August 2022 Elder Report from Tim Diestler

Does the Church Need to Grow?

Do we need more people in the seats? If so, would we build a bigger building or add on? Do we like our little church family here at Appleton Community? Is change hard to think about? All questions we should be asking ourselves.

In Philippines Paul writes in 1:21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what will I choose? I do not know! Maybe it’s because I’m getting older, or it seems like Christ’s return is getting nearer, that these verses have me thinking about the day I see my Savior face to face. The questions I asked are not just for our body, but the whole body of Christ.

Sometimes I think The Father may be ready to get this whole end times ball rolling and gather His Church to Him and then I wonder if the love He has for those of us who are already following is so great that He just wants to bring a few more along. This is where the fruitful labor Paul was talking about comes in. Our job is to evangelize. We need to be  sharing our stories about what Jesus has done for us. Share the gospel with more and more people. Serve as you are able, invite people to church. Love them the way God loves them. Pray for non-believing friends, family, co-workers and ask for the Holy Spirit’s strength and guidance.

As followers of Christ, we are all destined for a place that is more than we can imagine. We will be there with the Creator of the universe, experiencing things we cannot even fathom. Let’s take as many brothers and sisters as we can. Let’s be each other’s cheerleaders. Please pray that our body will be known for its desire to be witnesses in Appleton, in the Fox Cities and beyond. Let’s not worry where they may be sitting on Sunday mornings, but where they are standing in God’s Kingdom.

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