SERVANTS OF THE LORD

A church affected by COVID requires a different approach. Like every other church, the ministries of Front Street have been affected as a result of over a year with COVID. Some ministries, like some of the Sunday School classes, have persevered using new technologies. Even the music ministries used tech to bring music into online worship and other online settings.

However, some areas will need to be rebuilt…relaunched, if you will. For example, the Chancel Choir will need to be almost completely relaunched. Other music ministries, like the Aldersgate Praise Band, and the Bell Choir weathered the storm a bit better. We will also need to work on other discipleship activities and mission events.

Long story, short: This fall we will do our best to reboot, relaunch, rebuild this ministry life of Front Street. And to accomplish that feat, we will need all hands on deck! In other words, we will need YOU!

Sometimes, we tend to want to limit the people that God can use. We think that God only wants to use those people who we think are well-educated and highly-qualified in his service. “He would never choose me to do anything for him. The Almighty Everlasting Omnipotent God of the Universe would never stoop to ask me to do anything for him. He has probably even forgotten that I exist.” Not true! God calls all of us into his service.

Let’s look at Jeremiah. Jeremiah was a young fellow, presumably just hanging out one day in his home town when the Lord God spoke to him. God said, “Jeremiah, I’ve known you since you were forming in your mother’s womb, and in fact, I decided what I wanted you to do for me before you were even born.” And like Jeremiah, God knew each one of us before we were born. He has a plan for us. Some people in the Bible, like King David, John the Baptist, and Paul, had specific purposes. God may have already given you a specific task. If so, do it with His help in a way that will glorify him. He may not reveal what His plan is for others of us at what we would consider to be the most appropriate time, but rest assured He will let you know what you are to do. But it will be when He is ready for you to know. If you don’t feel, at this time, that you know what God has called you to do, then seek to fulfill the commandment that Christ gave all of us in which he said, Love one another as I have loved you. If we follow that commandment, we will always be in God’s will.

But, when God does call you to do something specific for him, you, like Jeremiah, may think that you are not worthy or have the ability to do what God is asking of you. Jeremiah told God that he didn’t think that he had the ability to do what God wanted him to. He gave the excuse that he was too young. What excuses have we given God for not answering His call. You see, we can give God excuses. He calls us, and he gives us the choice as to whether we will answer. God wants us on his team and will offer us a position, but he won’t force us to play for Him if we don’t want to. And some of us may not want to. But oh what a great feeling it is, when you know that you’re playing on the winning team! Think about it! What an opportunity?! How many times do you get to choose to play for a team that you know ahead of time is going to win. What a great deal!

But as I mentioned earlier, you might not think that God could possibly want you. You may think: So, what’s so special about me? I don’t have any great abilities or knowledge that I can use to work for God. But hold on. Let’s think about that line of thinking for a second. Who says that you have to have super-abilities, super-strength, or super-knowledge to work for God. Look whom Christ surrounded himself with. He chose fishermen, tax collectors, and the like to be his disciples. These were common working people like you and me.

It’s during the times that I forget to rely on him that I feel inadequate and incapable of the work that God has for me to do. But then I remember that God will not give me (or you) a job that he won’t equip me to do. He gives us the strength and the resources we need to accomplish the job that he has assigned to us. He will empower us over any obstacle and give us the confidence to go forth for him. In fact, we may be insulting God when we second guess his choice, when he chooses us for a job. He knows better than we do what we are capable of accomplishing - with his help. God will use us to further his kingdom and will walk next to us the whole way, if we will only let him. Remember, as some people like to say…God doesn’t call the qualified, he qualifies the called.

Listen for his voice this fall as we put out the call for your help at Front Street. What is God calling you to do inside the church, and out in our community? It's exciting to think about, isn't it?