A few weeks ago, I had a conversation with a friend about how God works on our hearts. We imagined our hearts was a piece of land and God is a gardener. God wants to plant the seeds of his Kingdom in our hearts, so he comes to till it. He starts by removing the big and visible boulders. After casting them aside, He turns to the smaller still visible rocks. He then removes smaller stones not immediately visible. He digs up the soil and removes the rocks buried in the soil, refining the soil further and further. Then, He selects His desired seed and sows His crop – He pours waters it and nurtures it to ensure the elements don’t ruin it for He knows that when the time comes, this ordinary seed will bear extra-ordinary fruit.
Being in a Life group is about joining God in the work of preparing, planting and nurturing as an individual and as a group. No one can make another person grow. But we can create and foster environments where growth can naturally occur. Life group leaders, like good gardeners, watch over their plants to make sure the soil is ready, the watering is consistent, and the sun is properly balanced for their plants to flourish. Then, they step back and watch God do the extraordinary work of making the seed grow.
As we step into another season of ministry this Fall, we have an opportunity to prepare, plant, water and watch God do the extra-ordinary. As a church, we want to come alongside you and provide you with the resources you need. This October, we will be kicking off a study based on the sermon series “Extra-Ordinary.” In this series we will examine the extraordinary faith of characters in the Bible. Through examining the lives of these women and men we will learn that ordinary people can have extraordinary faith and experience the transformational power of God in our everyday lives. We will explore topics such as extraordinary compassion, extra-ordinary prayer, extra-ordinary courage and extra-ordinary humility. Our hope is that through this series, we will move from an ordinary powerless living to a God empowered extra-ordinary fearless living.
This series is a great opportunity for you to step into a life group or for your life group to revisit some of these foundational yet powerful tenets of faith; to plant new seeds and water old plants and enjoy growth and fruitfulness. If you are interested in becoming part of a Life Group , please email me at jerryr@fearlessfollower.org and we will get you set up.
