Spiritual Investing

Serving in the military requires a change of duty station every few years. Everything gets packed up and shipped. When you get to your new duty station, the first task at hand is to look for a new place to call home. Finding a place isn't always easy. You need to find one suitable for your family in a neighborhood that is safe, but still close enough to your job. You also need to find a school that has high education standards. Other requirements include finding a place conveniently located near shopping, banking, espresso drive-thru (okay, maybe that last one is not that important). Once these are all checked off, almost as an afterthought, we contemplate on where we should go to church. This is such an important part of our lives but we put off "church shopping" for last. This is how it is described by many people as though they are window shopping for an item for the home. 

We've done this ourselves. I remember when we were searching for a new church in the mid-nineties. We didn't have access to the internet to do a quick search of churches. We couldn't do a virtual visit or check out websites to read doctrinal statements. We just showed up and experienced everything in real time. We visited a few churches, looking for the "right fit". This is the mindset that most people have when looking for a church home. As I talk to people who are looking for a church or when I invite them to attend Westhill Church, here's what I typically hear. "We haven't found one that's a good fit. We liked the worship at one church but the teaching wasn't deep enough. We found one where the teaching was good but the children's ministry was lacking. We found one that we liked but no one talked to us the whole time we were there." The list goes on and on and the conversation usually ends with, "We just can't find a church that meets our needs." Too often, people search for the "perfect" church that meets their every need. 

These were similar comments that we were making as we visited churches. Rona and I finally realized that maybe we were approaching this with the wrong attitude. We finally decided to look for a church with sound biblical teaching and then see how we could serve there with the gifts that God had given us. It was a change in attitude from a spiritual consumer mindset to more of a spiritual contributor mindset. The next church we visited was Westhill Church, called SeaTac Bible Church at the time. The sermon that morning applied directly to something we were going through at that time. That same day, they announced a need to build a sound booth and needed people with carpentry skills. I attended that meeting and soon enough we were getting plugged in to our new church. Not very long after that, we found ourselves teaching the middle school Sunday school class. They had been without a teacher for a while.

28 years later, we still believe that Westhill Church is our church family. It's not a perfect church but it is a perfect fit for us. We have seen many people come and go over the years, looking for the perfect church to meet all of their needs. While there are many important ministries in a church, I believe the most important is sound biblical teaching by men who are committed to biblical integrity. Notice, I didn't say perfect men. While we strive for excellence in our teaching, we are growing in our sanctification process right along side each and every one of you. 

All of the ministries at Westhill Church continue to grow and get better because people like you met us right where we were and got involved instead of leaving because it didn't meet your needs or expectations. Our children's ministry is growing and has sound biblical teaching consistent with our adult preaching. There are many opportunities to serve where you may be gifted or passionate about. The elders at Westhill Church are encouraged by the many new members who have already gotten involved with serving here. 

We have recently added a survey on our website that we ask you to look at and fill out. This will be a useful tool to help us see what your gifts and passions are and where you might want to get involved. It is also a way that everyone can see the interests of others and perhaps get together to build deeper relationships. 

Here's what the Bible teaches about spiritual gifts. 1 Peter 4:10-11, "Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others, as good stewards of the varied grace of God. If anyone speaks, let it be as one who speaks God's words; if anyone serves, let it be from the strength God provides, so that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ in everything."

If we have a gift and are not using it, we rob ourselves of the joy that serving God and others bring. We also rob others of the fellowship and blessing that you can be to them. Romans 12:6-8 explains how we all have different gifts and functions. Big or small, all of our gifts matter to God, who gave these gifts to us. Instead of keeping them to ourselves, we need to share them with others. We would love for everyone to be involved one way or another besides sitting through our worship service once a week. It is an investment with the greatest return and has eternal value. 

Pastor Bryan

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Weekly Word Archive (2024 and earlier)