A Great Visit

We received a card on Sunday that a couple would like a visit from me. On our new Info Cards there's a place for people to mark that they'd like to talk to an elder/minister. These people had marked their card, circled minister, and wrote that they'd like to talk to Rev. Eric. So I went for a visit in their home yesterday afternoon.

It was a good visit. They asked questions about the church and I got to know them a little bit. They were an elderly couple and the husband asked me if Oakwood was interested in having members like them. He went on to say that they didn't really have much to offer for ministry and that they weren't as young as they once were. I asked him if they were dead yet. Of course the answer was no. I went on to say that God must not be finished with them yet. They still have some things that they need to do before they are called home. They agreed and we fellowshipped and shared stories.

I asked them at one point, why Oakwood? They had said that they had tried a couple of other churches in town, but just didn't feel right to them. What the husband said about Oakwood was a delight to me. He said that it was one of the happiest churches he's ever been to. He said that when you walk in on Sunday mornings you can feel excitement and joy and see brothers and sisters excited to go to worship and praise their Savior. That's what attracted them back and makes them want to be a part of what God is doing at Oakwood.

I take those types of comments with the highest joy. God should be the center of our worship every week. His people should "enter His gates with thanksgiving in their hearts & enter His courts with praise". They should remember that this is the day that the Lord has made and rejoice in it because He has made us glad. When our church is doing that, God smiles on us. We must continue to be faithful to Him, even in our worship. These are signs of when God builds a church.

Signs of the Spirit of God being fresh on our church are everywhere. My visit went on yesterday about how many people had invited him to Sunday School class and really wanted to see them get involved. These are more signs of God's people building up His church through good works. (Ephesians 2:10)

We are experiencing a special time in our church. I hope that every member is experiencing what every guest seems to be experiencing, the true joy that only comes from God. If you don't have that joy, what's hindering you? If you do have that joy, pass it on and keep passing it on. Happy servants of the Lord are a draw of people to the Kingdom.