Pastoral Reflection
Sunday, January 6, 2019
 
Preparing and Positioning the Church for the next 100 years. 
(Matthew 4:19; Matthew 13:44-46; Matthew 28:18-20)

Rodney Ohebsion in his Chinese prover maintains, If you are planning for a year, sow rice (nourishment); if you are planning for a decade, plant trees (shelter); if you are planning for a lifetime, educate / plant people (survival).

Trinity Church as we have celebrated 100 years of the Lord's blessing, we continue to honor God for our centennial theme. One Hundred Years of Reaching a City to Touch the World . As we move forward into a new century of ministry, I pray that we will increase our discipleship and our sensitivity toward the Kingdom of God as it is made manifest in the life of the Trinity Church. Our 2019 theme will help us to maintain this focus as we will be Preparing and Positioning the Church for the next 100 years. (Matthew 4:19; Matthew 13:44-46; Matthew 28:18-20)

Discipleship must be a top priority for our church because it remains a top priority to our Christ. Jesus made it very clear what his church should do: But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. ” (Matthew 28:18-20)  

A Definition for discipleship is found in Matthew 4:19, And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men. ” In this verse Jesus gives an invitation to his future disciples who were fishing at the time he says to them come follow me and I will make you fishers of men . We believe that this invitation describes the definition of a disciple and that to follow Jesus will mean a life change at the head, heart, and hands level of our beings. 
We will not only focus on discipleship ; but we will continue to embrace a kingdom focus. The Kingdom of God is bigger than Trinity Church. It is our determination to be the best church for the community. God has blessed this local ministry in magnanimous ways in order for her to be a blessing to the Kingdom of God. Our church culture must embrace this understanding and be willing to make sacrifices for the advancement of this ministry and to impact the Kingdom of God. We must recognize our treasure. The Matthew 13 parable helps us to do so; as the treasure is revealed in multiple ways.

Jesus Christ is the true Treasure; in him there is an abundance of all that which is rich and useful and will be a portion for us: all fullness (Col. 1:19; John. 1:16): treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col. 2:3), of righteousness, grace, and peace ; these are laid up for us in Christ; and, if we embrace Jesus Christ, it is all our own.

Moreover, it is a great thing to discover the treasure hid in this field, and the unspeakable value of it. The reason why so many slight the gospel, and run the hazard, of missing it, is because they look only upon the surface of the field, and judge by that, and they see no excellency in the Christian institutes above those of the philosophers.

This is our challenge and our call for 2019. Let us be found living together in Christ Jesus! And as we do life together, we will be preparing and positioning Trinity Church for the next 100 years .

Let’s Do Life Together!
#doinglifetogether
 
Dr. John D. Tolbert
Senior Pastor

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