Fourth Sunday of Easter

A Good Decision or a God Decision?

Faith Family,

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I continue to give thanks to our gracious God for putting you all in our lives. Your faithfulness and your enthusiasm fill my heart with joy and helps complete my hope in Christ. Every day I look forward to serving our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ alongside each of you and growing in our discipleship journey together. I pray as God has continued blessings us, may we continue to be a blessing to others.

As I write this scroll, I have spent the past six days in Bulgaria learning and sharing how we can do ministry together. Too often we think “our” way, The Western Way is the best way. We have good ideas to share, but how willing are we to hear God ideas. We all have preferences that drive us to suggest “what this church need is….” Many of those suggestions are “good ideas.” They may have worked before in other churches and in other contexts but just because it is a “good idea” doesn’t make it the right idea or to put it more Biblically “God Idea.”

I am reminded of Abraham and Sarah and their promise. God had shared with them that they would be parents of a child that God would give them. The problem, Sarah was barren. She couldn’t have children. So Abraham and Sarah thought it was a good idea to use Sarah’s servant as the vessel of this child. This may have sounded like a Good Idea but it wasn’t a God idea. We read that this choice led to disaster and conflict.

Many of our “good ideas” are founded on our preference. What we are saying instead of “what our church needs” we are really saying, “What I would like…” But what we would like doesn’t always mean that God is leading the way. That is why our intimate relationship with God, and prayers of discernment are important as we continue to grow.

During the past six days, we have learned why Multiplication in the church is important. Too often congregations think it is a “good idea” to stay small or manageable. We get comfortable and complacent with the folks we worship with to the extreme that they like to stay “small” or we will loose the “family” feeling. I am not speculating about this statement, I have heard it throughout my 29 years of pastoral ministry.  The truth is God wants his church to grow to the point we cannot manage with business models, but with Godly Ideas and Spiritual Guidance.

I will be honest. I am at times very dismissive of ideas because I am not sure if it is of God or our preferences. I hear you, but I don’t always take time to pray before I respond. For that I repent and ask those who I have dismissed to forgive me. I am trying to do better, but I would also like to invite folks to truly pray and discern the ideas that come to mind allowing God to affirm if it is a God Idea and not just a “good idea.” 

God Ideas are usually those we think are unattainable. The God Ideas are those we think aren’t very logical. At times, we even think God Ideas are foolish ideas. But the truth is foolish God Ideas are better than our own good ideas. God wants us to do great things. God wants us to grow the Kingdom. God wants us to discover where He is working and what He is desiring and applying that to our context. We cannot do this unless we pray, listen, and listen some more. When we truly believe what we are hearing is a God Idea, then we must act.

A growing church is a praying church. A growing church is a discerning church. A growing church is an obedient church.

I look forward taking this journey of Evangelism with you as we become a Missionary in our community and continued our journey in 2026 to be an Acts 2 Church. May Christ’s peace be with you! 

Have a blessed Week!

Pastor Frank