Saturday, May 28, 2016

ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!


 “IN THE END, IT’S NOT THE YEARS IN YOUR LIFE THAT COUNT.  IT’S THE LIFE IN YOUR YEARS.”  This quote is one spoken by Abraham Lincoln long ago.  And it’s very true!  My regards, Mr. Lincoln; I DO agree with your quote, but this day I would like to share my version of the quote you penned, which goes like this … “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count.  It’s the Lord Jesus Christ in your life!”  This also, is true – scripturally true, in fact.  The gospel message in John 3:16 states that for us to have everlasting life (which begins at the end of our earthly life) – we must believe and receive the Gift of God’s Son, Jesus, into our very own life while we are here on this earth. THAT’S what counts, dear friends!

So, if it’s the Lord Jesus Christ in our life that counts … then HE should be shown through us to the world around us.  We should daily be inviting HIM to live through us in everything we do ~ every day.  Yes!  Every twenty-four hours.  Each new day!  Why do you think He chooses to give us another day on earth?  Just to throw some cruel test at us to see if we can somehow get through the struggles and the intensity of it all?  More truthfully, He has placed us here with a divine, definitive purpose and plan with unlimited opportunities to let Him shine through us!  For His glory and honor!!  Everything we do should make a bold statement to our world, be it in a quiet, behind-the-scenes sort of way … or in visible stark contrast to the hopelessness and evil of this present world we live in, work in, walk in, and worship in!  So, how do we do this?

Well, let me tell you how the business world makes itself known.  Corporations, family businesses, online stores, small-town businesses – they all clamor for their piece of the marketplace.  Big bucks are paid for professional marketing officers who are gifted and effective in how they compete for the attention of the average shoppers.  I recently read the accolades given to a corporate marketer who oversees an entire region of stores throughout the Mid-West, and I love what their CEO and President said about her:  “She has great insight into our business and she understands how to reach our customers.”  Isn’t that what sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Great Commission is all about?  So how do we get great insight and understanding about how to reach those we want to bring into “our store” (translated:  the church, or more importantly, God’s Kingdom)?  We long to reach more of God’s people who have no church home … and we have a passion to reach those people who are lost without a Savior.  How do we go about it, though?

While the world’s marketers are most likely innovative leaders, the key is that they know their products and they promote their brand.  They use all kinds of marketing tools to get the desired job done:  special promotions, television and radio, the internet, weekly newspaper ads, coupons, brand image, public relations, community involvement, social media, and much more.  Insightfully, huge companies often recognize the power of being involved and helping in their local communities or elsewhere when needs arise – even when there is no financial gain for their company in doing so.  This is powerful!  It shows the compassionate, caring side of their business, and it turns into a win-win situation that has positive impact on both the company and especially the people they helped!  Lives are changed … people are reached!

In God’s Kingdom, we must recognize that having great insight and understanding how to reach people for Christ comes through immersing ourselves in the Word of God, applying ourselves to study and learning, sitting at the feet of Jesus, seeking wisdom and discernment, and then listening to His voice and obediently going out and DOING what He tells us to do!  Doing these things daily in a committed, often sacrificial way, will enable us to become people-changers as we reach them in ways that we’ve never even thought of!  Steeping ourselves in the presence of Christ and His living Word will give us the insight we need to know our Product:  Jesus Christ, first and foremost – and His gift of salvation and all His benefits … and then to promote His brand:  holy living with an undivided heart that reflects Christ. 

Then as we use our God-given insight and understanding, we will be able to share the Lord Jesus Christ as He opens doors for us to reach out to our “customer-base”:  souls who still need the saving grace of Jesus!  This next week, we are challenging you to help us at Elevation North to do just that as we prepare for the Sunday morning rally with Larry and Gloria Lundstrom on June 5th at 10:00 a.m.  We are taking our message to the streets of Owatonna!  Please help us by blessing Owatonna and adopting your street!  As you pray for those on your street, speak peace and blessing, reach out and build relationships, respond to needs, share the love, presence and power of Jesus Christ by inviting them to the Lundstrom Rally!  If they don’t yet know Jesus, they will have the opportunity to do so when they come to the rally!  Of course, they don’t have to wait until the Rally ~ if they are ready to say “yes” to Jesus when you talk with them, YOU can lead them to Jesus right there on the street!

And … we are not stopping after this week is past!  We are going to continue to walk the streets of our city all summer long, praying for the people who live on these streets, sharing the love of Jesus!  Stay tuned for more details about the “BLESS Minnesota ~ Adopt Your Street” movement!  You can be a part of it by going to:  www.BlessMN,org today!  We have the opportunity to carry out the Great Commission ~ please join us as we catch the vision and walk our streets and cover the people who live there with prayer!  May our passion to win the lost be awakened and revived; this is our heart’s cry to our God!  At the end of life, THIS is what REALLY COUNTS, dear friends! 

REMEMBER . . .
"And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?' 
Then I said, 'Here am I! Send me.'"
Isaiah 6:8  

Joyfully Serving Christ . . . 

Pastor Doug and Debbie




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