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Participation in the Purpose

by Jerry Ousley  
1/23/2015 / Christian Living

There are a lot of people with a lot of good ideas. The only problem I see in this is that there are way too many of them who only want to present their ideas but do nothing about it. When we were pastors Debbie took it upon herself to be very active in the congregation. She has a heart and a passion for ministry, especially with children and teenagers. She was constantly hosting activities to keep the kids involved and that's what it takes to hold their interest.

One of the many great things she did for them was to start a youth center. Because of our work schedules it was only open three days per week; on Tuesday afternoon, Thursday afternoon and Friday night. It was a lot of work, required the help of several adults, a good food budget (you can't get kids together without feeding them you know), and patience. I, along with several other adults, helped on a regular basis and a few came in from time to time as volunteer helpers. We were always glad to get help, but frankly, the parents and these few "volunteer helpers" were a problem. Here's what I mean; Deb had prayed, fasted, and spent a lot of time coming up with activities, menus, games, and music that she knew would keep the attention of the kids. The program wasn't centered on a teaching, or group activities, but provided a room where they could watch videos (we screened them of course), several game tables including air hockey, table tennis, a couple of indoor basketball hoops, and a pool table. We normally had Christian music playing in the background and called them together for prayer before we served the food, which was usually pizza, or nachos and cheese. It became a popular place fast and there were times we had nearly seventy-five kids and teenagers quite a handful!

But some of the parents and occasional volunteers thought we were going about it all wrong. In their estimation it needed to be more organized. We were told on several occasions that we should be having classes for them. You know, there's a time and a place for that, but what was needed in the town was a place where they could just come to a positive, Christian atmosphere and hang out. That's what the kids wanted. It was working as the attendance revealed. But there was always someone who had an opinion and a better idea. That was a source of frustration for Deb and for me because she knew what God had put in her heart and didn't need the advice of those who really didn't want anything to do with it. They just wanted to put in their two cents.

In order to be a successful Christian our commitment is required. It's easy to state an opinion. The world is full of those who always seem to have a better idea. But they won't lift a finger to put those ideas into motion. It seems all they want to do is to tell someone else how to do it better.

There are many things that God calls people to do. Nowhere in the Bible will you find that one of the ministry gifts is "pew sitting." By that I am referring to those who are faithful to be in church each Sunday, but do nothing else for the Lord after their hour is up. God has called each and every believer into service. He wants us to participate in the purpose. He has given each believer a unique gift that He wants utilized to fulfill the number one purpose of His Church after glorifying Christ of course. That purpose is to evangelize the world. We are told at the end of the Books of Matthew and Mark to go into the world and present the Gospel the Good News of salvation. He has equipped each of us to fulfill our part of that Great Commission. But in order to do that we've got to participate.

Find your gifting. Take an inventory of what you are good at. Afterwards, don't just present good ideas that others are expected to carry out but put those things to work for Christ. You are called and you are chosen. No one else can do what He has commissioned you to do. Look to Him, trust in Him, and fulfill your purpose!

Jerry D. Ousley is the author of ?Soul Challenge?, ?Soul Journey?, ?Ordeal?, ?The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional and his first novel ?The Shoe Tree.? Visit our website at spiritbread.com to download these and more completely free of charge.

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