Outreach Introductions

It’s week 3 of our outreach introductions! Hopefully you are growing deep in God’s Word to prepare you for our work. I know that we are all praying together that the Holy spirit will power our work through His Word.

Missed opportunities…

A few years ago, my wife Karrie and I were walking through Home Depot. Normally, customer service at a big box store is sort of lacking. But this day was different. A man with an orange vest came up to us and asked us if we needed help finding anything. At first, I declined his assistance. After we looked at a few things, the man came up again asking if we needed help. This time I asked that he would help me find something for my garden. So he showed us where to find the supplies. While we were walking, the man asked how we were, what we were doing the rest of the day, where we were from in the area. He just kept on talking! As we departed the store, through the corner of my eye I could see him standing there with a face that said, “I hope someone talks to me today!”

I always us this story when I talk about outreach. A man who was so inclined to talk to me, and the mission man himself didn’t invite him to church. I missed a golden opportunity and I’ll never know what happened to this man. Thankfully, I can ask the Lord to still find this man and I trust my Savior to give him opportunities to hear if he doesn’t know Christ already.

Did you ever have that nagging feeling that you missed an outreach opportunity? You could have had a conversation with your adult children—but were too afraid? For years, you have gone to the same stores with the same cashiers and you still don’t even know their names?

Me too.

What a privilege it is to know that God who doesn’t need me—continues to give me opportunities to share his Word even after I have missed them. What amazing grace that God blesses us with more bat swings at this outreach ball when we have struck out time and again. He does that because his son was perfect at sharing His Word even when we weren’t. So in the Jesus provided forgiveness we at St. Paul’s go out every day into the world remembering that…there are no coincidences. God is placing good work for us to do right into our laps every day. Check out this amazing promise for your outreach and in prayer hold God to it!

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance so that we would walk in them.

Can’t wait to see you

—Pastor Allen