One of the things that will happen (if it hasn’t already) as The Gathering continues to grow will be a battle over time. You and I will begin to look at all of the great opportunities for ministry in the body and in the community and we’ll slowly but surely begin to feel a bit overwhelmed. We’ll start to feel guilty for not being involved in every project, every I ? My City, every Community Group meeting, every – well – thing. Let me just encourage you with this truth: Satan loves to use that strategy as a way to stop the believers who should be unstoppable. Let me explain what I mean by that.
There is a great verse found in the middle of the book of Nehemiah that each of us needs to burn on our hearts. At the beginning of chapter 6, Nehemiah is working on the rebuilding project when he gets a text message (ok, not really) asking him to come to a meeting. His answer in verse 3? “I’m working on a great project and I can’t come down.” There is a great freedom that comes with a focused call, and Nehemiah understood that. Maybe that meeting would’ve been a good thing, but it wasn’t the ONE THING. Nehemiah knew that his purpose at that moment was rebuilding the wall (and the glory) of Jerusalem, and that anything that got in the way of that wasn’t the best use of his time.
The point here isn’t to have the freedom to blow everything off as much as it is to decide what is the ONE THING that you know God wants to use you for. We know that His hand is on The Gathering to be a house and a body that brings the presence of God to people who are far from Him, and so we will never lack for opportunities that allow us to do just that. And while we wish everyone could do everything, we know that won’t be possible. So what do you do when you can’t do it all? You do something. You eliminate the things that could potentially distract you from the great work that you’re doing for Jesus’ kingdom and you keep on keeping on!
What is that ONE THING for you in your personal walk with Jesus? In your home? At The Gathering? When you find it and pursue it with the passion of a focused call, I can guarantee you that you’ll find the power and the time that will make you unstoppable, no matter what.
Remember: Nobody can do everything, but everybody can do something.
1. Thank you to everyone who helped with all the set up and tear down Sunday. I LOVE EATING with the whole family!! It was so encouraging to hear everyone laughing, sharing stories, and enjoying time together.
2. WHAT A BLAST INVADING LAUNDROMATS! 35 of us hit 5 area laundromats on Saturday with supplies and snacks and met some new friends and shared the love of Jesus with our city. If you’re looking for a ministry to get involved with that is FUN, PRACTICAL, and DYNAMIC, then the monthly I ? MY CITY days are for you. Get more info on the website.
3. Speaking of I ? My City, the men are roofing this Saturday! If you want to be a part of helping fix a roof in desperate need of repair, meet us in the parking lot of the DMV this Saturday at 8:15 am. If you want to grab some breakfast beforehand, some of us will be meeting at Becky’s restaurant at 6:30 am and we’d love to have you there!
4. Big thanks to SHANNA PLYLER and all the great folks on our iOS MINISTRY TEAMS. Shanna heads this critical part of the ministry at The Gathering and shared Sunday about how you can be involved. If you haven’t already done so, head over to the website to fill out the form and START SERVING!
5. I am SUPER PUMPED about our next series! NO MATTER WHAT starts this Sunday, and I’m sure you picked up a little on where we’ll be going with it by what I wrote earlier. It’d be great if you could go to the series page and share it on Twitter and Facebook so people know about it!
