Neighborhood Ministries

Fellowship-The Bible says the disciples were in one place, of one accord and were in prayer, seeking power from the Lord. The last Sunday before Ascension Day could be a time of fellowship over a potluck meal followed by a time of prayer that the church would be of one accord and that divisions and disagreements could be put aside to devote the church fully to demonstrating the love of God and that the members would be an example of God’s love that would attract unchurched people to the church so that the church could be able to reach those around it with the Gospel. It can be a time  when it finalizes plans for its summer outreach.

Making Disciples- Christ called on His disciples to make disciples of all nations. He did not say to train disciples to oversee the churches. Therefore, He implied that all followers should become disciples and it was the responsibility of His current disciples to do it. A disciple is not just someone who believes what the master believes. A disciple is one who becomes like the master. A disciple should therefore be teaching and ministering like Jesus did. Yet few churches today train their members to become teachers and soul winners. In fact, many churches are becoming soft on teaching the Bible truths and many members are hard put to explain what they believe. It is impossible to teach others what you don’t know.

Preach the Gospel  Christ commanded His disciples to preach the Gospel. The Gospel means good news. The good news is that Christ died for our sins and set us free from the power of sin and darkness. Most pastors speak to their congregations in church, but there is rarely a clear presentation of the Gospel. Few member’s lives are affected by it and those around the church never hear it. Many people are desperately seeking answers to the problems around them. The church has the answers, yet it is silent. It neither proclaims the truth nor demonstrates it through the lives of its members. The church must clearly proclaim the Gospel to its members and teach them how to demonstrate what it means to be a believer in their daily lives. The church also needs to teach them to engage those around them and explain to them the basis for what they believe.