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“Where there is no vision, the people perish: But he that keeps the law, happy is he.” Proverbs 29:18 KJV
Most of the things in life that bring good results are things that happen on purpose. We don’t succeed unintentionally in most aspects of life. If we want to lose weight, we don’t usually lose it by accident. If we want to succeed at our work, it doesn’t usually just happen. If we want our relationships to be the best possible, we don’t just wake up one day and there it is. We see our greatest rewards in life when we live life on purpose.
I believe this to be especially true in our faith life and the life of our faith community. I have seen the greatest growth in my own faith life, and countless others, when I am intentionally about my spiritual practices. As we talked about last Sunday, it’s about pursuing our faith. Placing ourselves in the proper environment for true spiritual growth. I would like to share with you how that has played out in my own faith journey. I would like to do so as a way of further introducing the 5 Pursuits I mentioned in church.
The first Pursuit is saying yes to Jesus. It was because of the intentional and repeated invitations of my parents that I went to church. It was because of the intentional planning and preparation of the church leadership that I was in an environment that led to me accepting Christ as my Lord and Savior. It was the intentional follow-up of that church that helped me to begin to grow in my newfound faith. Saying yes to Jesus is an intentional act on our part of receiving the grace offered to us through Jesus. Christ.
The second Pursuit is joining the mission. Once we have said yes to Jesus we need to engage in the mission Jesus has given the church. We exist to make disciples of Jesus Christ who transform the Ocala community and the world. We do this through Family Ministry with kids and youth, Tuesday Ministries Outreach to the marginalized in our community, through Ocala First Preschool, through the Pumpkin Patch, and through our two worship experiences. All of these are environments that need numerous people who are willing to be stakeholders in the mission of Ocala First. When I was a brand new believer I was invited to help in the student ministry with middle school students. It was the beginning of my calling to full-time Christian service.
The third Pursuit is bringing a friend. My parents were my “friends” who brought me to church. Studies show that around 85% of the people asked came to church because a friend invited them. It wasn’t a slick marketing campaign or a great website. It was a friend who cared enough about them to keep inviting them to church, or an event the church was holding, or to a small group. That investment is what lets people know you truly care about them. It can make an eternal difference.
The fourth Pursuit is choosing community. The best spiritual growth that has taken place in my own faith journey has happened in groups. Debbie and I were in a small group in Jacksonville that was particularly incredible in this way. We are still friends with the folks in that group and it impacted our life in powerful ways. At Ocala First this is something we will be working even more intentionally to build.
The fifth Pursuit is giving generously. Debbie and I have found generosity to be life-giving. We have given of our time with various ministries in the churches we have served and in Costa Rica. We have also given of our financial resources with the tithe, our 10%, as the goal. There has never been a moment of regret and God has done some amazing things through the churches and ministries we support. We have found the old saying to be true that you cannot out give God. It is an act of faith to give generously to the church and watch what God will do.
We all need purpose in life. Life is best done intentionally. As we dive into greater detail about these 5 Pursuits it is my prayer that Ocala First will continue to be even better at living out our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ who transform the Ocala community and the world.
Peace,
Pastor Tim
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