Vision –Part Two

By helping people I don’t mean false sentimentality, rainbows, prancing unicorns, or an effeminate blurring of gender roles. God has given us the way to help people, and it is by authentically loving our “neighbor” (Luke 10:29). The most powerful show of love is for a person to share with another person how to have all of their sins forgiven, how to live a life with purpose, and to introduce them to their own Creator.

As a church, Daybreak is firmly rooted on the Bible and its’ teachings. To argue and fight for this (at our church) would be synonymous to “bombing rubble” after you have already won the war. We are also a church that loves people as evidenced by our ministries and stories of how our people are serving their neighbors.

But here’s where I think we are. Are we willing to change how we prefer to worship, experience God, song selections, socialize, and even express our love for God in order for someone else to feel more comfortable? Somewhere along the way, someone changed how they worshipped God (our services aren’t in Latin) in order to reach new people for Christ. One of the most powerful ways we love and help our neighbor is to give up our preferences, in order that he may be able to understand and know his Creator.

Our vision is to be constantly changing, for the purpose of reaching Frederick County for Christ. The change has to begin with you and me (not them). Paul said it like this, “Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. ²⁰To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. ²¹To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. ²²To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. ²³I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.” (1 Corinthians 9:19-23)

Change is hard for most people. Here are some things to think about:

1. Christ calls us to lay our lives down for others (1 John 3:16)

2. Paul as an example shows us how (1 Corinthians 9)

3. Things that are alive change, if they don’t they die. (what would you say about an infant that remained an infant for 5 years? – would not something be wrong?)

4. You already believe in Christ, and by your willingness to change, others can come to believe as well. You can be missional simply by being willing and open to change.

About the author

Drew Boswell wrote 621 articles on this blog.

Dr. Drew Boswell is the Executive Pastor at Redland Baptist Church in Valdosta, Georgia.

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