Focus 40: part 5

In Acts 1:8, Jesus tells his followers that they will be his witnesses "in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." The remainder of the book of Acts recounts how their witness to the gospel spread from Jerusalem out...in the concentric circles he described. A lot of times I think the church today fails to recognize we are the product of a long list of witnesses. Think about it. If you are a believer, it is because someone shared with you the good news about Jesus Christ. What we do today in the church is a continuation of what Jesus told his followers to do about two thousand years ago. We are witnesses in our city. We are witnesses in our region. And we are witnesses to the world.

#5 - Missions in Virginia Beach, Hampton Roads, & World

At the Water's Edge, we say we are called to be witnesses "in Virginia Beach, to all of Hampton Roads, and to the world". As we pray for a missionary spirit, my specific prayer is that our witness extend beyond the walls of our building and into our homes, our neighborhoods, and our workplace. I pray that our church would have favor with God and man as we further our witness in the Hampton Roads region. And beyond that, I pray for the ministries of those we support around the world, specifically in Micronesia and Honduras. I'm excited to visit the Ocote Church this summer. Pastor Danny leads the Honduran congregation there. I'm eager to discuss how our partnership with them can serve to help further the kingdom of God . . . "to the end of the earth." 

Focus 40: part 4

On Sunday, March 30th, we celebrated what we call "Family Sunday." It was an exciting day for us at the Water's Edge Church. We had student ushers & greeters welcoming everyone as they came in. Our children proclaimed the big-ness of our God through song as they performed on stage. The student ministry presented video & testimony from their previous weekend at the state youth convention. And the student band moved several people to tears as they led us in a time of passionate worship. On top of all of that, two of our members dedicated their child to God as they vowed to "train him up in the way he should go" and were challenged to leave a legacy.

As we take a look at #4 of our Top Ten Prayer Priorities as a church, I just want to throw out some reasons why we should be praying for our children & student ministries.

#4 - Children & Student Ministries

• We have a responsibility. This is true for parents who hold the primary responsibility for the spiritual formation of their child and for the church in its supplemental role. 
• Time flies. We have a limited window of opportunity to invest in the lives of our young people before they leave the nest. There are 936 weeks from the time a child is born until their 18th birthday. Each week counts. As a church, that means every Sunday matters. 
• It is hard work. We need to be praying for parents & ministry leaders to continue to press on, holding to the truth that our labor is not in vain. 
• Growing up is becoming increasingly difficult. Older people usually disagree with this statement because times were tougher back in the day. True. But growing up today is a different kind of tough. The values of our culture have placed ridiculous social expectations and pressures on young people. And it's killing them. Literally. Suicide rates continue to increase among teenagers. 
• Identity is everything to a young person. I once heard someone say, "If you live for people's acceptance you'll die from their rejection." The messages young people hear shape their identity, values, and sense of self-worth. Everything we allow to enter into our minds has a message: music, television, entertainment, conversation with our peers, etc. The church proclaims a message that wraps up our identity and value in Christ. Our young people need to hear that good news.  To be in Christ is to increasingly become who God created us to be. Not what the world shapes us to be. Our self-worth is found in the One who made us. And he thinks we are worth dying for.