September 29, 2017
This Is Us
Lost people matter to God!
From the beginning of Cathedral 30 years ago, this has been the main drive behind everything we do. Over the past few weeks, you’ve heard me talk about the promptings from God that redirected my ministry focus when I was an associate pastor.
“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost,
what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness
and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it?” Luke 15:4
When Jesus heard this, he told them, “Healthy people
don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” Mark 2:17
It was verses like these that bubbled up in my spirit, challenging me to ask, “How am I doing with reaching God’s lost children?”
This Is Us – Cathedral is family. We come from many backgrounds, races, and cultures, but we all love God. Our house is full, but it’s not full enough because there are still lost children wandering around in a dark and hopeless world. Someone has to find them. Someone has to reach them. Someone has to let them know that there’s a place where they belong. Someone needs to build a relationship with them so they can find their way home.
How’s your Top Ten? God has orchestrated every aspect of your life. Where you live, work, shop for groceries, get your hair done – all these are areas of opportunity. They’re all places where you can find God’s lost children. If you want to see God work a miracle, start your day with a prayer something like this: “God, I give You my life today. I know that Your heart is breaking for Your lost children, and I want You to use me to reach them. So I make myself available to You. Bring them across my path today. Give me eyes to see them, and give me the opportunity to get to know them and build a relationship them. Thank You for using me today. I can’t wait to see what You’re going to do!”
This Sunday, Eddie Tilley will be sharing his story of how he was led to faith in Jesus, and how he came to call Cathedral home. If you know Eddie, then you know we’ll probably laugh and we’ll probably cry; but more importantly, I believe his story will help you see the power of YOUR story. Because for each and every one of us, nothing is more powerful than your story.
“And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb
and by their testimony.” Revelation 12:11
For years, we’ve offered Hallapalooza as an alternative to Halloween, and it has been a fun family event for many people. However, its continuous growth has brought some challenges. We’ve had a difficult time with parking, large crowds, and very long lines. Though many staff and volunteers worked extremely hard to pull it off, the sheer volume made it an event that was not an excellent experience. After reviewing what happened last year, we realized we could make a bigger impact for the kingdom if we empowered families to get involved in their communities and neighborhood events.
That’s why this year, instead of having Hallapalooza, we’re encouraging you to get involved in your neighborhood. If each family or Cathedral group goes out into their community to get to know their neighbors – even if it’s just a few – imagine how many more people we can reach. I think that’s exactly how Jesus would approach Halloween. He just might say, “Get out there and rub shoulders with them, and I’ll make them thirsty for our Father!”
Let’s capitalize on this opportunity to do exactly what we’ve been talking about, and show people how much they matter to God and to us. I can’t wait to hear your stories!
I’ll see you Sunday!
Mike Lewis
Cathedral