Welcome to ANNIVERSARY ISSUE of GoodNewsBulletin ONLINE

“Go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News to all creation.” Mark 16:16

We often see some communities struggling to retain their existing members, while we see some that are having problems in space because their Church keeps on growing. The main difference is that one remains focused on her mission and the other has forgotten her mission. The main reason for the existence of the Church is evangelization. Some community leaders forget this and so their community suffers.

Let us then get some things straight. The community is NOT a place to meet people. The community is NOT there to serve others. The community is NOT there to let people feel good. Her main reason for being is to go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News to all creation. Communities that forget this mission suffer and will continue to suffer until they repent from their sin. Their members suffer because they are not fed the Bread of Life and their leaders will be held responsible for this. Yes, we meet people in a community, but we meet and gather to worship the Lord AND support each other towards our journey to the Lord. Yes, we serve others - but this service is the result of our love of the Lord, which results from our knowing the Lord and from the preaching we receive in the community. A community that does not preach the word does not know the Lord and does not really serve the Lord! It becomes a social club or a charitable organization. Yes, we sometimes feel good in a community - but if that is the only reason for being in a community, then we miss the point. Jesus did not promise that we will feel good always. In fact, He promised us difficulties and persecutions. If there is a lot of good feeling in the community, where everyone can do what they please, you can be sure that the community will die.

Who do we evangelize? The Lord said, “Go out to the whole world…” Our world begins at home! Again, very often, I see people who have no qualms to going miles to get a convert, or spending hours in prayer meetings while leaving their children unattended. They forget that the first ones they have to evangelize are those in their family! And what's worse is that there are some leaders who would insist that the community comes first before the family.

A leader who insists on putting the community first over the family is preaching irresponsibility and to go a step further, immorality. We are not bound to obey such a leader. We obey Jesus who said, "It is not right to give to dogs what belongs to the children” (Mark 7:27). With this, Jesus was saying that children and family comes before the community! Our first responsibility is to the Lord, then to our spouse, then to our children. Other people come AFTER these. Blessed Mother Teresa once said that if a poor person comes to her, she gives him food and shelter and the needs are satisfied. But there are many in our homes who are neglected. These are the poorest of all people!

Do we have people whom we neglect? When we 'serve the community', do we neglect our children? Do we just dump our responsibilities for our children on our parents or worse, baby sitters and nannies, so that we can pursue our 'responsibilities' in the community?

God is a God of order, so as we celebrate the anniversary of our community, let us remember to put things in the right perspective. Praise God for the leaders of the Genesis community. The community continues to grow because it has remained focused on its purpose - to preach the Good News to the world. May we continue to grow in holiness as we preach the Good News to the whole world.

May the Lord be glorified in all that we do.


Visit my homepage at http://refuge.conceptsolutionsbc.com

E-mail the author: philip@genesis.faithweb.com