Lesson 9 - Please…
The page turns, the keys will be handed back, the past will be celebrated, and a leadership baton will be passed; my final words in this blog series are a simple appeal to anyone who cares to read them…
Before a prayer, I want to ask a few things of those who read this, particularly those in leadership and members of Wellspring Church. They come from some experience and a deep desire to encourage you:
Please always keep Jesus in focus. The Church doesn’t belong to us. It is His. He died for it, holds it all together, and deserves all the glory for anything good that flows from the gathered, united body of Christ. There it is, it’s His body.
You may have influence for a while – He has headship forever.
Keep pulling back your distracted eyes from the chaos around and the wayward vision of yourself in the mirror, and onto Jesus.
Please invite, and depend on, the power of the Holy Spirit. You’re not enough. He is.
Please choose to trust. Believe the best of each other. This includes faithfully trusting leaders’ intentions even knowing they are fallible humans like us. We must resist the cancel culture of cynical second-guessing and let leaders serve by actually leading. This may mean prayerfully choosing one of a hundred valid, godly ways of doing any particular thing. Let leaders serve by making that call, and prayerfully choose to follow. Generously give your best.
Please pray, deeply. For the Church. For your local church. For those you are closest to, and those you don’t like. Pray all kinds of prayers- angry ones, quiet ones, joyful ones, squeezed-out-tearful ones. Sit silently. Get in rooms with others and pray. Get online and pray. Pray at work. Pray over your neighbours. Pray in the car. Don’t pray to meet a quota, or to be a ‘good Christian’ just pray because it’s like breathing. Honesty with God is all that matters. He hears.
Please remember there is one Church. Many denominations, streams, expressions, but Jesus sent us a Spirit of unity and the Scripture tells us to make every effort to keep this bond of peace. Don’t be lazy about this. Celebrate diversity. Humbly strain to live in such a way that your love of unity attracts the blessing of God.
Finally, please gossip the Gospel. Share your story of grace. Prioritise mission, cross borders and overcome barriers to tell others of God’s saving grace. Tell everyone, show everyone, that Jesus is uniquely the King who saves and the eternal lover of all people. With words and deeds, please, please rearrange your habits, budgets, careers, lifestyles to live as a missionary and see Jesus’ kingdom come where you are.
The lesson:
It’s simple, really: It’s all about Jesus. Maybe best summed up in Romans 11:36:
“…from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.”
The prayer:
Loving, heavenly Father, the final ‘please’ is to You: Please bless the person reading this today. Bless them with incomprehensible peace. Bless them with power to overcome the evil schemes that will attack them. Bless their children, and their children. Bless Wellspring Church and all who live and serve together, in whatever way. Keep blessing Watford. And may you bless David Dodwell, his wife Hannah and their kids. Bless his heart, may your anointing and power be strengthened, and may the joy of serving your people here far outweigh the pain and cost of doing so. In Jesus’ mighty name, amen.