From Down Under!
August 11, 2011
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At this year’s North American Christian Convention, church leaders and Christians from all over the world gathered in Cincinnati (www.gotonacc.org) for a week of learning and fellowship.
One afternoon, Cam Huxford (from Savannah, Georgia) and I met with two pastors from Australia. As Cam and I were meeting with these two men, my mind raced back to one year ago, where an entire group of pastors from Australia came to Shepherd for a day to learn more about our church and to hopefully glean some things that would help churches “Down Under” grow. Recently, I was told that in October of 2011, another group of pastors from Australia are coming again to visit our church.
Isn’t it amazing that people would travel so far to simply see and experience what we take for granted week after week? That God is indeed working in our midst and that his blessing is evident to people around the world? We have so much to be thankful for today, but we must be reminded that anything good that is happening in our church or in our lives is due to the grace and mercy of God.
But the thing that intrigues me is how much MUST the pastors from Australia desire to see their churches grow that they would sacrifice time and energy to seek out churches and conventions in America to learn from. Something “Down Under” has motivated them to travel such distances. You see, they, too, desire to see God bless their work and their ministries. They desire to see God impact their part of the world. Wherever one resides, he or she should have a passion to see their land, their country, their people find the Lord.
Oh, I know we fully trust in God for growth and provision, but somewhere in our hearts there should be that Holy burden to see all men come to Christ and to see all of our churches on fire, igniting revivals and renewal wherever God has planted us. Yes I am excited to learn of such desire from the pastors “Down Under”, and I know that having such a hunger is half of the battle. How many churches have lost that zeal? How many churches are not growing today and don’t care that they are not growing? How many churches have lost their zest to reach the lost? May we, like our brothers and sisters from Australia, search high and low for any bit of information or inspiration that will help our churches reach more people for Jesus Christ.
