“The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save…he will quiet over you with love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” – Zephaniah 3:17

                                                                                                                                                                                               

 Why is outreach necessary for the church?  Good question…let me see if I can answer that for you.  First, Jesus was all about outreach.  He did not spend his time in the Synagogue, he traveled to the place that the people were gathered.  He said, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” – Luke 19:10  The Pharisees and Sadducees gathered in the Synagogue to debate scripture and Jesus said very little that was good about them.

Second, Jesus commanded us to, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” – Mark 16:15   He went on to tell his disciples, “…you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” – Acts 1:8   How can we, as Jesus’ followers, carry the gospel to the world and be Jesus’ witnesses unless we attempt to reach out to others?  When you read Jerusalem, think the city of Muscatine.  When you hear Judea, think Muscatine County.  When you hear Samaria, think the State of Iowa.  We are called to be personally involved in the spreading of the good news of Jesus Christ.

Lastly, may I share some words from a recent article I read by Sam Rainer, Pastor and Lifeway Christian author:

“Inward-focused churches always decline.  Some more quickly than others.  But spiritual naval-gazing always kills a church.  People with a me-first mentality believe the church exists to meet their needs rather than a way for them to serve their community and the needs of others.  When personal preferences are elevated above God’s mission, the church will turn inward, creating a culture of selfishness and entitlement.” – churchanswers.com

Starting this weekend, we will engage in a seminar on Spiritual Warfare.  Why are we doing this?  Because we live in a world where we are under attack.  We are bombarded by filthy language, sex, LGBTQAI+, lies, dysfunctional families, broken relationships, substance abuse, pornography, deception, corruption, greed, depression and a whole lot more!  There are so many ways that we are under attack today that we cannot even name them all.  And who/what is behind all of this?  None-other than the father of all evil, the one the Bible calls…Satan.

This seminar is our attempt as a church to reach-out to this community and say, “If you struggle with any of these things, perhaps we can help.”  It’s your opportunity to participate in the presenting of the gospel.  Maybe you don’t struggle with these things.  Great!  But these are real issues.  Perhaps you could be an encouragement to someone who will show up at the seminar that does struggle with them, and needs to meet a friendly, positive and inviting face.  Or perhaps you will learn something that will help you help someone later…next month or during the holidays, or even next year.  You just do not know how God can find to use you through this information.

When God chose Moses to go to Pharaoh to demand that he let his people go, Moses replied, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh…” – Exodus 3:11  When the Lord cried out, “Who shall I send?”  Isaiah replied, “Here am I, send me!” – Isaiah 6:8    God can and will use you as you allow him to do so!

If you should ask yourself why you should attend this week, I urge you to remember that you are a child of God. – I John 3:1   Jesus needs you to sow the seed. – Mark 4:1-20.  I’m praying you will answer the call!

Spiritual Warfare Seminar…with Steve Hemphill

Sessions:

Sunday, 9/24 @ 9:00am                 Our Search for the Real Heaven (MCoC)

Sunday, 9/24 @ 10:00am               The Covenant (MCoC)

Sunday, 9/24 @ 3:30pm                 Spiritual Warfare 101    (Dinner to follow)   ( Riverview Ctr)

Sunday, 9/24 @ 5:45pm                 Biblical Demons and Symbols  (Riverview Ctr)

Monday, 9/25 @ 6:30pm                Spiritual Weapons (pt.1)  (Riverview Ctr)

Tuesday, 9/26 @ 6:30pm                Spiritual Weapons (pt.2)  (Riverview Ctr)

Wednesday, 9/27 @ 6:30pm         Prayer Hindrances & Land Markers in Scripture (Riverview Ctr)

It’s not too late to invite people to attend any or all of these sessions!

All God’s Wonderful Blessings,

DJA