My Prayer for Our Church

Back in August (2024), I shared this brief prayer with our church family:

My prayer for Cornerstone is that we will rediscover our passion for Jesus, so that we can’t help but live our lives to know him and make him known.

That’s a lofty goal.

To know Jesus and make him known has been a central theme in my life since I began to follow Jesus seriously. It’s not something I’ve always lived up to. But it’s been my constant desire to live a life worthy of Jesus (Phil. 1:27) that inspires others to want to know him too.

Early Morning, Hard Truth

This was one of those mornings when the Lord woke me up early.

I love the quiet hours in the morning. Before the world starts moving, when it’s still dark outside, there is little to distract you from Jesus.

This morning, the Lord took my mind back to the very first sermon I ever preached at Cornerstone. As I revisited that sermon, I was reminded of something I first shared then. 

Every local church wants to reach people. But before we will compel or persuade many people to believe in Jesus (2 Cor. 5:11), we’ll have to show them that we really believe first.

Fans and Followers

I know a lot of people who are fans of Jesus. But there’s a huge difference between being a fan and being a follower.

You can casually be a fan. But being a follower actually takes you somewhere.

Jesus wants followers, not fans. He doesn’t just want to be a part of your life. He wants to be your life.

Followers persevere because Jesus has turned our lives upside down. His life and his love change everything about us. So followers are fueled by a passion that outlives fleeting peaks of excitement or momentary rushes of adrenaline or endorphins.

Live with Passion

Followers of Jesus are passionate about Jesus. They live like Jesus. On the surface their lives might look the same as anyone else. But up close, everything is different.

When we really believe, when our hearts and lives are transformed, people notice. If you live like Jesus is the best thing that ever happened to you, people around you will want that too.

You won’t be perfect. You won’t do it right all the time.

But that’s okay. Jesus was perfect because you couldn’t be. That’s why we’re following him in the first place. With a little bit of what Pastor Kevin DeYoung calls “Spirit-Powered, Gospel-Driven, Faith-Fueled Effort” you really can live a life that points people to Jesus.

Prayer Works

The good news is Jesus is answering the prayer I wrote above.

Just last week we baptized a new Christian as a result of the faithful witness of a member of Cornerstone. And almost every week we’re hearing more stories and meeting new people whose lives are being changed by Jesus as God is sending them to us.

May God increase our love for his Son, as he does the work that only he can do.