CONVERSATIONS | with Pastor Casey Cleveland

Pastor Daniel talks with his friend and fellow local pastor Casey Cleveland from The Avenue Church in Delray Beach, sharing what it means to serve and love the city of Delray Beach and the encouragement they are to each other as they plough and labor together with their church communities to impact the city for Jesus. Casey describes his approach in the words of another Christian leader, Dr. Paul Tripp: “Love, Know, Speak, Do.” These are the four key steps in reaching the people where God has sent you. “What are the hopes and the hurts and the wishes of your city?” Loving your community begins by being a faithful presence in good times and bad, getting to know personally who these people are, sharing the gospel in a way that is relevant to them and inviting them to be a part of God’s family. Why is it important to love the city where you live? What does it look like and how do we take practical steps to make this a part of our lives? Take a listen.

What Does It Look Like To Serve Our City? by Bryan Henderson

Gospel Communities are the heart of Anchor Church as we share our lives together throughout the week. In this post, Bryan Henderson explores what it looks like to serve our city as a family of missionaries.

As we seek to live as a family of missionaries, it is essential to have clarity about who we are reaching out to. We need gospel vision to see the opportunities God has put before us.

To help us identify this, we have asked each of our Gospel Communities to ask two questions.

1. Who are the people that God has placed before us?
God has already put people in our lives—friends, family, coworkers, that are part of the everyday rhythms of our lives.

How can we be more intentional in these relationships to move people from friends to disciples?

One way is by serving them. As we practically bless our friends, we demonstrate the love of God and live such phenomenal lives that it demands an explanation.

2. What are the needs of our local community?
When God sent Israel into exile in Babylon, he instructed them to seek the welfare of that city, because in its welfare they too would find their own welfare (Jeremiah 29:7).

As we bless the local communities that God has placed us in, we are displaying the same generous, reckless love that God first showed to us. We are praying that people will see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven (1 Peter 2:12).

Serving in Summer Hill
Last year, the Summer Hill Gospel Community asked shoppers entering IGA to consider buying a few extra items to bless refugees through our partnership with Simple Love. These groceries were then taken to the local asylum seeker centre to provide for the basic necessities of refugees who are unable to work and provide for themselves.

This is just one example from many of a living church that is seeking the welfare of our city!

Pray for Sydney
As we serve our city, we must continue to pray! A gospel awakening can only happen in Sydney by God’s power. Jesus promises to build his church and offers us the privilege of co-labouring with our God to this end!

Lord revive. Lord restore. Lord awaken our hearts and the hearts of people in our city to see the beauty of the gospel!