In one of her small groups icebreakers, Keri Wyatt Kent asks group members to write their “Life Verse” on an index card and then share their verses and explain why it’s significant to them. So, here are a few verses that are important to me.
Isaiah 6:8 (NIV)
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
Many people shy away form the “E-word”, evangelism, and prefer to call it outreach or other such thing. In any case, the church is he only organization that is established for the sake of those who are not yet members. I have been involved with the Alpha Course for 10, going on 15 years. It is not just a good bible study for the congregation but, when used properly, can be a very effective tool for outreach beyond the walls of the church. A stagnant or dying church is characterized by an inward focus on their members. A growing church looks outward, sharing the Good News with others.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (KJV)
16 Rejoice evermore.
17 Pray without ceasing.
18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (MSG)
16-18 Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.
As you can see, I like to compare bible translations and see which wording speaks to me. The Message is a paraphrase rather than a literal translation but that doesn’t matter to me. Prayer is important; for example, I prefer the traditional “pray without ceasing” to the more contemporary “pray all the time” but that does not necessarily mean I’m stuck in the past. I generally have a positive attitude and like The Message’s “be cheerful no matter what”.
Matthew 9:35-38 (NIV)
The Workers Are Few
35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
You might think I have come back to the E-word and, yes, that’s true in the church sense of this passage.
On the other hand in this busy world “the workers are few” in many ways. It’s so much easier to write a check to a charity or a non-profit than to take time to volunteer. I learned this many years ago from my father; rather than going on vacation, he would take a full week to take our Boy Scout troop to summer camp (more info). For my son, I helped with Cub Scouts and later as a soccer coach. Now that I am retired, I have more time to volunteer around the church, not only as a member of the Call Committee and the person to enter attendance data but with the Lutheran Lay Fellowship and Rainbow Via de Cristo.
What are your life verses? How do you volunteer your time to better your church and community?
David Robert Lambert 