So You Thought About It
Thinking comes cheap. Great ideas die for lack of action. Wars are lost for lack of initiative. Romance becomes only fanciful notions unless ideas of love are expressed.
Laila was a bright, beautiful young woman who had ambitions of a private career in business and owning a Jaguar. I was 118 pounds six feet tall with black glasses, making me look less than Clark Kent.
After our first date the girls in her college dorm asked her what she thought. Suffice it to say that her opinion of an independent career was not changed. But red roses and sweet notes and three dogged years of chasing Laila eventually gained me a wife of thirty-nine years and immeasurable happiness.
Those who wait for life to come to them generally only see the backside of things past. Procrastination is the thief that argues for time. Time waits for no man/woman. Time is to be seized. Little foxes spoil the vine.
In truth, time holds us hostage. The ticking of the clock is without respect to any person's agenda. The clock ticks no faster or slower for the rich or the poor, the lazy or the hard-working, or the intelligent or the less apt person.
I listen long and thoughtfully to what the Spirit of the Lord is saying. It is my desire to sense the direction the winds are blowing. I ask God (James 1:5) to help me understand what the spirit of the times is (I Chronicles 12:32). Many hours of my life are dedicated to thinking about Covenant Church. Why has God raised up Covenant Church? Why has God put His hand of blessing on Covenant Church? What is the part of Covenant Church in the Kingdom work? What is the responsibility of Covenant Church in these prophetic times as we experience the spirit of the anti-Christ becoming stronger?
We know that the gospel is to be preached to every people. We know that the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) must be fulfilled before Jesus comes. We know that it is not His will that any should perish (2 Peter 3:9).
When I read about the churches of the New Testament it is obvious that there were other churches. Why did God only leave notes for us about certain churches? We note that the Bereans were commended for being "more noble" (Acts 17:10-11) than some other churches.
What would God say to Covenant Church? What is the need of the Body of Christ in these turbulent times when false prophets are abounding? What should a local church look like considering the soon coming of Jesus for His Church?
For weeks my heart has been pressed with a message: The Holy Spirit is calling for Covenant Church to raise up new leaders and empower them to mission-driven, Spirit-powered harvest work. This is scriptural: God gives a gift of the Holy Spirit to every believer for the good of the Church (I Corinthians 12:7 paraphrased).
This letter is a ringing of the doorbell of your heart. Have you committed to the basics of prayer, faithful attendance in worship, study of the scriptures, and tithing? These are initial steps that qualify a person to advance in leadership.
What remains is that you must then choose to be set apart as a called leader. Ask God to place his anointing on you for a designated area of responsibility. Of course you work with the local church. However, the choice to submit to the leadership and prepare yourself for the work God has for you is yours. No one can pull you along and make you a leader. Your heart must yearn to be useful. Like a David watching sheep, you must prepare every day for the time when God will use you to watch over a larger flock, or be responsible for a more significant part of the work of the Church. Every day is practice time for the future.
I no longer bother myself with New Year's resolutions that are not based in prayer and consideration of the Church. Fancy ideas based on ego fade. However, when the heart is committed to godly disciplines, new ideas become life changing.
Without a doubt I know that God is calling for men and women to step forward in leadership. What is your choice? Only what is done for Christ will last. What will you do with 2006? What are you willing to make less important or to leave undone that you may do the work of Jesus that has eternal value? You have thought about it. What will you do about it?
With a prayer for God-called leaders--
Pastor Bare
I Chronicles 12:32