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From the Pastor's Desk The Church Must Be Ready

The Church Must Be Ready

“Now is the time when people will be reaching out to God…and the church must be ready to show them the love of Christ.”

This is a quote from Gokhan Talas, founder of the Miras Publishing Ministry in Istanbul, Turkey – taken from an amazing article in Christianity Today about the response of the church to the earthquake in Turkey and Syria. I encourage you to read it, and support one of the agencies that is on the ground helping in the affected areas. There are links throughout the article to these organizations, like First Hope AssociationWorld Vision, and others.

As I’ve heard from many of you already, this earthquake is troubling, sad, and certainly a cause for prayer.

As we’ve been talking about praying “FOR” our church’s mission and for the Bayshore, this week in particular, I want to invite you to also pray FOR those effected by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria. If you’re unsure of how to pray FOR them, here’s some ideas to get you started:

  1. Pray for those who have lost loved ones: for comfort and peace.
  2. Pray for those who are suffering: for relief and aid.
  3. Pray for those who are helping: for strength, courage, and compassion.
  4. Pray for those who are making decisions: for wisdom and vision.
  5. Pray for those Christians who are on the ground: for them to be filled with the compassion and light of Christ.
  6. Pray for the local church there: for them to serve with humility and love.
  7. Pray for the relief organizations: for resources and aid to move efficiently.
  8. Pray for the people: for God to show up and move in powerful ways.

Please join me in praying FOR them. And please (continue to) join me in praying FOR us and our church…for our mission.

As Talas said in the quote at the top, when people in our area are reaching out to God – may we always be ready to show them the love of Christ. Before people are reaching out to God – may we already be showing them the love of Christ. Pray that God would continue to form us into a people who is filled with the compassion of Jesus, so that wherever we go and whatever we do, in word and in action, we are showing others the love of Christ. Pray that THAT is what we are known by. 

We, the church, must be ready.

It’s “What in the World” we are here for, after all.

Thank you,
Matt

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