Pursuing Righteousness

Pursuing Righteousness

At the end of Paul’s first letter to Timothy, Paul gives Timothy a final charge. He says, 

“But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” 1 Timothy 6:11-12

Paul was mentoring Timothy and training him up to be a faithful leader for God’s kingdom. He was telling him not to waiver in his faith but to have a single focus on pursuing righteous living. There has to be a shutting down of the things around us in order to pursue God with all of our heart.

This week I have been attending one of the four Backyard Bible Adventures our church is putting on in our neighborhoods. Instead of having it at the church, we are going out to where kids would have a better opportunity to attend. Last night I spotted a young man, about 13 years old, in attendance. He brought a few of his friends who decided this was beneath them. But this young man stayed. He was participating and doing the motions of the song. Some of his friends came back and started to make fun of him for attending but that did not faze him at all. He continued to participate. A girl came up and asked if he would join them elsewhere and he said he wouldn’t be done until 8:00 p.m.

I have to admit that I was praying for this boy to be able to stand up against the peer pressure. I was so excited when he stayed the whole entire time. I walked over and asked the group of three to join us but it was clear that this was not something they wanted to be a part of. They eventually left.

Please continue to pray for these Backyard Bible Adventures. You never know when an evangelist will be raised up all because people prayed and responded by going into the neighborhood and preaching the gospel.

I have a friend named Greg Mason who is from Springfield, Ohio. He was a bus kid who came to church. His father was an alcoholic and his parents did not attend church. His life was changed because a church loved him and delivered the saving power of Jesus Christ through His word. He accepted the Lord as his personal savior and is now serving as a District Superintendent on the Louisiana District of the Church of the Nazarene.

As a youth pastor in Cleveland, Ohio, I ministered to a teenager whose father was an alcoholic. He accepted Jesus Christ and went to Mount Vernon Nazarene University. I just shared a condensed version. The road was long but well worth the effort. He is now a faithful Christian and Sunday School teacher in Delaware and managing a Donato's Pizza store. He and his family attend church every week and his children love church.

God is faithful! You never know when someone will rise to the call of God in their life and go on to impact the world for Christ.

This Sunday we are celebrating our Backyard Bible Adventures. The first service will be in the sanctuary and we will see highlights from the week. The second service will be held in the Family Life Center with songs by the children and a recap of the entire week.

Following the second service we'll gather for our first monthly summer picnic on the lawn under a tent. Hot dogs, hamburgers, condiments, and drinks will be provided and we are asking that everyone bring a food item/dish to share. There will also be snow cones, cotton candy, and other treats available.

We are calling the entire day our Backyard Bible Adventure Fest - complete with games, wagon rides, inflatable games (jump houses, water slide and obstacle course, joust, and more), corn hole, special presentations in the "theater," and a time to relax under a tent or in the shade. Come and volunteer for something. The events will run until 3:30 p.m. Fun for the whole family. Invite someone to attend.

It’s going to be a great day on Sunday…

Joy in Jesus!

Pastor Mike