Have you ever experienced this frustration? You enter a highway onramp to prepare to merge with heavy traffic, but the person on the ramp right in front of you is tentative, and tries to merge at 45 MPH with traffic that is going 70 MPH. AH! Number 17 of Pastor Steve’s bad driving behavior pet peeves! Because, you know, I’m the best driver in the world. My wife is definitely rolling her eyes as she reads this…
Come on! On ramps are designed to give you space to get up to merging speed — that is their entire purpose! They help you blend in with the flow of traffic. Don’t be the 45 MPH person!
If you have been part of our church for a while, you know that CAC has onramps too. We call opportunities to serve in Christ’s Kingdom onramps, because they provide an avenue to help people get up to speed as they serve the world around them in Jesus’ name. You know, sadly, many Christians never enter the highway at all. They don’t take those onramps when they are presented, and so they miss out on contributing to the flow of the Kingdom of Christ.
Perhaps they are too tentative… maybe they are just too busy… surprisingly many are too self absorbed… or perhaps, they just have not experienced the thrill. Come on… you know the thrill I am talking about — because an onramp is in reality a mini drag strip! Uh, at least until you hit 70 MPH. But there is no law saying how fast you can get to 70! I love to listen to the roar of my truck engine as I charge down that onramp. That’s the thrill…
When we serve… we have the privilege to experience the thrill of being part of the Kingdom of Heaven! We are contributing to God’s will for the world around us! We are helping accomplish his mission!
One of our core values at CAC is that we encourage everyone to Serve Your World. Even a casual reading of the New Testament will lead anyone to the understanding that serving is part of God’s plan for his people and his church. If you are not serving, you are missing a key quality of discipleship that God desires for you to have in your new life in him.
Here are just a few onramps available in the next few weeks: 1) Vacation Bible School, 2) Second Harvest Food Distribution, June 21, 3) Serve and mingle with folks at our next community meal, July 13, 4) Be active in our prayer time today, 5) See Pastor Austin about joining the outreach team. See the bulletin for more information on these onramp opportunities. Of course, there are always ways to serve in ongoing ministries.
So, come on! Put the pedal to the floor and experience the thrill of the onramp! Get involved! Use your gifts! Make a difference! Experience community! Feel the rush…
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