During our ministry at the Cass Midway High School Baccalaureate a few weeks ago Leslie and I were reacquainted with Pastor Henry Green from First Baptist Church of Cleveland, MO. I say reacquainted because, while we hadn't seen each other for several years, Pastor Green was one of the several ordained pastors and deacons who sat on my ordination council in May 0f 2005. Pastor Green gave a devotion later during the Baccalaureate service and after the service asked me to fill the pulpit this Sunday (May 18th, 2008). We were both encouraged by the invitation and gladly accepted.
We were amazed when we actually arrived at the church as there were quite a few members who we already knew. Many were Leslie's coworkers at Hawthorn Bank and others were the leaders of the Pacemakers 4-H horse club that I was a part of in middle school.
This being the first time that I preached at First Baptist, the Lord led me to preach from 2 Corinthians 5:17-20. This is one of my favorite passages to preach and quite possible one of the best missions and evangelism passages in all of Scripture. The passage explains that the change in every believer's life and the reconciling work of Christ demands that we act as His ambassadors in our community and in the world. What an awesome challenge! It is also a great passage that opens the door for us to share how the Lord has changed our lives and what He is doing in our ministry to rodeo and rural America.
Leslie and I had a great time as I preached the Word and got acquainted with many of the members. We look forward to developing a lasting ministry relationship with First Baptist Church of Cleveland over the next few months and years!
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