Dear Family and Friends,
The red letters (words of Jesus) in the four Gospels are always high application.
So consider again Jesus’ call to level two obedience, a call He gave to set up an over-the-top demonstration of how He can super-abundantly supply our needs as we follow Him:
Put out into the deep and let down the nets for a catch. (Luke 5:4).
Just before this call, Peter was willing to stop cleaning nets and use his boat to put out a little from shore, providing a floating platform for Jesus’ words—that was a big step of trust. His reward: this call to a deeper trust!
Put out into the deep… What would be an away from the shore, deep waters step of trust for you right now?
Fair warning: Jesus is heading toward level three with us all:
Then Jesus said to Simon: Don’t be afraid. From now on you will catch men. So they pulled their [fish-filled] boats up on shore, left [as in: offered up and made available] everything—and followed Him. (Luke 5:10-11). That’s the goal line!
UPDATES:
FEBRUARY 17: Sunday we’re going to have a different kind of worship service. It will be tighter in praise and preaching (one hour) as we focus together on being the Church and building the Church—the living community/the future facility; then go into a 30 minute congregational meeting where we look at together and discuss the power-point presentation of our phase one plan for a future facility; and take a quick peak at the phase two and three potentials. Don’t miss this worship service as we look ahead at our life together as an Acts 1:8 congregation:
“You [the church] will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you [He has], and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem [home territory], and in Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
YOUTH MINISTRY: Alien Nation is taking a break tonight due to mother nature’s icy mood, but we’re all still warm from Sunday evening’s joint worship with Monocacy Valley Church and five baptisms into Christ.
MORE ABOUT DAMASCUS ROAD, 2/24/08: If you are walking the steps to engaged membership, the next class on that path is happening from 9:00-10:15 a.m., Sunday (just before church) on February 24. Please let Marti Horne (martih@damascus.com) know you will be attending.
80 MEN: kicked off the first quarterly Waterboyz breakfast last Saturday morning. Men, the vision that day was consistent: fully devoted men through a daily “6 + 1,” a weekly hour at a Men’s Table and a monthly commitment to being the hands and feet of Jesus for a few hours on one Saturday a.m. a month. Gentlemen, you are taking ground for Jesus.
I’m looking forward to worshipping and dialoging with all of you on Sunday.
In the Lamb,
Richard
