September is gone and so is summer! October is here and autumn is now upon us. The air is cooler, fresher, cleaner, and crisper. The summertime vegetation is turning brown going dormant for the fall and winter but in the process the foliage is will grow spectacular in color as it says "goodbye" until the spring. There are reds, oranges, yellows, assorted shades of green, and all colors in between. It really is an amazing display of God's handiwork!
October is also a time of year for festivals, pumpkins, fodder shocks, apple cider, wiener roasts, toasted marshmallows, S'mores, and a host of other special things that go along with the harvest season. Speaking of the "harvest season", October is a very active Revival month with several local churches holding Fall Revivals. October also brings Missions Month here at Main Street. It is the time of the year when we highlight the mission efforts we as a church support near and far all around the world. We will be blessed to have Al Seral, Executive Director for the Hippo Valley Christian Mission, with us on Sunday evening, October 11th to share the work they have going on in Zimbabwe. Our focus will culminate on Missions Sunday," October 25th as Kevin Morrow, Good News Productions International, will be here to preach from God's Word and challenge us to take part in Faith Promise and to participate in evangelizing our world for Christ!!!
There is another big event which takes place in October--Halloween! It is no secret how I feel about this particular worldly display of foolishness. I have never been one who was drawn toward the idea of even giving credence to it by doing a Christian substitute like a Harvest Party or Trunk or Treat. I have been far more inclined to speak against the whole notion of it and totally ignore it. But this year, I want to encourage us, myself included, to take a somewhat different approach gleaned from what Jesus commanded us in Matthew 28:19-20: "Go [literally, "Going'" or "As you are going"] therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and 1o, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." The command of Jesus here is to "make disciples of all the nations." My plea for all of us this year "as [we] are going" about our affairs of life during this time the world calls Halloween is for us to take full advantage of this opportunity to speak up for the Lord and "disciple" or "teach" about Jesus Christ to those who blindly participate in worldly events like Halloween!!! After all, the mission work of the church both here in the U.S. and abroad in foreign lands is the responsibility of each and every Christian. How we fulfill that responsibility may differ but we all must do our part. Let me close with the words of the Apostle Paul inspired of the Holy Spirit: "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." (1 Corinthians 15:58) "Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done with love." (1 Corinthians 16:13)
Let's all get involved this year, let's take advantage of every opportunity (even one such as Halloween), and let's all do our part to "make disciples of all the nations" to the glory of God in Christ and to their salvation and a great harvest of souls for God!!
In Hish Loving Service,
Vernon