Fruit from Our Men's & Women's Ministries

We are barely two weeks into Lakewood men’s and women’s ministries, and I am already hearing testimonies from church members who have been convicted to read their Bible more faithfully and with more purpose.  Bible reading can be difficult at times – we all know this.  You can get stuck in Leviticus trying to figure out how it applies to you.  You can get stuck in Numbers wondering what the purpose might be.  You can get stuck in the prophets wondering what the author is even talking about.  And there’s always the risk of taking the New Testament out of context.

Since the winter weather we experienced a few weeks ago, you have no doubt noticed how awful some of our roads are in the area; there are potholes everywhere.  But I doubt that the road damage has kept you from driving.  You have probably even learned where some of the potholes are during your daily routine, and you know how to steer around them and keep going, hope that by the following day the road crews have repaired it.  There are no potholes in God’s word, of course, but you should carry the same mentality with you as you read it.  When you find a difficult word, or a difficult teaching, or even an entire book of the Bible which is hard to understand – you must keep going.  You cannot stop.  You can ask for help, and a “road crew” can come and assist you in getting over the barrier and even prepare you for possible difficulties ahead.  Keep going!  Keep reading your Bible, every day!

The other thing is this – if you are currently part of the Lakewood family, you are in leadership either by design or default.  You probably know this better than I do.  As the Lord grows and matures Lakewood and brings new people and new families into our congregation, we will be responsible for teaching them, for discipling them, for maturing them.  We must prepare ourselves now for the work which is to come.  This preparation takes discipline – spiritual discipline – and it starts with daily Bible reading and prayer.  Continue to train yourselves for godliness!  It is worth it.  The Lord will bless you.

I love you dearly.

Pastor Bruce