In place of my normal devotion this week, I have decided to share a devotional sent out by our District Supervisor Pastor Steve Mickel. It’s a timely word that I think everyone should hear.
Over the past several years, I’ve heard many pastors and leaders longing to go back — back to when the church seemed central to our nation, when following Jesus felt more culturally acceptable. I understand that longing. When my oldest son died, all I wanted was to get back to “the way it was” before that heartbreak. But we know there’s no going back. We’ve changed. The world has changed. However, God has not changed — and He is doing a new thing.
“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”
Isaiah 43:19 NIV
There’s an image that illustrates this so well: the Choluteca Bridge in Honduras. In 1998, Hurricane Mitch dumped over 75 inches of rain in just four days, destroying all the roads and bridges — except one, the Choluteca Bridge. But when the floods subsided, the river had shifted. The bridge stood strong but no longer spanned the river.
What a picture of the church today. We risk becoming that old bridge — strong, but no longer connected to where the river of God’s Spirit flows. God is calling us to move with Him, to become the visible demonstration of Jesus in a world that so desperately needs Him.
When I look at the last chapters of Acts, I see this lived out in the life of Paul — a follower of Jesus who faced unthinkable persecution yet did more than anyone else to get the gospel to new places; wherever the river flowed.
Paul shows us three qualities that we need if we’re to bethe visible church: Courage, Compassion, and Consideration.
- Courage to stand for Jesus even when it costs us; not for our political rights or our freedoms, but for the name of Jesus – for His gospel of peace.
- Compassion that sees people as He does — not as problems to fix but people to love; rising to the occasion to care for the least, the lost, the hopeless, and the hungry.
- Consideration in the how we live out the compassion of Christ. Our actions and words would show respect and kindness, even when we disagree.
Our cities, neighbors, and even our social media feeds don’t need an angry church demanding its way. They need a church that looks like Jesus — courageous, compassionate, and considerate.
The river has shifted. God is doing a new thing. May we have the courage to move with Him and be the visible church for such a time as this.
thesimplemindedpastor.com 