Main Street Community Church

Where are we going in 2008?

… by Tim Coad, January 2008

It’s another new year!

It will, without doubt, be one in which we, as individuals and as a fellowship, will face encouragements, discouragements, challenges and events both expected and unexpected.

At the start of a year it is natural to look back over the one past. We started 2007 with the theme:

“Nothing is Impossible with God”

We started with a set of goals which included praying for five individuals to trust Christ as Lord and five to be restored to faith in him. We have not seen those goals achieved. So, should we give up and be less ambitious in our faith this year? I hope not! In fact I suggest we should be driven even more to prayer. Someone has said:

“Don’t tell God how big your storm is but rather tell your storm how big your God is”

Perhaps that ought to influence our prayers in 2008.

I want to suggest a new ‘theme’ for the year ahead. Not that we’ll forget our 2007 one! We still believe in a God of the Impossible and we can still call on him for miracles. Recently, when telling someone we were praying for them the reply was, “I need a miracle”. Well, we believe in a miracle God don’t we? Can we pray for miracles this year? I believe we can!

I want our theme for 2008 to centre on listening to and hearing God. I want it to be a year in which we call on our God for times of refreshing and renewal in the power of the Holy Spirit. I would like our theme to be:

“Give me also springs of water”

I will be explaining more about this at a meeting planned for 30 January 2008 at Main Street Community Church. Also at this time we will be formally recognising our leadership teams for 2008 and setting an agenda for the “Life ’08” mission in June. If you want to think some more about the theme read Judges chapter 1 verses 12 to 15. Think about what Acsah’s request might mean for our church in 2008.

Also in 2008 — as well as the mission — we have at least two “guest weekends” and plan to go through the “Becoming a Contagious Christian” course. I hope as many as can will join us to prepare for expected results from outreach in 2008.

Joshua 1:12-15

And Caleb said, “He who attacks Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will give him Achsah my daughter for a wife.” And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, captured it. And he gave him Achsah his daughter for a wife. When she came to him, she urged him to ask her father for a field. And she dismounted from her donkey, and Caleb said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Give me a blessing. Since you have set me in the land of the Negeb, give me also springs of water.” And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs. (ESV)