Arrows of Truth # 21 - What happens when the dropout believer returns to church?
As we undertake to pursue our dropout family & friends in the Lord, we must be conscious of our goal for each one:
Connectedness
It is not sufficient to undertake our pursuit only until the believer starts returning to a church (occasionally or regularly).
The goal is not just that they return to the church.
The goal is that the believer becomes connected to the body of Christ - the local church.
.What do we mean by "connected"?
Ecclesiastes 4:12 says “a cord of three strands is not easily broken."
We have found that if a believer has a three-stranded cord of connection to the local church they will not become easily disconnected by the pressures, trials, tribulations, and temptations of life.
What are these three cords of connection?
They are:
1. Heart for the pastor and vision for the (local) church
2. Personal relationships in the local church.
3. Area of ministry in the local church.
Every believer, not just former dropout believers, need all three cords of connectivity. We will explore each of these over the next three weeks. It is the responsibility of the local church to facilitate the establishment of each of these cords in every believer.
TIP #21
For your own part, are you connected to your local church in each of these areas?
For more depth on this read the Hunters of the Harvest book: chapter 15. To order the ministry book go to website www.Huntersoftheharvest.org and click Order.
