Mark 1:16-20: As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.
On the first anniversary of the Orlando International Christian Church, we were blessed to have Chris and Theresa Broom visit us from the Chicago church. Chris and Theresa were also present for our inaugural service on June 29, 2008 and were encouraged this past month to share the message God laid on their hearts for OICC.
The theme of the weekend was how teamwork is what it will take in order to make the Dream work! The OICC Disciples spent lots of time with Chris & Theresa discussing ways our mission team can grow and to be more effective in reaching the heart of Orlando. Joel and Brittany Parlour also visited and helped us with ways to be more effective in our Campus Ministry. They were a joy to be with and spent a lot of time sharing with the Campus Disciples. We spent lots of time in the book of Mark discussing how Jesus sought out, drafted, trained and eventually sent out his team. (Mark 6:6) Below are some of the highlights of the powerful messages that Chris shared with the team and it is our hope that these teachings continue to encourage all of us to grow into being that team player who keeps helping the Lord save the world.
Chris shared with us that in order to be a good team mate, you must do three things. You must know your goal, know your role, and know your soul.
Know your goal.
In Mark 1:16, Jesus called his disciples out, giving them purpose as fishers of men and then at once they followed Him. Jesus picked out his dream team among the fishermen and knew that they would be powerful. The disciples then went out two by two as indicated in Mark 6:6. Once they had been to people’s houses and spent time with them as indicated in Mark 6:10, the apostles then returned to Jesus to report what they had seen and taught (Mark 6:30).
Know your role.
As disciples, we can’t just do one small thing and expect that to be good enough for kingdom work. God calls us to strive for the 3-point shots when we are open and ready! Romans 12:4 indicates that we are all members of a body that do not have the same function and, therefore, we need to accept our positions on the team and work them the best we can! As in Romans 12:6, we all have different gifts and need to use them in proportion to our faith. These gifts might include: be a giver, be a bringer, be a converter, be a nurturer, and be a great leader.
Know your soul.
We must be truthful with God – even in the inmost parts. The enemy wants to come in and dull our sharp skills and we must shut him out by remaining open with the Lord. We need to ask God to show us our sin as indicated in Psalm 139:23-24. We must also be cautious not to become flattered at ourselves and not able to detect our own sin (Psalm 36:1-2). Quiet times are essential in knowing your soul. They are vital as sin can easily entangle.
Chris also encouraged us all to be alert and protect each other as the scriptures indicate in 1 Peter 5:8.
We in the Orlando International Christian Church were encouraged and thankful for the time that Chris, Theresa, Joel, Brittany, Maria and Austin spent with us. We were inspired by God’s message through Chris as he discussed making the Dream Work, and we are diligently working towards that goal.
In striving to make the Dream work, this summer our sister in Christ June Fisher moved to Orlando from Valdosta, GA to be restored into the Body of Christ. June’s second week at Campus Life Talk she met Joseph Kaile who was baptized on Sunday, July 26, 2009. Joseph is a UCF student and Physics Major who also plays guitar and piano and will be a great addition to our upcoming Arts/Entertainment/Sports Ministry. June reached out to Joseph during one of our Campus Life Talks and within one week Joseph studied and was baptized!
In addition, Steve Coyle, husband of sister in Christ Melanie Coyle, was baptized Thursday, July 30, 2009. His baptism was very moving as Melanie and Steve are now united in Christ and now working towards fully restoring their marriage and family. Steve is the store manager of Domino’s Pizza and was invited by his co-worker and fellow disciple Lisa Robillard. He has inspired some of his employees to begin studying the Bible and provided jobs for some of our disciples too! Steve is also a talented musician who plays the sax and will be a great asset to the Music Ministry here at OICC. We know our Campus Students are excited to have the Pizza Man as a disciple now!
We, the leaders at OICC, are encouraged by the way God is moving powerfully here in Orlando. Since Chris and Theresa’s visit, the disciples here are doing a great job of putting God’s lessons into practice to make the Dream work. We are truly grateful for everyone’s sacrifice and hard work and are excited to see what God has in store for our mission team in the months to come!
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