Where do we go from here? That’s a logical question to ask as we transition from fall and Christmas into winter and spring. We could apply that question to any number of dimensions of our lives: family, vocation, hobbies, sports, finances, investments, exercise, etc. One place to ask that question for Quest, as a whole, is in determining what to address on Sunday mornings that applies to us as a unified congregation and participant in our community.
One approach could be to cover our eyes, randomly flip open the Bible and blindly stick a finger down on the page and simply teach whatever is there. Frankly, that would be very interesting and not totally crazy since we believe that all of scripture is “God breathed and useful of instruction” in the lives of people. God did not waste any paragraph, not a sentence, not even a word as He revealed Himself and His heart for mankind in each and every age including ours. So, we would do well to learn from whatever we turned to.
Another approach could be to ask ourselves what would seem to be a relevant topic for the circumstances we find ourselves in as a church, a community, a city, a nation and even as a world. This could also be a good approach. God’s word addresses a wide variety of issues that people have dealt with over the ages and ones we face today. He has given us a blueprint for living. We, on the other hand, seem to have lost the blueprints and are trying to figure out what to do without them. So what should we address that is relevant for right now?
A third approach could be to ask the Lord what He would wants us to hear and wrestle with. Obviously that is a great idea… but usually He does not send magical smoke signals or mysterious emails to us detailing what to do. However, we do believe that He has a will and a desire for us to be in sync with.
Therefore, we (as a staff and Elders) have sought the Lord, shared our insights, tried to be wise and listen to the hearts and lives of you, the congregation. As best we can determine, we have landed on teaching through the New Testament letter that we call JAMES. It is a challenging letter that will rock our worlds a bit. It has been a controversial piece of the New Testament for many over the years, including the great reformer, Martin Luther. It will also comfort us as we engage our world and our lives. I think it will be a great experience – especially as we apply it to our lives.
See you Sunday as we begin to take a serious look at the letter from James.
Yours,
Kevin