Open Our Eyes, Lord
Dear High Street Family,
“My desire is to see a building like this full of young people, old people, surfers, restaurant workers, people from Mexico, people from India, people from Africa, with one hope and that’s in Jesus. And I do believe He wants to use this church. And I do believe He wants to fill this place up. Are you ready?"
What a vision! Nate Gerig’s sermon on Sunday stirred us with our Father’s heart for our church. He led us deeper into a Readiness for Renewal that we’ve been praying into the last months.
Watch Nate Gerig’s Sermon “Renewed into Readiness” here
On his way to preach Sunday, Nate stopped at a coffee shop drawn by the heart of our Father to prayerfully encounter those who don’t yet believe…
Nate reflected, “God wanted to minister to 15 people on the way to church this morning!”
Wow. How many of us are this expectant on the way to church?
Though we come to church to be ministered to, God also wants to minister through us to those outside the church who don’t know Him yet.
He’s not just God-in-the-church. He’s not just God-for-the-church. He’s God over all. He is moving and active outside of the four walls of our building. Do we see Him there?
[God] desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 2:4).
The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance (2 Pet 3:9).
Our Father’s heart is so abundant. He sends the rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. He died for us before we repented. And it’s His kindness that leads us to Him.
God is eager to encounter the person at your elbow.
Do you think the Holy Spirit is at work in the life of your grocer?
Is He working in the circumstances of your banker? Your landlord? Your principal? Your neighbor?
What would it be like to ask Him to open your eyes? To prepare moments for you to encounter Jesus in someone else’s story?
We’re stepping into this at a deeper level this Sunday. In our I Speak Jesus series, we’ll partner with the passion of the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus and become people who see Jesus so we can speak His life and power into the circumstances around us.
Let’s lean into the Holy Spirit and trust Him to shine Jesus through us this week,
Pastor Dave
PS. We’re so thankful for Nate and his passionate heart for sharing Jesus. Click this link if you’d like to support Nate and his family as they minister in Santa Cruz.