What's Your Agenda?

When I was part of Eden Band and got on the church council back in the day, I had an agenda. That agenda was to get a new sound system for the church. When you have an agenda, it affects the way you make decisions, and the way you hear information, and the way you vote for things. Agenda's are not all bad. Sometimes that's what makes things happen. I know several very successful business people who's agenda was and is to be the absolute best at serving their clients needs. Because of that their business has been greatly rewarded!

Luckily, the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart very clearly while I was on the council and I dropped my agenda of buying a sound system which would have cost a lot of money. Very simply the Holy Spirit made me realize that the amount of money that I was looking for could be used to feed a lot of hungry children. I also realized how much my focus changed once I dropped "MY" agenda! I became much more effective as a council person because my decisions were now focused on the good of the church as a whole, the whole community. I was set free from my own focus.

Too often people have personal agenda's that have nothing to do with helping others, their agenda's are for self. Do you have an agenda? Is your agenda for the good of others?  Self promoting agenda's come in many forms. If you want to follow Jesus you must drop "self" agenda's!

Philippians 2:3-43 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

1 John 4:1212 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

Love God!
Love your neighbor as mush as you love yourself!
Treat others like you would want to be treated!

Let's make the agenda of our church this: To love others as much as we love ourselves! As much as we love ourselves! Can you imagine if we become successful with this agenda? There have been many churches torn apart because of personal agenda's. Let's be unique and make Love our only agenda!

Announcements:   Last week chili cook off winners
First place              Brad Joiner
Second place         Leah Kaburick
Third Place            Jamie Stunkel     Thank you for all the chili participants it was a fun afternoon!

This coming Sunday: Steve St. Pierre, the founder and original owner of "Once Upon A Toy" a very successful store here in Edwardsville, will be joining us to tell us his story of how he listened to God. Steve has started an inner city ministry in St. Louis.  If you haven't heard about Steve and his journey you won't want to miss his story. We will have a special offering for Steve and is ministry.

See you Sunday! 12:00 noon 800 North Main Edwardsville in the Immanuel Methodist Church.
Love, pastor kent