I love the New Year! I love the New Year because it is filled with possibilities and potential. I get excited when the blank page of a New Year is ahead of me waiting to be written on. So much opportunity exists as the old year rolls into the new, and people begin making changes and taking on new adventures.
I always think of the New Year as a chance to help people make desired changes in their lives. I see part of my role as a spiritual leader as helping people discover the adventure of walking with God. I always feel like part of my job is to help people take steps each year in becoming the disciples they were meant to be. This year is no different. As much as anything else I do as a Pastor, I would love to see every person in our church take as many steps as possible in their walk as a disciple of Christ.
One of the first steps I would love to see people take is the step of membership in a local church. Membership gets a bad rap these days, but it is still important and still a much needed step in our spiritual growth. People who bash the idea of membership these days ought to ask a believer in first century Jerusalem if it was important.
Another step I would love to see people make is becoming a consistent magnifier of Christ. Being a consistent magnifier simply means being a person that worships both privately and publicly. Never underestimate the importance of what a commitment to personal and corporate worship will mean to your spiritual growth.
The next step I pray that people will take is a step into maturity. Maturity is the process of growing from an infant in the faith to an adult in the faith. This growth or maturity process does not happen by accident. It takes an intentional plan and an environment like a small group to grow and get deeper in your walk with God.
A fourth step I hope people will take is the step of ministry. Wow! Imagine what could happen if the majority of people in our church took a step onto a ministry team? It would be incredible to see everyone in our church doing something, big or small, to serve God. I have to think Jesus would be pretty honored by that.
The fifth step I would love to see people take is the step into managing. In other words, being a good steward of what God has given them. If everyone decided to be a better manager of their time, their money, their bodies, or their abilities, it would make a huge difference in the growth of God’s kingdom.
A sixth step I encourage people to take is the step of becoming a messenger. If everyone in our church shared Christ with someone else in the coming year that would be incredible. Being a messenger just takes a willingness to let God use you to share with someone else.
The last step is to take the step into multiplication. A multiplier is someone who makes a disciple that makes another disciple. When we have a church filled with multipliers, Satan starts trembling in his boots. I would love to see more people making disciples than ever before.
So, what about you? Are you ready to take a step? Would you be willing to take more than one? Let this be a year of growth for you. Don’t keep crawling when it is time to start walking!