Many people in North America bemoan the busyness of their lives. It seems that our lives get cluttered with all sorts of “necessary” things that we just believe we have to do. I’m not sure if it’s this busyness or my age which causes me to go into a certain part of my house and then forget why I had to go to that part of the house in the first place. I’m pretty sure that I’m not the only one who experiences this temporary “amnesia”.
What is much more disconcerting is that there are many people in our culture who would be unable to give a clear answer to the question: “Why are you here on planet Earth?” Is it to merely enjoy physical and material pleasures? I believe that is only a part of the answer. Of course, we are physical and material creatures, so we should not feel guilty that we do seek to enjoy physical pleasures. Eating, exercise and the expression of our sexuality in God-ordained ways can all bring great satisfaction and can be engaged to the praise and glory of God. But we are here on Earth for so much more.
What happens to individuals in our culture can also happen to Christians and to churches. We can be foggy and fuzzy to why we are here. Why has God redeemed us in and through Jesus Christ? Is our redemption only an insurance policy for the life to come?
I believe we are redeemed and restored to a relationship with the Lord for so much more. I believe we are “saved”to be part of a community of people who are called the “Body of Christ”. As Pastor of Devonwood Community Church of the Nazarene, my passion is to help nurture a community of Christians who are becoming a credible expression of the hands and feet of Jesus in our world.
In order to accomplish this great calling, our church is endeavoring to incarnate the following process:
1. Inviting people to come to Christ for a living relationship.
2. Exhorting Christians to mature in Christ for full enjoyment of that relationship.
3. Challenging Christians to serve with Christ in the Church and world as an expression of that relationship.
Our conviction as a Christian community is that our main reason for being on this Earth is to serve the Lord and others for the glory and praise of God. There is no better way to live.
In Christ’s love & service, Pastor John Neposlan