Pastor's Corner
November 2004
“Having thus a fond affection for you, we
were well pleased to impart to you not only
the gospel but also our own lives, because
you had become very dear to us.”
I Thessalonians 2:8
Dear Church Family,
I have always loved the passage from Paul in I Thessalonians where he describes his love for the people in the church there. It is obvious as we read that text that Paul’s life had become “entwined” with his fellow believers in the church. Paul shares that he did not only want them to know Jesus (“the gospel”) but he also wanted them to know him. Indeed as we read other letters Paul wrote to the churches he established or visited, we see the same “heart”. Paul knew that his ministry was not establishing a program nor initiating policies nor was it “organizing the organism” of the church. He knew that as our Christianity begins with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ it continues and grows in our personal relationship with one another as believers. We need each other, we belong to each other and we depend on each other. That is a huge part of what “church” is all about!
After ministering and serving with you at Ustick for over 16 years I am more convinced than ever that, as a missionary reminded me, “relationships are the currency of the kingdom.” From Growth Groups to Sunday School classes to Bible studies to discipleship, it is our relationships to one another that are so fulfilling and precious! We “weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice” (Romans 12:15). We “bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians6:2) and we “consider others as more important than ourselves” (Philippians 2:3). In other words we truly “impart ourselves” in order to grow together in our walk with Jesus! Truth be told, it is our “imparting ourselves” that makes our walk with the Lord so fulfilling as we share and care for and love one another in the Lord!
I hope you are taking advantage of the relationships with one another as Christians here at Ustick Baptist. If you keep to yourself in worship services, if you skip Sunday School, pass on the potlucks and by-pass the Bible studies, than you are missing out on the blessings God has for you in the relationships those times can bring. I know I have grown so much and benefited so much when I have allowed other believers to “impart their lives” to me and vice a versa! Please take advantage of opportunities (that abound!) at Ustick to connect yourself to other believers who I know will become “very dear” to you…if you let them!
Serving with you,
P.S.
This month of “Pastor Appreciation” has caused an even greater “fond affection” of Jeanelle and I for this church body! Once again the outpouring of cards and gifts has been overwhelming! We not only feel greatly appreciated but totally unworthy to be loved so much. Thank you all for the privilege of ministering with you at Ustick! Please know how much our family appreciates you!
