Dear Fellow Children of God,
This year while moose hunting I had a mostly sleepless night. St. John member, Gerry Zellar, my friend and moose hunting partner realized I hadn’t slept much or well and asked me in the morning if I was alright. I told him I was just thinking and worrying and praying about church. Maybe there were other reasons I didn’t sleep well that night, but I was also thinking about our worship services. While membership has remained pretty stable, worship attendance had decreased in recent years. I was thinking and praying most of the night. If there is anything that causes worry for me, for any pastor or other church leaders, it is to share God’s word but not see the fruit of the seed that is planted. Because we all struggle with temptation and sin there are times in all of our lives that we hear the word and love of God but we don’t always bear fruit for God. That night I spent time wondering about how our congregation can more effectively share God’s Word so His people grow and live their faith.
However, since I have returned from hunting I have been encouraged by a number of examples of God’s word bearing fruit in the lives of His people. Recently we had a baptism that was a special encouragement to me. One little girl was baptized in September. Before that baptism I had gone to her home to talk about what God does for us when someone is baptized. A couple of weeks later I got a call saying another member of the family wanted to be baptized. That young lady had heard our study of the Bible and had considered how God works through baptism to give His love. The request to be baptized was the result of the word of God working in the life of this person. The seed of God’s word was planted and bore fruit when the second family member asked to be baptized. If there is anything that brings joy to me or any other pastor it is to see the fruit of God’s love showing in someone’s life.
In addition I recently rejoiced after a the blessing of a really good couple of days. We have had good attendance in worship and great attendance in Sunday School. In addition a number of people have contacted me on their own to share their hopes and plans to serve our Lord. After writing down a list of all these instances of God’s word bearing fruit in the lives of His people I had to stop and offer a prayer of thanks.
Jesus said, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15: 5) A sleepless night by itself bears no fruit, though God does answer prayer. But, this verse says that when connected to Jesus then our lives bear fruit. When we know God’s undeserved love for us, when we trust Him for forgiveness, when we love God because He loved us, Jesus changes our lives.
Do you need God’s blessings in your life? Do you need changes in your life? Jesus said, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
A Child of God, Thankful to see God working in the lives of His people,
Pastor Jonathan
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ABOUT ‘THOUGHTS FROM THE PASTOR’ - I am sending these e-mail messages, hopefully weekly, to all St. John members and friends whose e-mails I have. (I am always adding new names of friends and members – in case you are just receiving this e-mail for the first time.) However, if you don’t want to receive this e-mail, please let me know, and I’ll gladly leave your name off my list for this message. . . Or, if you know someone who would like to receive one of these e-mails, please send me their e-mail address.
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