Overflow: A church for the thirsty....
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
A church for the thirsty…
A couple of weeks ago I had a great lunch meeting with another Pastor who really helped me to process and begin to pray about WHO exactly Overflow was being called to reach. This pastor helped me to see something new in regards to who God is calling Overflow to be in the Benton Harbor/St. Joseph area. Up until that point, just the idea that there is a specific group of people, as opposed to all people, was something that bothered me and was causing me to really ask God “aren’t we for all people”? The answer to that question came through a great time in the Scriptures, especially because this was a time next to Lake Michigan on the beach, I never complain about that!
As I was reading and praying, I found myself in John 4:1-30, and discovering new insight in one of my favorite passages. To give you a quick snapshot of the story in this passage here is low down:
Jesus is resting, near the end of the day at a time when workers would be moving in, next to a well. As he rested, a Samaritan woman (Samaritan’s were despised by the Jewish people and did not associate, and women were even less likely to be able to communicate with a Jewish man) came to the well and Jesus asked her for a drink of water. This simple exchange would lead to the woman discovering that Jesus was the true source of living water, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:13-14). She would go on to learn in fact Jesus would give her mercy, found in relationship to Him, and that despite her extreme sinfulness (she was an adulteress that had gone through many men), Christ would grant her new life. The story finishes with her still trying to avoid a true worship of Him and Jesus patiently redirecting her to who He was and could be in her life. As He does this she leaves Jesus and goes into the city on a mission to bring her friends, family, and city to know and meet Christ. She essentially hears God’s call and becomes one of the first missionaries.
As I read through this I realized that God is calling OVERFLOW to be a “CHURCH FOR THE THIRSTY”. Our goal then is to meet people in our community right where they are at, to respect their humanity, to extend grace and mercy, to challenge their sin, to speak truth in love, to meet their need, to encourage them to move forward in life, and to most importantly help them to find the spring of true and new life in Jesus Christ.
What would a church for the thirsty look like in action (from John 4:1-26):
• Embracing all people regardless of race, economic status, social status, and background (John 4:1-10)
• Meeting people right where they are in life, taking the message of Christ’s love and goodness to the streets (John 4:11-13)
• To help people see that Jesus is the true source of life now and eternally (John 4:13-14)
• To extend grace and mercy to people regardless of their lifestyle (John 4:15-18)
• To speak the truth in love and challenge them to move forward in life with Christ and to live their sins behind (John 4:18)
• To celebrate God and life through a true spirit of worship (John 4:21-24)
• To have patience with others, and ourselves, as we all develop and discover what it means to follow Jesus (John 4:25-26)
• To mobilize people to live on mission and share the good news with their friends, families, co-workers, and communities (John 4:27-30)
OVERFLOW IS A CHURCH FOR THE THIRSTY. How this develops and looks in action will be up to each of us as we live our lives for Jesus and embrace the idea of sharing Him with others.
• Have you personally allowed Jesus to meet your thirst and give you new life?
• Who do you know that is thirsty and how can you share Christ with them?
• Will you help make Overflow a church for the thirsty through your prayers, support, and actions?
“From me, as a living fountain the small and the great, the poor and the rich, do draw the water of life; and they that willingly and freely serve me, shall receive grace for grace” (From The Imitation of Christ by Thomas Kempis).
More scripture on this: Isaiah 55:1-2
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Thank you again for all of your prayers & support...it means more to our family than you will ever know!
In Pursuit,
Brian
posted by Brian @ 9:46 PM,
