The Work The LORD Has Commanded

As a leadership team, we’ve been deeply encouraged with the wholehearted commitment with which you have all received the vision and priorities we shared over the past few weeks. The LORD is indeed with us, and through Him we shall do valiantly. (Psalm 60:12, KJV).

These are very challenging times. It is indeed of the proportion the Holy Spirit spoke about in 1 Timothy 4, a time when people are abandoning the faith, following deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. People are seeking pleasure instead of delighting in God. Yet, we are called at this time to devote ourselves to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and teaching, to fellowship and prayers and to watch our lives and doctrine closely. ‘Together With God’ we at The King’s Church, Epsom will pay attention to these things. They are primary and fundamental.
In addition to the above, there are specific things God has highlighted as priorities for us this year, they are:

Deepening And Widening Friendships And Fellowship:

The reason Moses was successful in leading Israel out of Egypt was not just because he was obedient. It was primarily because he knew very well the God that sent him. He spent time with God and valued His presence much more than succeeding without God. God said to him that He would send His angel with him, that he will get to the promised land, but that He will not go with him. But Moses said, “If your Presence does not go with us. Do not send us up from here” (Exodus 33:15, NIV).

We want everyone to deepen their relationship and fellowship with the Holy Spirit. The more time we spend in His Presence, the more our lives change and it becomes easier to fellowship with one another. The outworking of a life spent with God includes healthy, deeper, and wider bond of fellowship with other brothers and sisters in Christ.

We don’t just want to describe ourselves as people who attend the same church; we want to develop friendships. Deeper, committed friendships that are mutually beneficial and provoke one another to deeper fellowship with God. The primary way we want friendships to develop across the church is through Life Groups. Where possible and practicable, we want Life Groups to go back to face to face meetings. We want everyone to be connected to a Life Group.

In addition to this, we want us to spend time being, eating, playing and praying together. Once a quarter, we will have “Fellowship Sundays”, a time to invite people you don’t know well for a Sunday lunch in your home. Our aim is that this will become second nature to us as a church before the year runs to an end. In due course, we want it to become something that happens naturally, without the need to organise it.

Training, Discipleship and Development Programmes:

God has given everyone one of us gifts, talents and abilities. No one is excluded from God’s grace to serve. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10, NIV). We recognise that some areas of ministry will need people to be trained, developed, and discipled. We are committed to raising disciples that disciple others.

We want to raise leaders right across the church, so each and everyone of us can serve effectively and be productive in the Kingdom of God. We will spend the first quarter of the year understanding the development needs and begin to develop training programmes to meet those needs. These will not happen overnight, but slowly and steadily develop.

An essential part of our development programme is the employment of a Youth Worker, as we seek to strengthen our youth work.

Focused and targeted Outreach in multiple “Fields”:

We are called to be “salt and light” in our community. We want outreach to be part of our everyday life. Jesus said to His disciples: “You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest.” (John 4:35-36, NLT). By “fields” we believe Jesus is also saying “spheres”, places, neighbourhoods. So, we need to simply take the opportunities everyday avails to be “salt and light,” to share stories of how God has changed our lives, to invite people to church or Life Group, to pray for a colleague who takes the time to share their problems with us at work. We want to be natural evangelists, so we can keep shining the light of the gospel in dark places.

In addition to this, we will also take advantage of seasonal events during Easter, Summer and Christmas to reach out to our communities. We will increase our engagement with out local and county councils as we work in partnership to meet the needs in our communities.

It is God Himself who has commissioned these priorities. When we get involved, we are getting involved in “The Work God Has Commanded”. He is the one we are serving, not the pastor, not the elders. It is His work! When we faithfully, dutifully, and obediently do His work, there are unlimited blessings that will steadily flow into our lives. “So, the people of Israel followed all of the Lord’s instructions to Moses. Then Moses inspected all their work. When he found it had been done just as the Lord had commanded him, he blessed them.” (Exodus 39:42-43, NLT). Likewise, God’s blessings are available to all of us as we commit ourselves to “The Work The Lord Commanded.”

You may have to change your routine. Some things may have to be adjusted or stopped to make room for His work. It requires giving our time and money. As you reflect on what you can do, may God’s presence and grace continue to sustain you. Now let’s get to work!