It’s Time to Shine预览

Shine Together

Who are your people? For some, this question may be easy to answer. Some of us are surrounded by a strong community of family and friends who are colleagues, classmates, or teammates.

But for others, your past close relationships may now be long-distance or fractured, making you feel isolated. Or maybe you’re just in a season where you lack intimate connection with the people in your life.

No matter the state of your current relationships, here’s what is always true: In Christ, you belong. You are a part of the forever family of God, the Church, the Body and the Bride of Christ. And we are better together!

Our gatherings ignite spiritual growth. Together, we share our burdens and victories and meet each other’s needs. Our united prayers move mountainous situations.

It’s now been more than 18 years since my uncle received Christ at my brother’s funeral. To say we were shocked and overwhelmed with joy would be a massive understatement. We had prayed for years for his salvation. We’ve now been blessed to witness ongoing evidence of Christ changing his life.

What brought him to raise his hand that sorrowful day? Was it the powerful message or the beautiful worship songs? Maybe they played a role. But he told us the major impact on his heart was what he witnessed at the hospital for weeks at a time. My uncle saw the radiant, prayerful, supportive Christians who had surrounded our family while David was fighting for his life. It was the Church in loving action!

I’m praying this brief example will stir you and your commitment to the Church because we need one another more than we realize.

The enemy—the liar and deceiver—the devil, has tried to distance, divide, and distract us from one another. It’s time to awaken to his schemes and reengage, reinvite, and reinclude!

We have a mission, a calling, a Kingdom purpose that is bigger than this temporary world. We have the light of Christ to shine, and it’s time to get going together before our days are done!

Christian, there’s way more in you than you realize. There’s way more potential when we gather. And all of us together, the whole family of God? Now, that’s true brilliance.

Imagine what would happen if we were like the group of men in Luke 5, who took the paralyzed man through a roof to get him to Jesus. Imagine if we were available with eager hearts and faith, ready to do whatever it takes to bring people to know our Savior.

Yesterday I told you about my Pie Group. We believe it’s time to add another “P” to our gathering agenda: People. We are now prayerfully planning a way to be available and go love people in our community—together.

Join me in praying that we will wake up to the reality of who we are and that this reality will draw us into deeper relationship with Christ and one another, causing our daily lives to light up this dark world with His love.

We know who we are. Let’s live from who we are: We are the light of the world.

Let’s go shine.

Reflection Questions:

• What can you plan in your life to allow for consistent opportunities to grow and serve with other Christians?
• Ask God to open your eyes to the needs He wants you (or your small group) to meet.

Look Closer: Study these last Scripture passages with the lens of our potential together.