WHAT IS THE OUTPOST? ~ 5/29/08

As I re-read my plea for those at our church to join in prayer so that God would “save lost people through The Outpost,” it struck me that maybe there is confusion as to what we’re actually praying about.  “… through The Outpost…” what does that mean exactly?  What is The Outpost?

“We are an outpost of God’s grace in Trinity County,” I  once wrote in a letter, and it’s true.  But who is “we?”  What is “we?”  When I implore you to pray that God “save lost people through The Outpost,” am I talking about saving the lost through church programs?  Through our Sunday service? Through my work at the office on Main St?  Through the exquisite talent of Bill’s sermons?  Yes, all of those – yes, those things fall under the category of “Outposty things” – but really, those things are secondary.  That list is an honor roll of tools only-- and not one of those tools can claim to represent the identity of The Outpost.  Why?  Because The Outpost is more than fancy ministry tools, The Outpost is you.  “Christ in you, the hope of Glory (Col. 1:27), the great mystery of God, the only hope for the world, Jesus Christ,  alive in you.  When I ask you to pray that God would “save lost people through The Outpost “ – that prayer includes you.

Roughly 40 of you make up The Outpost.  You are the church!  And this is what Jesus says about you:  Matthew 5:13-15 13 "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.  14"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  Acts 1:8 “…you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."  May God save lost people this month through you!

Surrounded By Grace,

Josh