Designed to Make a Difference.

Hi there! 

I hope you have had a great week!  We are getting ready for our “Make a Difference” Serve day on Saturday (17569 SW 147 Ave. Miami 33187, 8/8, 8:30am-Noon) and I really hope you will be there!  It’s going to be a great event!  Check this video out to learn more! We will have free T-shirts, Renew Facemasks and lunch is provided.  (Also, this is an opportunity for community service hours for students!)

As we continue our “I’m MAD” (Make a Difference) Series, I wanted to share an excerpt from an article by Pastor Rick Warren with you.  Rick is the pastor of Saddleback Church in California and the author of the “Purpose Driven Life”.  This article was written 6 years ago but I believe it’s relevant for us today and I hope that you take something from it!  

“You were put on earth to make a contribution. You weren't created just to consume resources - to eat, breathe, and take up space. God designed you to make a difference with your life. This is one of God's purposes for your life, and it's called your "ministry" - or service.

The Bible says, "God has created us for a life of good deeds, which he has already prepared for us to do" (Ephesians 2:10b, TEV). These "good deeds" are your service to the world. Whenever you serve others in any way, you are actually serving God and fulfilling one of your purposes. You were placed on this planet for a special assignment.

The apostle John taught that our loving service to others shows that we are truly saved. He said, "Our love for each other proves that we have gone from death to life" (1 John 3:14, CEV). If I have no love for others, no desire to serve others, and I'm only concerned about my needs, I should question whether Christ is really in my life. A saved heart is one that wants to serve.

Another term for serving God - one that's misunderstood by most people - is the word ministry. When most people hear "ministry," they think of pastors, priests, and professional clergy, but God says every member of his family is a minister.

In the Bible, the words servant and minister are synonyms, as are service and ministry. If you are a Christian, you are a minister, and when you're serving, you're ministering. God has a ministry for you in his church and a mission for you in the world.

Serving is the opposite of our natural inclination. Most of the time we're more interested in "serve us" than service. We say, "I'm looking for a church that meets my needs and blesses me," not "I'm looking for a place to serve and be a blessing." We expect others to serve us, not vice versa.  But as we mature in Christ, the focus of our lives should increasingly shift to living a life of service. The mature follower of Jesus stops asking, "Who's going to meet my needs?" and starts asking, "Whose needs can I meet?" Do you ever ask that question?...

If you're not involved in any service or ministry, what excuse have you been using? Abraham was old, Jacob was insecure, Leah was unattractive, Joseph was abused, Moses stuttered, Gideon was poor, Samson was codependent, Rahab was immoral, David had an affair and all kinds of family problems, Elijah was suicidal, Jeremiah was depressed, Jonah was reluctant, Naomi was a widow, John the Baptist was eccentric to say the least, Peter was impulsive and hot-tempered, Martha worried a lot, the Samaritan woman had several failed marriages, Zacchaeus was unpopular, Thomas had doubts, Paul had poor health, and Timothy was timid.

That is quite a variety of misfits, but God used each of them in his service. He will use you, too, if you stop making excuses.”

Join us for MAD Serve Day (Saturday 8/8, 8:30-Noon, 17569 SW 147 Ave. Miami 33187)

We love you and are praying for you! 

Pastor Treavor and Misty
www.renew.miami
facebook.com/renewmiami
Instagram.com/renewmiami

PS On another note, we are having an amazing time at Drive-in Church! We would love for you to join us Sundays at 5pm- 17569 SW 147 Ave. Miami 33187.