A Note from Pastor Mike…
A couple years ago a church in Charlotte, N.C. ran a large ad in the local paper. It clearly identified the readers for whom it was intended. “LOSERS WANTED!!” the bold headline proclaimed. This unusual church ad went on to read: “Attention all drug addicts, alcoholics, and ex-cons. Wanted: the hopeless, broken-hearted and lonely….” The ad promised “There is hope for you!”
Bold!? Maybe, but this church was determined to reach out to hurting and broken people regardless of circumstances or backgrounds.
My prayer is that we would open up the doors to our hearts so that the perishing around us can be rescued. It is the task to which God has called us.
We who are members of His church are sometimes tempted to follow the examples of the world by doing only what makes us feel good, like hanging out with those who look and act like us. But that is not the way of Jesus. During His brief three-year ministry he surrounded Himself with those who were broken and in need, seeking to make a difference in their lives.
As representatives of Jesus on this earth, we must never forget that His church exists to bring hope to those who are hopeless, to reach down and lift up those who are helpless, to reach out to feed the hungry, to mend the broken-hearted ones, and to provide company to the lonely.
If we truly share His Good News the family of God will be enlarged, and our Lord will be pleased with those who claim His name. May we burn with a desire to be a lighthouse for those in need.
In God’s peace,
Pastor Mike