By this time next year, I believe at least 100 orphans from the Colorado foster system will be adopted into families at New Life Church. This will be the beginning of our church rediscovering God’s heart for the poor, the widows and the orphans. In fact, I believe that across America, the local church is about to rise up and take responsibility for the poor of our cities and communities. I can sense that a new awakening is happening in the hearts of believers. Our mission is about to become clearer and more defined than ever.
New Life is no different than many congregations. We have immediate needs for new staff and we need immediate repairs for many parts of our campus. It is so easy, though, to focus so much on buildings and ministries that we forget the real reason for church in the first place. In Acts 2 and Acts 4, the recipe for church was simple – meet together, worship together, honor the sacraments of communion and baptism, teach scripture, pray fervently and bring offerings so that the needs of people could be met. I am not opposed to building buildings or repairing old ones. We just cannot lose our focus in the process.
In two weeks, we are receiving a special offering to renovate our campus. But, we are also setting aside 20% of everything we receive to renovate our community and to help the poor and needy. It helps us stay focused on the real mission. I am excited about this new awakening that is happening at New Life and around the country. The church is to be salt and light and I am convinced more than ever that many congregations, including New Life, are on the threshold of unprecedented influence. Let’s get back to the original recipe of local church and allow God’s glory to spread throughout the earth.