JUNE NEWSLETTER
"What We Believe"
During an afternoon at the church the coffee was brewing, and elders began sitting around a table for a discussion about “What We Believe.” I’ve learned that knowing when it’s the “good ol’ days” is almost impossible but sometimes you can catch a glimpse of it. As we laughed around the table we began the discussion looking over our belief statements. One situation was sure, the church is in a state of change. With all of the change, our desire is not to lose focus on what really matters. Our guiding light, our lighthouse, would be our belief statements and mission statement.
Those very statements would be critical for guiding us forward. As the group of elders, having approval from the board, reviewed those statements. We found these statements to best fit the heart of the church:
“We want to be people who follow Jesus’ teaching to love God and love others.”
“Helping people develop a relationship with God through faith in Jesus and by the help of the Holy Spirit.”
Both statements are drawn from the same Scripture and previous statements. If we could only accomplish one task… it would be to help people follow Jesus. My heart as a pastor is to help each person and ministry find a way to do this in your unique way. I believe each of you are uniquely gifted by God and called to be involved in His plan. See 1 Peter 4:10; Romans 12:6; Ephesians 4:12 and even more! As the church moves into the next season of life, the next quarter century, it will take people like you and I to step into ministry roles.
I pray for the spirit of discernment in your life… that as you go throughout life, you will be able to see how you fit into God’s bigger plan. I will tell you a secret I’ve learned about God’s big plan… It happens in everyday life. Often remembered as the “good ol’ days” and you might be in the middle of that moment right now! Keep focused. Keep the mission in mind. “Help people follow Jesus” and work together.
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News Article by Scott Carpenter
If You Have Relationships​
I believe this podcast by Greg Laurie lays out a path happiness in all relationships including marriages.
Enjoy and have a great month. – Dan​​
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“The Secret to an Unhappy Marriage”
“So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband” – Ephesians 5:33 NLT
Selfishness is the secret to an unhappy marriage. Too often two people enter into marriage saying, “I want my way.” The husband says, “You do what I say.” And the wife says, “I want it my way.” Because of selfishness, couples riddle their marriage with friction. It all comes down to self.
Genesis 2:24 says, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one” (NLT). But parents aren’t the only things marriage partners must leave behind. There’s also the priority of self, the tendency to place your needs and wants above everything else. If two people are “looking out for number one,” they’re going to have a hard time being “united into one.”
Today, there are marriages dissolving because spouses are trying to “find themselves.” Listen, husbands and wives! If you want to find yourself, you need to lose yourself. Remember what Jesus said, “Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:39 NIV).
If you want to find yourself and have a biblical marriage, learn the secret. Stop thinking about yourself and approach your marriage saying, “I want to love, please, and help my mate. I want to care about my spouse more than I care about myself.” This is biblical. Before Paul ever says in Ephesians 5:22, “Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord” (NIV), and before he ever says in verse 25, “Husbands love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (NIV), he says in verse 21, “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ” (NIV). That word submit means “to place or arrange under.” The idea is a voluntary submission: Paul is saying to voluntarily place your needs under the needs of your spouse. Operate with the mindset that your spouse comes first.
The principle of selfless service is so important that God makes it the model for all our interactions. Paul wrote in Philippians 2:3-4, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too” (NLT). Following these guidelines in our daily encounters is a powerful testimony of our Christian faith. Following them in our marriage is a powerful expression of love and commitment.
If you prioritize the needs of your spouse and work hard to meet those needs, you’ll find that something amazing happens. You’ll find that your own needs get met in time, because you’ll be in God’s order, and your spouse will be, too. And God will bless you union in ways you can’t imagine.
Question for reflection: What does submission to one another look like in your marriage – or in a marriage that you consider to be healthy? Discuss today in Harvest Discipleship »
