Sunday, August 18, 2013 - 6:45 pm

This week, Pastor Mike Bronson spoke on commitment, continuing his series with another part of the blueprint for living life the way God intended. Sometimes we put so much effort into something, whether it be a job, a relationship, or even trying to live God`s way, and we look back and wonder if there's any progress being made at all. We've been so influenced by a culture of convenience and immediate gratification that it's easy to focus on the flashy things. In John 6, Jesus fed a whole bunch of people in a miraculous way, and they began to follow Him, not because they were committed to Him, but because they wanted something. They wanted their earthly needs met, but were missing out on the fact that Jesus satisfies our spiritual needs. They wanted the bread from heaven, and Jesus says, "That's me!" Many people walked away because they couldn't make sense of what He said, they missed the point that we sometimes miss as well: the focus should be on Jesus, not on the flashy stuff, the miracles, or what we can get. Our attitude needs to be like that of the disciples. We need to be all in and committed, not because of the miracles, but because of who Jesus is, and because He asks us to. So are we committed no matter what? Are we connected to the body of Christ, His church, not just in general but with a home church to be committed to - a place to be all in? If not, we need to be committed. If we are, we need to stay committed, and be an example for others. If we're on the fence, with a half-hearted commitment (which, if we're honest with ourselves, is really no commitment at all) we need to commit 100%. It's not about "us vs. them", pitting one church against another, we're all on the same team throughout the body of Christ, from one church to the next. It's about committing somewhere, because when we do we'll grow, we'll advance God's kingdom, and the church that we commit to will grow. We need to avoid being just a consumer, and trade that for true commitment. At 24/7 Church, we can commit through partnership, with accountability and mutual growth, and through volunteering in some of the many areas needed. Wherever it may be, let's not just consume, let's be committed.