The Great Commission

I have been appointed (anointed?) chairman of the Steve Hale Revival steering committee, and have been referred to in some circles as the “Revival Pope”. I profess no infallibility, but I do have some strong feelings about the revival, and outreach in general.

Churches, including Second Baptist in Marion, tend to do a credible job of ministering to their in-house flock. A good example is each week Sunday School class members volunteer the names of members with various illnesses or problems, and then we ardently pray for those suffering members. That is a good thing.

However, if praying for each others’ gall bladders is all we ever do as a church, we overlook the main mission of the church, which is the Great Commission Christ commanded his disciples to follow:

Matt. 28:16-20
19 "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you
always, to the very end of the age."

It occurs to me that God designed our gall bladders to wear out. God designed our souls for eternal duration. What should we spend more time praying about: our members’ gall bladders or our friends’ souls?

Although it’s certainly easier to pray piously for a friend’s gall bladder and then head out to Cracker Barrel for lunch than to talk to that same friend about his spiritual alignment, I can think of no good excuse why a follower of Christ should not be concerned with the eternal well-being of his friends, family and neighbors.

The Steve Hale revival is simply a good focal point to emphasize and then concentrate upon the church’s outreach ministry. That concern for our friends and our church’s outreach should continue well after the revival team has uprooted its tent and moved on.

Doug Dorris
(618) 997-2035
dandmdorris@verizon.net