You are reading this post right now, but I want to ask you to close your eyes for a moment, and describe what you see in your community. God ahead, quit reading right now, close your eyes, and describe what you see in your community.

If you did what I asked you to do, odds are, you saw in your mind a world that we have created; houses, buildings, cars, roads, etc. For the most part, you probably saw a physical world. It is a rare thing for someone to describe their community in terms of people, and even more rare for someone to think of people and where they are spiritually.

For the last week, I have been trying to put my finger on why our missions trip to Belize in Central America was so powerful for me and everyone on our team. My daughter came back from Ireland last year, and she had the same experience. All of us have powerful memories and many long to go back. Why is that?

I have come to the conclusion that no matter where we go or what we are doing, what truly captures our hearts, is an encounter with God and a focus on His purposes.

When we were in Belize, our cell phones did not work. There was no TV. We walked everywhere together. We ate breakfast together. We worked together. We overcame adversity together. We prayed together. We did daily devotions together. We were focused on serving others together. We were focused on sharing what God was doing in our lives together. We were focused on sharing Christ with others that did not know Him together. We saw each other in a personal way. We saw people that were lost and hurting. We saw people through God’s eyes. We had a God encounter.

An encounter with God is what captures our hearts and it can happen anywhere, and our mission field is where God has put us. If you are going to have a God encounter, and accomplish His plans for your life, you must make time to be with Him, and see others through His eyes. Close your eyes, and answer these questions: 1) Where are you in your time with God? 2) Where are you in your relationship with Christ? 3) Where are you in your time with other believers? 4)Where are your family, friends and neighbors spiritually?

Look around, see the world through God’s eyes as He intended it.
SERMON: http://rpx.me/ZLhb

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20