Reasons for What We Do

Our three pastors had the opportunity to interview candidates for baptism last night. We heard stories. These stories are the reason that we have church. One person told us that they came to The Bridge actively seeking more relationship with God. God showed up. He blew her away. She has repented and believed the Gospel in a way that she did not realize existed. God has moved her to levels of love for Himself beyond her wildest dreams. She wants to express the death to self that has happened to a new creation in the Gospel. Another person told a story of having been involved in church as a teen, followed by years of rebellion, followed by God visiting during the Alpha retreat and removing the veil. She has repented and believed the Gospel. She is going to publicly profess her full faith in the Messiah, Jesus Christ in baptism. The third young lady told us a story of having never gone to church and begrudgingly coming to The Bridge in May and liking the music and being intrigued with the videos. So, she returned and two weeks later, she described what happened to her as, "I felt my heart get cut." "I was changed at that moment and I cannot shut up about Him. I want to shout IT from the mountaintops." She was regenerated and repented and believed the Gospel. We will celebrate that on January 24 in baptism. Can you picture that? People were stumbling along lost, God acted, the people responded and now people who were headed for judgment are now headed to heaven. That is why we do what we do; to God be the glory.

Then, today I got to have coffee and lunch with a young man whose life is in shambles. He has lost everything -- his job, his wife, his four kids, and on and on. There is nothing right -- quote, "I have no reason to leave this coffee shop. I have nothing -- no purpose." The reason that I was sitting with this young man is that he had called me and wanted to talk about his malady. How did he know me? On the Sunday of our Christmas services, I picked him up walking along the road in front of E-Hall because his wife has left him to walk from the Desloge Wal-Mart. As I took him to his truck in Farmington, I shared that God, through his Gospel, cared a lot about people just like him. I gave him my phone number doubting that I would ever hear from him. I did. He called and I feel God moving in the life of this 28-year-old father of four who feels like he is at the bottom of the barrel. I think we will see him and the 4 kids for Family Worship on Sunday. Pray for him. To God be the glory for giving us purpose.