It seems one good thing that happen from 2020 onwards has been the amount of online Christian fellowship and ministry that’s happening.
I was thinking about my prayers and my prayers for others. I notice these days my prayers for those with prayer requests far exceed the prayer requests I get from people at church. That led me to think about the internet and ministry.
It seems with the pandemic and churches closing it led real Christians to also find other fellowship. If you know me I stress local church is important. And I know many on here have express the trials where there’s not a Biblical church nearby. But I also feel as a pastor who is trying to lead the church Biblically one also there’s not many who come visit that first priority is to be in a biblical church. And our area with the demographics I also don’t think people going to a church seems to be a priority with concerns with the pandemic.
Nevertheless as I think back the last two years I also see what I do online spill over to my local church. Some of you have prayed for my ministry and also helped in many ways, from teaching, giving, praying for persecuted Christians, and attend Bible studies. I think right now most of my Bible studies I teach with the exception of the youth is made up of more people who we met online than the local church.
Again I’m not saying all this to downplay local church. But all of this has got me thinking of how all our interaction even online ones are meaningful. And let’s keep it that way spiritually.
I have been so blessed by many of you!
The Domain for Truth 
I thank our Father for you. You have been a blessing to me and to others on the internet. May God continue to bless you.
Been a joy with you on here sister especially over the years
I thank God for y’all more than you will ever know. Nathan and I are in y’all’s corner! If I may say, I am thankful for all those whom the Lord has allowed me to get to know outside WP. Love and blessings to you, Nancy and kiddos!
So grateful for your friendship with our family! I am grateful for your ministry sister and fellowship! How is your day going??
It’s a good day. Seeing friends tonight for our Christmas dinner and then seeing my brother, sis-law, niece and nephew tomorrow so getting ready for all of this. How’s your Friday?!
We attend our local church gatherings to offer personal encouragement to those we meet there as well as support our local church. However, I meet many more people online.
May you be blessed in your ministry.
Praise God for your Christian encouragement both online and offline! Much blessings to you Frank!!
I’ve been ministering online for over 20 years. It’s not at all the same as in-person ministry, and could never replace it… but it’s still important. My tiny blog, with only a half-dozen new articles per year on average, gets 100,000 pageviews each month. That’s a great opportunity to plant seeds, teach the Scriptures, and encourage people to consider following Jesus more closely. Imagine how much more we could do for strangers around the world if we took the idea of witnessing online more seriously!
Wow praise God for Him using your blog!!!
Rejoicing at what God is doing through your site!
Dear Jim, We appreciate your ministry here and your encouragements for our local churches. Our Father is doing new things during this time to bring His people together around the world.
My ministry in leading women’s small prayer groups in our church since Jerry’s death and the crisis worldwide has turned to praying for and seeing these small prayer groups established in our churches and neighborhoods.
Our church has grown to the point of needing to expand the walls of our sanctuary. We are becoming a refuge for others whose doors have closed or whose churches are not preaching the whole counsel of God.
God’s people are searching for the truth which has been hard to find in the chaos of the last year. Prayers and blessings for your church and your ministry.
God bless you this is super encouraging to hear Frances!!
I am not being over dramatic when I say I really don’t know what I would have done without the brethren online, their support, encouragement and, prayers for me and my family have given me real hope and joy. As you know Jim I am one of those who don’t have a church, although I did for a short while. Over the years when I become housebound with health issues church contact is always lost, this is what happened again this year. Thus my dear brother, your ministry is a true God sent blessing to me for which I am truly thankful. May our Father God continue to guide and bless you, your family and your church.
Wow Alan thanks for sharing that. Wow that puts in perspective what we all are doing online on WordPress doesn’t it??
Alan called you a dear brother and that is exactly what you are Jim. I am continually amazed at your ability to personally touch each person you interact with, including myself. Love you in Christ brother – Bruce
Been grateful for your company and presence Bruce! I do consider you a dear brother! Hope you are having a blessed Advent season!!
Thank God for your online ministry…and those of others. The local church is important. Online ministry as well…none of this took God by surprised, I believe He uses both. He uses your and the ministry of others online as a blessing and impact to others for His glory.
Amen he used both! Grateful for your friendship on here sister! Hope your Christmas season is going well?
Hope you and your family are having a wonderful, worshipful CHRISTmas as well!
Grateful for your friendship and communion in the Lord, Jimmy. Like Alan, health issues keep me from attending my church most of the year. And Pat is right. Online ministry is not a surprise to God but part of His purpose, used to His glory as are all things we commit to Him. Roman roads united the church in different parts of the Roman Empire in Paul’s day and now it’s the internet and blogs! So let the gospel spread and faith bear fruit and our encouragement of one another in the good news that is the gospel of God continue by His grace. As Paul wrote in Romans 13:12: “The night is far gone; the day is at hand.” Come, Lord Jesus! Have a blessed Christmas season of worship and praise and blessing!! 🙂
What a blessed comment! I say amen to this: “ So let the gospel spread and faith bear fruit and our encouragement of one another in the good news that is the gospel of God continue by His grace”. Have a blessed Christmas season! Didn’t know you were limited with church at this time with health and that’s understandable with everything going on to be cautious!
Amen, Slim! I’m a big fan of the local church too, but where Christians go, the church goes, and the internet certainly needs us.
I do a lot more praying for people on line than I ever did in person, so that’s been a surprise. I think it might be easier to ask for prayer when you feel kind of anonymous?
Fortunately we have this very brave pastor here who refused to shut down, so I’ve been able to go to church all along. It’s been a little sketchy, we’ve had a couple of protestors, cops parked across the street, and we’ve been reported to the Governor’s hotline a few times, but so far, so good!
“ I think it might be easier to ask for prayer when you feel kind of anonymous?” Re: I think you might be right!!! Sometimes it can hard to share; I was ministering to someone last night and I prayed for him but he said the prayer requests is hard to share in our church meeting when one person we have always misunderstand those who pray for this area of life and then go talk about it to others (the guy is also special needs and mentally handicap so I’m also gracious with him even when I tell him don’t gossip and slander incorrectly by jumping to conclusion) and also sometimes it involves people knowing people (outside of Church) that is being prayed for! So all to say you are right. How are you holding up in your neck of the wood in these times?
Thanks for this post, brother! I’m grateful for you and your online ministry! Hope you have a good Saturday!
Thanks! How was Friday shift?
Thanks, brother! Super busy this weekend! Hope you have a good Saturday!
Howdy Jim, God has given us an amazing world. We get to use it for His glory, including the online realm. So thankful for your ministry and messages. My life in Jesus would not be the same without your insight, and that is due to the online world.
Blessings for a merry Christ-mas.
I agree with the importance of the local church. While my wife and I have only attended worship online for nearly two years, we hunger to return to in-person worship when we feel comfortable with it.
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Thank you so much for this message and all you do, online and with your local church. I pray for you as well as many others from that online community. May God bless you in many ways this coming year.
Reblogged this on Reformed Theology Blog.