Reflections on Two Year Anniversary

It’s hard to believe I’ve been at Kelowna Gospel Fellowship for two years already!  God has been so faithful in this new chapter of my life, and the family at KGF.  It’s so great to be able to say my love for God and the local church has increased during these two years, and I pray you can say the same.

Anniversaries also come with a bit of personal reflection, which was prompted by a friend of mine who asked a probing question during coffee last week.  He said “What would the Mike today tell the Mike 7 or 8 years ago?”  That’s a great question when you think of it.  I’ve had the chance to be a pastor since 1999, so 12 years (am I really that old!)  And if we’re honest, we hope that with age comes maturity (maybe not always the case?) and with experience comes helpful lessons that we learn along the way.

So what would the 37 year old Mike today tell the 30 year old Mike?  Three things came to mind quite quickly.

 

First, people are more important than programs.  That may sound like a no-brainer, but for me, I put a lot of emphasis on having good programs, and sometimes that came at the expense of people.  In fact, if I’m brutally honest, I felt people sometimes got in the way of the programs.  How messed up is that?  The classic “pastor” statement is, “I love being a pastor except for the people.”  But the truth is ministry is really all about people.  I am seeking to live that out, spending more time with people than program, trusting that if I focus on relationships, the other part will be taken care of as well.  Much of the work of ministry takes place between Sundays, and I am seeking to align my days accordingly.  I hope you see that shift in me, which continues to be a work in progress!

Second, the Mike today would tell the Mike 7 or 8 years ago to hold ministry closely but loosely.  I used to think that if anything was going to happen, it was going to be because I was making it happen.  Again, how self-centered is that?  God has really been working on me in this area, reminding me that it is HIS work, and HIS church, and HE loves these people way more than I ever could.  He does not need me, but He chooses to use people to advance His kingdom.  At the end of the day, Jesus says “I will build my church, and all the powers of hell​ will not conquer it.”  That’s a pretty good promise to stand on, and it removes so much of the pressure that we place on ourselves.  I am learning to hold KGF closely but loosely, because it’s not mine but His.  

Third, I would tell the old Mike to be careful about preaching a legalistic Christianity.  It’s so easy to slip into a mode of “do these things and your life will be better”.  It’s almost like we offer people a Christian “pill” that makes things 24 percent better.  I look back on some of my old messages and wonder what I was thinking!  God is truly capturing my heart when it comes to His love, His grace, His work in our lives.  This is not a cheap love or cheap grace or cheap work, but rather one with Him in the driver’s seat.  My greatest desire these days is to do whatever I can to help people discover that God is good, and that God's love is a pursuing love. 

I think that sometimes we do a classic “bait’n’switch” when it comes to salvation.  We share John 3:16, for God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.  We love this verse for those who don’t know Jesus, but then as soon as we make a decision to offer Him our lives, we seem to think it no longer applies to us, and not we have to make it on our works.  Friends, put your name in that verse, right now. . . “For God so loved Mike that he gave his only son, that if Mike believes in him, Mike will not perish but have everlasting life.”  That is the Gospel, the good news. . . God has come near to bring us home!

I’ve shared some of my own reflections on the work of God in my life over these years.  Maybe it would be a helpful journey for you to ask yourself that question: what would the “you” of today tell the “you” of 10 years ago?  How have you changed?  What is God revealing in your life?  May the journey of your life bring you daily closer to the one who moved heaven and earth to bring you home!

It's been an exciting journey, and I can't wait to see what God wants to teach me next!

Pastor Mike Penninga

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