"SELF-FEEDERS"

One of the greatest joys as a pastor is when I see self-feeding Christians show evidence of spiritual growth and maturity that’s a result of what they are doing on their own to connect with God.  A web site called www.youversion.com  offers more than 20 different new plans to help you make the Bible part of your daily life complete with handy features to help you stay on track. The Assemblies of God (of which our church is a part) hosts a national week of fasting and prayer the first of each year and Rockside Church has always participated corporately with open sanctuary and nightly meetings.  Since we just had a week of fasting and prayer in November with such active participation, this January we are acknowledging the week of prayer with individual rather than corporate response. Here is the web site.  www.prayer.ag.org/weekofprayer. Starting January 1, International House of Prayer has made it free to log on to their live 24-7 prayer room at www.ihop.org     You might want to log on and pray along.

If the only spiritual nourishment we take in is when we are at the weekly meeting house of the church, we have nothing more than religion. Likewise, if we only connect with God individually and don’t weekly gather with other believers faithfully, we violate God’s design and scriptures. It’s not either/or but both/and.  So how does that test out?  When circumstances do not permit you to make it to the meeting house of the church (work schedule, illness, relocation, vacation, snow storms, persecution), are you just as strong because you’re a self-feeder? When someone needs an ambassador from God in their life, are you able to step in and be the church without feeling the need to wait until you can bring that person to a service?  Imagine how the health of the weekly meeting of the church will escalate as the room fills with lovers of God who have been engaged in personal prayer and Bible study and ministry to others throughout the week with guests at their side who have already received ministry. How exciting. So let’s embrace a plan for greater spiritual growth than ever in 2010 through faithful gathering and private decisions.

Rooting for your spiritual success!

Pastor Donna