I think the single most important take-away I’ve gleaned from my life as a believer is to look within at my own heart and ask the Holy Spirit to change my heart.  If I can find ways to cooperate with God in the heart-change needed in me, whether it’s prayer or practical actions of service, or reading the word, or gathering with a small group, then anything is possible. If I can find a way to let God change my heart deeply, then I can make a huge difference in the world, because my heart will be utterly focused on God’s purposes. If not, then I’ll always be divided within, and unable to make a real difference in spreading the gospel or meeting human needs. I’ve always longed for “lasting change” to come about because of the presence of our church in the community. I think a single church can have a massive impact on a city. Even just one small church can bring massive change for good to a community. Or it can have little to no impact.  Honestly I think the best way to do that is to get one person at a time saved, sanctified, and firmly focused on their discipleship journey to heaven. One person who becomes a Christian, even just one, has a big footprint in their city. Imagine five, or twenty, or one hundred, or five thousand, pretty soon, the gospel will spread everywhere, and if Christians are rightly trained to love their neighbors, meet needs, and serve each other, it will make the city a beautiful place to live. The biggest challenge in all this is the selfish nature of American society. That coupled with wealth and affluence makes many apathetic to the gospel message. But there is great hope in prayer, spreading the gospel intentionally, and ministering to people in their desperate moments.  We all have moments when we’re hurting and desperate, even in the affluence of American society. If we can reach people in those circumstances, they are often more likely to listen and respond to the gospel message. Pain brings change, as they say.

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