It has been a very meaningful and busy month of ministry at ABC. We have built Gospel bridges to our community through Vacation Bible School and Freedom Over Austin. We have deployed families to Boston for our Family Mission Trip. We have discipled children and teenagers at our Pre-Teen Camp and Peak Week Camp. We will soon send a team of young adults to Los Angeles for a mission trip, and we will host 100 children for our Creative Arts Camp.
We have been doing a lot this summer. That is why I want to remind you to not only focus on “doing,” but also on “being.” God has good works for us to do, but he first calls us to simply be with him. It is easy to miss this and become a busy-bodied Christian. Always seeking achievement and moving on to the next ministry item. The problem is busy-bodied Christians are rarely fruitful and fulfilled Christians because they never find time to get still before the God who satisfies.
The Lord tells us, “Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world” (Psalm 46:10). It is good to slow down and remind yourself that he is God. Sometimes in life he calls us to sprint. But there are also seasons where he calls us to pause and reflect. He calls us to remember his glory, and to be refilled through his spirit. Spend time with Lord this week. He is indeed doing a great work through our church. But he also wants to do a great work in you.
This Sunday marks six years of me serving as your pastor. As I pause and reflect on that time, I give glory for what God has done through ABC these six years. But I also pause and give thanks to God for what he has done in me. He has sharpened me, grown my love for Him, and grown my love for you. May we never forget the goal of ministry is not spiritual production, it is spiritual transformation. Spend time with Jesus this week and be transformed by him.
I look forward to seeing you on a Lord’s Supper Sunday at 8:45am or 11:15am.
Onward and Upward,
Dr. Jonathan Spencer
www.jonathanspencer.org 