I’m pretty sure most every Christian knows Jeremiah 29:11… “I know the plans I have for you…” It’s almost always misquoted and taken out of context. It’s not about us. It’s about Israel. It applies to us in a way – thru Jesus. But what is happening to Israel at this time? [Taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar and exiled into Babylon, Jerusalem destroyed.].
You can imagine that they may not be that excited about being in Babylon…look at v7:
“But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” (Jeremiah 29:7 ESV)
He tells them to do 2 things:
(1) Seek the welfare of the city and (2) Pray for it.
As we look to open Highlands we can apply the instructions of Jeremiah to us. Those things still apply, in different ways, but they do apply. Ask – why would we not want to seek the welfare of Vernon? And not pray for the people to receive the gospel? How much are you praying for this?
You can boil it down to a question – do we have compassion for the city of Vernon? Remember Jesus had compassion on the ones he came to minister to…compassion isn’t generated in a vacuum by ourselves. It comes from God. We pray for God to give us compassion – or even to Break our hearts for the community. A popular worship song reminds us – “Break my heart for what break yours.” That’s what we are talking about here in a nutshell.
What would it look like for Highlands Bible Chapel to be broken for the community – our friends, neighbors, co-workers? Maybe things like –
Love
Compassion
Vulnerability
Humility
Dependence on God
Persistence
Obedience
Consistent, heartfelt PRAYER
Eventually – love driven acts of service
So…where are we with this? Let’s be doers of the Word, not just hearers… (1) PRAY. Pray for compassion. Pray for opportunities. Pray for the spread of the gospel. (2) Seek the welfare of Vernon. Look for ways to help others. Practical needs…rides, baby sitting, food shopping, yard work, just being a friend!
What friends do you have that need Jesus and are you showing them? We are doing this as a team. We are stronger together. The nuts and bolts then come after this. We will get to the nuts and bolts, but first we must have our hearts broken for our city!
