From your Pastors Heart

I was talking with a friend the other day that pastors a church in town but lives here in Kaneohe.  On Sunday nights he leads a home fellowship group in his home.  This past week a teenage girl had attended for the first time.  As they talked he discovered two things.  First, she was open to the gospel and had visited a couple of different churches.  The second was that she lived only a few houses down from Pali View.  He asked if she had ever attended Pali View to which she said no, she never even considered it.

As I thought about this it reminded me again that no matter how nice, buildings don't lead people to Christ people do.  And they won't come if someone doesn't invite them. God has blessed us with these facilities, but our buildings will never reach our community with the gospel.  Jesus didn't give the great commission to a piece of property but to his followers.  God has chosen to use people like us to build his kingdom.  Therefore unless we are in contact with our neighbors, showing compassion and love for the people of our community, praying for them, inviting and telling them about Christ, there is very little chance that we will reach them. 

One significant way we can all be involved is through prayer.  Throughout the month of March and April we are calling on all the members of Pali View to pray for Kaneohe.  Sharlyne is enlisting people to prayer walk and drive through Kaneohe.  As you walk for exercise, walk through the mall, drive to and from home you can pray for the people you see and those who live in the houses you pass by.  As you have your quiet time you can offer up a prayer for your neighbors and the people who live on your street.

There are needs all around us, people searching and often not knowing where to look.  As Easter approaches will you join with us in telling our friends and neighbors, through both word and deed, that they can find what they are looking for here in the person of Jesus Christ.  Unless we pray and tell, people all around us will remain like this teenage girl who may live next door, she may be open and searching, but never realize she can find what she is looking for here.