Episode 126 – What Is the Abundant Life Anyway?”

Posted on September 23, 2012 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith




Welcome to a new series on the Transformed podcast.

Today we begin a journey entitled, 90 Days of Abundance! At Pacific Baptist Church in El Segundo, California, God is doing a new thing and we want to invite to join us in God’s journey to abundance.

In this first talk, Dr. Matthew Smith, shares the five components to understanding and enjoying the abundance of Jesus in your everyday life.

So let’s take out our Bibles as Pastor Matt opens up Luke 4 and answers the question, “What is the abundant life anyway?

 

And with that prayer we wrap up our first study on the abundant life.

Perhaps you would like to explore the abundant life in more detail. Dr. Smith has written a daily devotional book that will help you do just that!

In His Presence is a detailed look at walking with God through life’s ups and downs. Built around the premise that God welcomes you into His presence with joy and pleasure, In His Presence helps you see that the life of abundance can only be enjoyed when we take everything to the Lord and walk every day at His right hand.

You can order a copy of In His Presence from Amazon by clicking the link on the side panel of the Eagles In Leadership website.

And now, until next time, we are praying that you would be filled with the love of God so that you can demonstrate His love to the lost and dying in your city! God bless!

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Episode 125 – Spiritual First Responders Tackle Obstacles as a Team!

Posted on September 16, 2012 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

 

 

Welcome to another edition of the Transformed podcast.

We wrap up our series entitled, Where Is God Taking Us? today. God is launching the men and women of Pacific Baptist Church into their neighborhoods as care givers – Spiritual First Responders who actually care for the well being of the people who live around them – so that they might be the first person their neighbors come to for help of any kind!

In today’s episode, Dr. Matthew Smith, lead pastor of Pacific Baptist Church in El Segundo, California, shows us that Spiritual First Responders understand the dangers of working alone and the benefits of working with others. Since they are the first to respond they use technology to assemble their small group team rapidly and beneficially to meet the need of the moment.

As you open your Bible to Acts 2, it is our hope and prayer that you, too, will be encouraged to live out the second commandment: “To love your neighbor AS yourself.”

 

 

Men and women across the auditorium chose to stand publicly and say that they were willing to accept God’s vision and mission to become a Spiritual First Responder so that they could demonstrate their love for their neighbors, just as they love themselves … by being willing to “join a small group” this fall so they can possess great spiritual strength and fulfill the mission of Jesus.

If you have accepted God’s vision and mission to become a Spiritual First Responder, would you take the next steps in growing your love for your neighbor by getting into a small group of believers and digging into the Bible through group study?

To help you live out this message, you can take advantage of the thought of this message by ordering a copy of Pastor Matt’s book, Growing Missional Leaders.

Growing Missional Leaders is a practical, passionate, Biblical mentoring journey for individuals, small groups, leadership teams and congregations who desire to win their world for Christ. You can order a copy of Growing Missional Leaders from Amazon by clicking the link on the side panel of the Eagles In Leadership website.

And now, until next time, we are praying that you would be filled with the love of God so that you can demonstrate His love to the lost and dying in your city! God bless!

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Episode 124 – Spiritual First Responders Search Out the Lost and Wandering!

Posted on September 9, 2012 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Thank you for returning for another edition of the Transformed podcast.

We continue our series entitled, Where Is God Taking Us? today. God is launching the men and women of Pacific Baptist Church into their neighborhoods as care givers – Spiritual First Responders who actually care for the well being of the people who live around them – so that they might be the first person their neighbors come to for help of any kind!

In today’s episode, Dr. Matthew Smith, lead pastor of Pacific Baptist Church in El Segundo, California, shows us that Spiritual First Responders do not wait for someone to tell them to rescue the lost. It is their prime mission to do search and rescue from wherever the lost have been scattered to. They are the first ones to respond when someone goes missing – calling on their small group team to assist them in the rescue, the recovery and the return to the flock of God.

As you open your Bible to Ezekiel 34, it is our hope and prayer that you, too, will be encouraged to live out the second commandment: “To love your neighbor AS yourself.”

 

 

Men and women across the auditorium chose to stand publicly and say that they were willing to accept God’s vision and mission to become a Spiritual First Responder so that they could demonstrate their love for their neighbors, just as they love themselves … by accepting Jesus’ authorization as His agent on Earth, to do the work of His Kingdom on His behalf as we have described to – to rescue to lost and wandering – whether they be part of our flock at Pacific, or one of our neighbors.

If you have accepted God’s vision and mission to become a Spiritual First Responder, would you take the next steps in growing your love for your neighbor by getting into a small group of believers and digging into the Bible through group study?

To help you live out this message, you can take advantage of the thought of this message by ordering a copy of Pastor Matt’s book, Growing Missional Leaders.

 

Growing Missional Leaders is a practical, passionate, Biblical mentoring journey for individuals, small groups, leadership teams and congregations who desire to win their world for Christ. You can order a copy of Growing Missional Leaders from Amazon by clicking the link on the side panel of the Eagles In Leadership website.

And now, until next time, we are praying that you would be filled with the love of God so that you can demonstrate His love to the lost and dying in your city! God bless!

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Clean Up Your Trash!

Posted on September 5, 2012 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

“Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ.”

(1 Corinthians 11:1, HCSB)

 

Leadership for Jesus Christ is first, and foremost, a responsibility to imitate the Lord Himself. One of the keys to Biblically effective leadership is a life of purity. Just as we would not live with rotting garbage in our living rooms, so, too, Christ will not reside comfortably and bless a “leader” whose life is filled with spiritual trash.

We need to remove our …

  • Temptation points for sin

We all know where we are most vulnerable to be tempted. Removing those places or things from our lives will reduce our ineffectiveness for Christ and His mission.

  • Routines without redemptive value

How many hours do we waste on activities that are of little to no value in the eternal scheme of things? What could we do for eternity if we were to exchange these hours?

  • Assumptions without faith

So many times we are hampered and held back simply because we believe we cannot, thus we will not. Since “I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13, HCSB), impossible only takes a little longer!

  • Sins in secret

Once we realize that what we do in the dark reflects who we really are, we are more willing to ask for and receive the accountability that will free us from our prisons of pain and relaunch us into fields of fruitfulness for Christ.

  • Habits of disgrace

All too often we keep doing what we have always done. Sometimes, without the light of evaluation, these patterns have degraded to a place where, if we were to stand before Jesus right now, we would simply be ashamed of them. Habits become the priorities of our lives.

If we clean out the trash in our lives, we are sure to enjoy a sweeter relationship with the Lord and His favor will rest upon us in a greater way. May you seek to make an eternal impact for Christ by taking out the garbage that has accumulated in your life, perhaps even without notice.

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Episode 123 – Spiritual First Responders Rescue Those In Need!

Posted on September 2, 2012 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Thank you for returning for another edition of the Transformed podcast.

We continue our series entitled, Where Is God Taking Us? today. God is launching the men and women of Pacific Baptist Church into their neighborhoods as care givers – Spiritual First Responders who actually care for the well being of the people who live around them – so that they might be the first person their neighbors come to for help of any kind!

In today’s episode, Dr. Matthew Smith, lead pastor of Pacific Baptist Church in El Segundo, California, shows us that First Responders see needs because they “love their neighbors as themselves.” As a result, they help the poor, support the fatherless, care for the widow, become eyes for the blind, feet for the lame, father the needy, and bring justice to the stranger.

As you open your Bible to Job 29, it is our hope and prayer that you, too, will be encouraged to live out the second commandment: “To love your neighbor AS yourself.”

 

Men and women across the auditorium chose to stand publicly and say that they were willing to accept God’s vision and mission to become a Spiritual First Responder so that they could demonstrate their love for their neighbors, just as they love themselves … by praying for our neighbors by name and need.  

If you have accepted God’s vision and mission to become a Spiritual First Responder, would you take the next steps in growing your love for your neighbor by getting into a small group of believers and digging into the Bible through group study?

To help you live out this message, you can take advantage of the thought of this message by ordering a copy of Pastor Matt’s book, Growing Missional Leaders.

Growing Missional Leaders is a practical, passionate, Biblical mentoring journey for individuals, small groups, leadership teams and congregations who desire to win their world for Christ. You can order a copy of Growing Missional Leaders from Amazon by clicking the link on the side panel of the Eagles In Leadership website.

We are praying that you would be filled with the love of God so that you can demonstrate His love to the lost and dying in your city! God bless!

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8 Focal Points of Being On Mission

Posted on August 29, 2012 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

God’s dream for us is a dream … to become the hands and feet of Jesus in our neighborhoods:

  • Actually knowing who our neighbors are,
  • Sincerely caring about what happens in their lives,
  • Immediately coming to their rescue when life falls apart all around them.

In the book of Acts, the original Spiritual First Responders concentrated on 8 focal points just outside their door …

  • Loving their neighbor as the mission of their small group “search and rescue” team. (Acts 2.40)

“And with many other words he testified and strongly urged them, saying, “Be saved from this corrupt generation!” (Acts 2:40)

Love your neighbor isn’t just a slogan, it’s a lifestyle. Compassion doesn’t end because someone doesn’t share our faith … yet. If we are going to actually be a Christian, we will need to go into our neighborhoods and love the people around us.

  • Baptizing new disciples as the responsibility of their small group “search and rescue” team. (Acts 2.41)

“So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about 3,000 people were added to them.” (Acts 2:41)

Your baptism is your certification, your authorization to baptize a new disciple. Jesus authorizes you, as His agent on Earth, to do the work of His Kingdom on His behalf. And since you are authorized as His agent, you are capable of gathering your small group together and baptizing the new disciple of Jesus!

  • Teaching new disciples to obey Jesus as the occupation of their small group “search and rescue” team. (Acts 2.42)

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to the prayers.” (Acts 2:42)

When you break this apart, you notice discipleship has three aspects to it …

1)   There is a lifestyle to live – “the apostle’s teaching”

2)   There is a family to live with (small group) – “breaking of bread”

3)   There is a mission to live out – “the prayers”

The first century disciples also show us that Spiritual First Responders will focus on …

  • Trusting Jesus to be with them as the reality of their small group “search and rescue” team. (Acts 2.43)

Where Jesus is, there will be power! Thus we read,

“Then fear came over everyone, and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles.” (Acts 2:43)

As a small group, when we start praying as a group for the lost, reaching out, sharing Christ, leading people to Jesus … God comes down in your midst! God’s presence does amazing things … impossible things!

  • Uniting with God’s family at Pacific as the strength of their small group “search and rescue” team. (Acts 2.44)

“One who isolates himself pursues selfish desires; he rebels against all sound judgment.” (Proverbs 18:1)

The true child of God gets into a small group – they don’t “pursue selfish desires” by isolating themselves. You have heard people say, “I don’t need to come to a church service to worship. I can be a good Christian alone.” That is simply not true. Solomon says you are “rebelling against all sound judgment.” In contrast to such selfishness, we read that the true Spiritual First responder lives a different lifestyle …

“Now all the believers were together and held all things in common.” (Acts 2:44)

You see, it is in a small group where Spiritual First Responders will focus on …

  • Sacrificing for the needs of one another as the demonstration of their small group “search and rescue” team. (Acts 2.45)

Love one another is no longer a slogan in a small group. As you sit with others and talk, the conversation inevitably comes around to how things are going. Friends share their hearts with their friends. In a small group people grow to be transparent – it is the mark of love. Who can hear of a friend’s need and not try to meet it? Only a person with a cold heart – a pretender and not a real friend! As we see from the 1st century, the way a true disciple takes care of needs is as follows …

“They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as anyone had a need.” (Acts 2:45)

Spiritual First Responders will focus on …

  • Devoting their lives to God and His people at Pacific as the glue of their small group “search and rescue” team. (Acts 2.46)

Doing life and ministry together – that’s the motto of a small group! The small group that worships together grows deeper together! We learn this from the 1st century campaign for Jerusalem …

“Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple complex, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with a joyful and humble attitude,” (Acts 2:46)

Note with some emphasis that there were two keys to a strong faith that was “on mission”

1)   They worshiped together – they literally went to worship and sat together

2)   They lived life with one another – they were in each other’s homes regularly for meals, small group and social occasions

And when this is true Spiritual First Responders will be able to focus on …

  • Enjoying the favor of God as the benefit of their small group “search and rescue” team. (Acts 2.47)

Why would we do life with our small group “search and rescue” team? Look at these benefits

“… praising God and having favor with all the people. And every day the Lord added to them those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:47)

1)   They had received God’s answers to their prayers, thus they had something to praise God about

2)   They had received favor with all the people – why? Because they had been so generous and caring!

3)   They were seeing new men, women, teens and children put their total trust and allegiance in Jesus Christ on a daily basis.

Who wouldn’t want a life like that? That’s my hope and prayer for you! But it will only happen as you surrender your life to the mission of Jesus as we express it in our vision wheel.

Then, and only then, will you enjoy these amazing benefits.

Spiritual 1st Responders understand the dangers of working alone and the benefits of working with others. Since they are the first to respond they use technology to assemble their small group team rapidly and beneficially to meet the need of the moment.

 

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Come and Visit Jesus Boyhood Home of Nazareth!

Posted on August 28, 2012 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

“After Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, “Get up! Take the child and His mother and go to the land of Israel, because those who sought the child’s life are dead.” So he got up, took the child and His mother, and entered the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned in a dream, he withdrew to the region of Galilee. Then he went and settled in a town called Nazareth to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets, that He will be called a Nazarene.” (Matthew 2:19–23, HCSB)

Walk through the town where Jesus grew up! Situated inside a bowl atop the Nazareth ridge north of the Jezreel valley, Nazareth was a relatively isolated village in the time of Jesus with a population less than two hundred.

Today Nazareth is home to more than 60,000 Israeli Arabs, and Upper Nazareth is home to thousands more Jewish residents.

Very little is known about Nazareth from the ancient sources.  Outside of the New Testament, Nazareth is never mentioned until the Byzantine period (4th c. AD).

Archaeological excavations have confirmed that the city was only a small agricultural village during the Hellenistic and Roman periods.

A Byzantine church was built over the place where it is believed that the angel Gabriel announced the birth of Jesus to the virgin Mary.  In 1966 the Roman Catholic Church began constructing a new basilica over these remains and today this church is the largest church building in the Middle East.  The Greek Orthodox Church nearby is built over the town’s water source.

Jesus spent his boyhood years in Nazareth before beginning his ministry when he was about 30.  After moving his home to Capernaum, Jesus returned to teach in the synagogue of Nazareth twice more, but was rejected both times.  On one occasion the townspeople were so outraged at Jesus that they tried to throw him off a cliff to his death.

You will see this as you tour Israel with us in February 2013!

There’s Still Time to Register For This Trip!

Melodee and I want to invite you to join us on this amazing, once-in-a-lifetime trip. Don’t miss this opportunity! God wants to transform your life like He has done to us!

This is a 10-day trip leaving February 18th, 2013. We have made it easy for you to join us with a choice of departures cities across the country: You can choose to leave from Los Angeles, Chicago or New York.

Details and a brochure with all the details are located at this link. We encourage you to get your deposit in while space is still available!

Melodee and I are here to answer all of your questions! You can email us at: pastormatt [@] eaglesinleadership.org

We look forward to touring with you in Israel in February!

 

 

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Episode 122 – Spiritual First Responders Invest and Sacrifice Your Life in Others!

Posted on August 27, 2012 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

We are glad to welcome you back to another edition of the Transformed podcast.

We continue our series entitled, Where Is God Taking Us? today. God is launching the men and women of Pacific Baptist Church into their neighborhoods as care givers – Spiritual First Responders who actually care for the well being of the people who live around them – so that they might be the first person they come to for help of any kind!

In today’s episode, Dr. Matthew Smith, lead pastor of Pacific Baptist Church in El Segundo, California, shows us that First Responders understand their mission is to “love their neighbor as themselves.” This means that when there is a need in their neighborhood, they are the first ones to respond to that need. When these needs are taken care of early, great loss and catastrophe can be avoided.

As you open your Bible to Matthew 25, it is our hope and prayer that you, too, will be encouraged to live out the second commandment: “To love your neighbor AS yourself.”

 

 

Men and women across the auditorium chose to stand publicly and say that they were willing to play “Tic-Tac-Toe” with their neighbors by getting their names in the next few weeks. It is our sincere hope and prayer that you, too, have joined in choosing to care for and love your neighbor. We will continue to discover more practical ways to do this in the weeks to come.

If you have, will you take the next steps in growing your love for your neighbor by getting into a small group of believers and digging into the Bible through group study?

To help you live out this message, you can take advantage of the thought of this message by ordering a copy of Pastor Matt’s book, Growing Missional Leaders.

Growing Missional Leaders is a practical, passionate, Biblical mentoring journey for individuals, small groups, leadership teams and congregations who desire to win their world for Christ. You can order a copy of Growing Missional Leaders from Amazon by clicking the link on the side panel of the Eagles In Leadership website.

We are praying that you would be filled with the love of God so that you can demonstrate His love to the lost and dying in your city! God bless!

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Transformed Interviews Wayne Elsey – Almost Isn't Good Enough!

Posted on August 23, 2012 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

We are thrilled to share with you our interview with Wayne Elsey, author of the amazing book,  Almost Isn’t Good Enough.

 Almost Isn’t Good Enough  is call to live out the compassion of Jesus’ heart in a world of suffering and hopelessness. A man who decided one day to make a difference globally writes about what he has learned, hoping to challenge you to make a difference in your world in your generation.

Taking what he knew from his corporate experience, much like Moses took his shepherd’s rod, Wayne shares how he formed a non-profit organization that uses the best common sense to change the world, one pair of shoes at a time.

You will be challenged to rethink how organizations work, especially if you are in a non-profit, like the Church, and why they run.

You can learn more about Wayne and his ministry here.

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Imitating God’s 6 Actions With a Lost Sheep!

Posted on August 22, 2012 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Have you ever lost your keys? Does it drive you as crazy as it used to drive me? You know how it is – you turn the house upside down. In the couch, throwing cushions, looking everywhere – frantic to find those keys! Why? Because they are important!

So what do we do as Spiritual 1st Responders to search out the lost and missing person from within our midst in the congregation or within our neighborhood? We will imitate the 6 actions of God when a sheep from His flock is lost …

  • I will look for them until I have found them! (Ezekiel 34.11-12)

“For this is what the Lord God says: See, I Myself will search for My flock and look for them. As a shepherd looks for his sheep on the day he is among his scattered flock, so I will look for My flock.” (Ezekiel 34:11–12)

If we are going to imitate God’s love for one another, we will need to search and look for the lost and wandering! We start inside our church family and search and look for the lost … but we also do this within our neighborhood.

  • When you don’t see an elderly neighbor for a day or two, you stop by and see if everything is all right.
  • When you don’t see a family next door, you ring the doorbell and look in the windows to see if all is OK.
  • When you care about your neighbors, they will care about you!  (and, eventually, your Jesus)

Once the lost and wandering person is found, what does God do?

“I will rescue them from all the places where they have been scattered on a cloudy and dark day.” (Ezekiel 34:12)

Have you ever cried out to God, thinking the situation you are in is so difficult, so precarious; you can see no hope or help apart from the supernatural? So, you cry out to God and whom does He send? An angel? No! He sends a person! A Spiritual 1st Responder!God uses people to accomplish His ways! That’s why when we find the lost and wandering neighbor, we imitate God! As a Spiritual 1st Responder …

  • I will rescue them from wherever they have wandered to.  (Ezekiel 34.12)

When someone is lost, extricating him or her from his or her situation may take some help! After all, you are only one person. Where does the Spiritual 1st Responder get such help? From their small group, of course! Not only is your small group your support group, it is also your search and rescue team. Once we rescue them, we continue to imitate God, who says …

“I will bring them out from the peoples, gather them from the countries, and bring them into their own land.” (Ezekiel 34:13)

You will see that God doesn’t leave us where we have wandered off. God moves us away from the places that we have been in and brings us back to the family (flock) of God. So, if I am to imitate God’s love as a Spiritual 1st Responder …

  • I will bring them back to the people of God in worship. (Ezekiel 34.13)

God knows that in order for anyone to truly be refreshed in their Spirit and Soul, they will need to come into worship. Why? It is in worship that …

  • We discover our value as we adore our Creator God in abundant praise
  • We discover our purpose as we dedicate our lives afresh in surrender
  • We discover our significance as we direct our lives anew to God’s mission

No wonder God would bring us into worship! And these are three of the most important reasons why we would bring the lost and wandering to worship! Once He has returned the lost to worship God says …

“I will shepherd them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the land.” (Ezekiel 34:13)

Notice where God shepherds and cares for His sheep. “On the mountains,” “in the ravines” “and in all the inhabited places.” These are the places sheep live. This is the “real world” for a sheep. God shepherds sheep where they live. And so should we! That’s why, as a Spiritual 1st Responder …

  • I will disciple them to live with a real-world faith. (Ezekiel 34.13)

Shepherding is the daily activity of living life with the sheep and caring for them constantly. Jesus speaks of our responsibility to care for the sheep and live with the sheep as the process of discipleship and training. You can’t make an impact from a distance. Remember the verses we read earlier?

“Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19–20, NLT)

When a wandering sheep continues to wander off, the shepherd goes to some extreme measures to get it to stop wandering. The shepherd will break one of the legs of the sheep on purpose. Then, because the sheep cannot walk, the shepherd carries the sheep around his neck everywhere that sheep has to go. Talk about the burden of leadership! Why does the shepherd do that? Because the sheep needs to learn to obey and stay with the flock for protection! As a result of this extreme love, the heart of the sheep is deeply connected to the shepherd. A life-long bond exists and the sheep seldom ever wanders far from the shepherd again. Just as God trains the sheep that have lost and wandering, so should we.

But how will you train the lost and wandering you are rescuing? Great question! We disciple them so that they can disciple others! This leads us to the next action that we imitate from God as a Spiritual 1st Responder!

  • I will draw them into my small group for feeding, friendship and protection. (Ezekiel 34.13)

God is our example, and he tells us that when he rescues the lost and wandering He draws them into the flock.

“I will tend them with good pasture, and their grazing place will be on Israel’s lofty mountains. There they will lie down in a good grazing place; they will feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I will tend My flock and let them lie down.” (Ezekiel 34:14–15)

Think of the flock with me for a minute. Here is where the sheep gather and are cared for by the shepherd. As the Spiritual 1st Responder, the shepherd knows and leads the sheep. Remember what Jesus says …

“The shepherd walks right up to the gate. The gatekeeper opens the gate to him and the sheep recognize his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he gets them all out, he leads them and they follow because they are familiar with his voice.” (John 10:2–4, The Message)

This is what David meant about how God cares for us, His sheep, when he wrote  …

“The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.”

(Psalm 23:1–3, NLT)

As we imitate God, and Jesus, we shepherd the lost and wandering by drawing them into our small group. It is there that they are fed from the Word of God, strengthened through the relationships and protected by the care of a shepherd.

You see, we can wrap the whole thought of today’s study into one phrase. Like God, as a Spiritual 1st Responder …

  • I will care and protect them as my own family.

This is the declaration of the Lord God. “I will seek the lost, bring back the strays, bandage the injured, and strengthen the weak, but I will destroy the fat and the strong. I will shepherd them with justice.” (Ezekiel 34:15–16)

As a Spiritual 1st Responder it is our loving responsibility to seek out the lost, bring back the strays, bandage the injured and strengthen the weak. All the while, we protect them from the predators – here described as “the fat and the strong.”

Why would we do all of this?

“Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:39)

Spiritual 1st Responders do not wait for someone to tell them to rescue the lost. It is their prime mission to do search and rescue from wherever the lost have been scattered to. They are the first ones to respond when someone goes missing – calling on their small group to assist them in the rescue, recovery and return of the lost one to the flock of God.

 

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