
Lord, have mercy on us. Forgive us for where we have gone astray and followed other gods. Restore us to the path of righteousness. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.
(If a man doesn’t know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?)
1 Timothy 3:5 GW