WATCHING GOD WORK

Just like the Christian life that others experience, the life of a Pastor has its ups and downs. Sometimes we want to quit. Sometimes we "grow weary in well doing." Sometimes we work very hard and see no results. Sometimes we just pray a lot. And sometimes God allows us to see Him work in our midst. It is all a part of the journey called "walking with God." One of my seminary professors, Dr. Steve Wilkes, told me one day "You can't plant a mega-church. God calls us to plant churches and in His plan and purpose some of them grow very large."

As a pastor, of course I want to see the church I serve grow. I want to see people enter the Kingdom. I want to see life change. Right now God is allowing me and the rest of South Hills Baptist Fellowship to see Him work. For five straight weeks we have seen people make public decisions - salvation, baptism, church membership in our Morning service. I wish I could give you our "Four Step Growth Plan," but I can't - I don't have one. I am not a better preacher now than the five straight weeks that no one walked the aisle. We do not have a new outreach plan. We have not saturated our community with a special blitz. We have prayed. We do not normally have evening services, but several weeks ago one of our church council members had a burden that we needed to pray for the body. We set aside a Sunday night for a concert of prayer. The body showed up in a big way. We prayed. And then it happened - God just started visibly working right in front of us.

It is exciting. I wonder what else God is going to do. I pray that I will not mess it up. And I am thankful for seeing people respond to God.

Steve