Who are You Bringing With You?

I noticed it first, yesterday when I picked up the book And Are We Yet Alive? This book was written with by Richard Wilkie in the late 80s about his concerns about the United Methodist Church.....one of his concerns was that the church had become to self-centered in their ministry approaches. Some call this "in-ward focused" rather than "outward focused" (one would assume to be the biblical model given John 3:16, Romans 10:9-10, and 1 Peter 1:9)

THEN...I heard the chapel speaker this morning refer to it, Rev. Alton Garrison who happens to be the Assistant General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God where he quoted a study that stated 80% of Evangelicals believe that church is about my needs and my concerns (inward focus)

FINALLY, as I was reading my daily Bible reading (don't be impressed, I'm on April 12th, and I have some catching up to do) In the grand and encouraging passage of 2 Corinthians 4:1-18, specifically in 2 Corinthians 4:13 where the apostle states the overarching objective of his ministry, and what I frankly believe ought to be the ministry of every church:

I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence.

It's that last phrase that caught me...there it is! The mission of the Church! Outreach!
Here it is again:

that HE WHO RAISED THE LORD JESUS WILL RAISE US ALSO WITH JESUS...

AND....

BRING US WITH YOU INTO HIS PRESENCE!

US AND YOU

YOU AND US

Who are You Bringing With You?