Spark-Catalyst

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You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 5:14-16 ESV

For the last two weeks I have been writing about the flame, the passion, that God lights inside of each person that fires up their hopes and dreams.  Each of you have a passion whether it be for starving children in Africa, bullying at our schools, supporting single Moms, or a host of other things.  I would be remiss if I did not take time to encourage you that not only should our lives be impacted by the passion God has placed inside of us, we should impact others.

Every flame starts with a catalyst, an agent of some kind that helps to ignite the fire.  You can be a catalyst in others’ lives.  I believe that within our call to make disciples (Matthew 28) is a call be a catalyst in others’ lives.  Let’s be clear, God is the primary catalyst, the one who created you and the passion inside of you.  God’s providence does not give us permission to sit on our hands.  Instead we are called actively into the disciple making process.

My call to ministry is a product of a number of catalysts in my life.  During a high school mission trip I was encouraged both by the woman whose home we worked on, and one of my youth group leaders to consider a call to ministry.  In me they saw a gifting, a spark of the Holy Spirit, that they believed could make a tremendous impact for God.  Honestly, those conversations were the first time I ever even considered ministry as a calling that might be for me.  Those conversations became a key catalyst on my journey into ministry.  I began to consider a call to ministry, because a handful of people saw God at work in me, and took the time to affirm the Holy Spirit’s work, and affirm the impact they believe it could have.  Your words of affirmation, can not only build up others (1 Thessalonians 5:11), but can draw attention to the sparks God has already sparked.  Your words of affirmation could be the spark that ignites the passion, the calling, and the dreams God has placed inside of someone else.  How amazing is it that, one day someone could be telling the story of how you were a catalyst in igniting their God-given passion, and led to make an impact for God in this world?

 

Pastor Bill