Tell Me A Story About God's Greatness

When someone goes on a mission's trip, they experience God in a greater way.  Often, we put God in a box and have expectations of what He will or will not do.  We have Him as part of our life, but we do not expect Him to change our lives.  On a mission's trip, we see God at work changing lives, meeting needs in unexpected ways, and answering very specific prayers.  It is exciting!  We want to come home and share that excitement and what we have learned about God with our brothers and sisters in Christ.  Unfortunately, we often find no one is interested in hearing about our experience.  I have talked to numerous people across the country who have had this disappointing experience.  They are so fired up about the greatness of God, and no one really wants to hear what they have to say.

What can churches do differently?  Can they make opportunities for people returning from a trip to share with other groups in the church?  Is there any follow-up where team members can meet again and encourage one another?  Are we taking the opportunity to pass this excitement on to the congregation and maybe change their lives and our church forever?  I was thrilled to be at Faith Church in Montoursville for an evening where each member of the returning team spoke about their experience to the church.  The group was also continuing to meet as a team for Bible study, accountability, prayer, and encouragement.  I thought this was great!

God is doing great things here and abroad.  He deserves glory for what He is doing.  This means the stories should be told and retold.  Stories benefit children as well as adults.  They stick with us as we face difficult situations in our lives.  How are you enabling people to tell their stories to others of what they have seen God do?  Are your children learning that God is alive and active and can make a difference in their daily lives?  Are our churches too structured to allow the Holy Spirit to shake things up and change what we are learning?  Are we too focused in one area to see what God is doing across the world?