Fellowship Hall
Dear brothers in Christ,
Our men’s meeting will be from 9:00 to 10:30 AM this Saturday, April 9.
Pastor Josh Bae will be blessing us with another Chick-fil-A breakfast feast, and Jee Kim will help lead us in praising and worshiping our Lord. Pastor Pitts will share on how each Whole Word ministry and each ministry volunteer helps fulfill the Lord's vision for our congregation.
In this meeting, each of us will have an opportunity to share a testimony. Most of us will do so in small groups of 2-3, but a few of us will share in front of the full group.
As a reminder, one part of our three-fold vision for this men’s group is that each of us will:
Grow in his ability to share – with confidence and clarity – testimonies about who our Triune God is to him and what God has done for him.
Please begin thinking about one or two stories that help explain who Christ is to you and what He has done for you.
One important encouragement: Keep in mind that most of the life-changing experiences believers have with God are not dramatic or spectacular. Few would look and sound compelling on the silver screen (assuming anyone still remembers movie theaters).
Hearing and reading stories of jaw-dropping visions and the Lord’s dramatic interventions help build our faith. They serve to expand our understanding of the magnificence of God’s Person and of the greatness of His works. The apostle John’s visions in the book of Revelation are prime examples.
However, most of the work God does in a man’s life is accomplished internally. This means our Lord’s work generally cannot be fully understood or even recognized by sight, sound, or other sensory input.[1] It must be discerned by the spirit.[2]
Indeed, the Lord by His Spirit carries out the majority of His work in our lives in the hidden realms of our human spirits and souls. He does so by means of His invisible power and love – of His inaudible grace and mercy.
We encourage you to be ready to share a testimony that is meaningful and compelling to you – an experience with God that changed your life and helped solidify your understanding of and trust in Him.
Here’s a very similar exhortation Pastor Pitts gave us at the end of his sermon on Sunday.
It's time for ... you and God to have your own stories.
I recently was in another country … with a guy who kept telling [God] stories about another guy who wasn't with us.
After a while, I pulled the guy [traveling with us] aside and said, “It’s really great that you know all these stories, but we want to hear your stories. We don't want to hear you [merely] repeating stories about that guy—he’s not here. We want to know you.”
It's time for us to have your stories in the Lord. … The Lord wants to hear your voice. The Lord wants to empower you.
Be thinking about your stories – and we look forward to seeing you at 9:00 AM Saturday morning.
Yours in Him,
Brian and Shawn