First Church of the Nazarene

As we go into May, it is that time of the year where reports are due for all the departments of the church, all the staff and local ministers and every pastor across our district.  We come to the end of the church year and begin a new one where we will celebrate the parts of our missional strategy that we accomplished.   We will evaluate the parts of our missional strategy that were not accomplished and try to determine what should be changed, re-evaluated, or revisited.  

There are so many ways that God has blessed us this last church year and ways in which we are certain that the devil has attacked us and continues to do so.  We will celebrate for sure the victories but let us not ignore, or somehow think that while we celebrate that the devil will leave us alone.    Some families are facing aging parents issues, some are dealing with sickness and disease, some are lamenting a loved one turning away from Christ, some are on the edge of new jobs and life transitions and the list could just go on and on with what challenges us on a daily basis.   These situations I reference and many more are places and junctures the devil likes to mount an attack to create doubt, to cause us to question the goodness of God, and just plain give up fighting the good fight of faith.

This month's pastors note is a call to all of us to take extra time to intentionally sure up our spiritual lives: To make sure we bathe all we say, and all we do, in prayer; To double check our motives and judgments in all situations; To make sure that we are allowing Christ to live not just in us, but especially through us to others;  And To allow the Holy Spirit to have complete access to every corner of us, so that there is no room at all for the enemy to get a foothold in our lives. 

We serve the King of this Kingdom of God in which we live and move.  Let your life be Jesus "incarnate" to all, as you intentionally "missionate" to the least and lost in this world. - Pastor David