Are you listening?

We must always remember that when preach a message (or listen to a sermon) there are more than one message, and more than one audience. For sure the congregation hears, and the Spirit speaks to each heart there. But there is also in that same sermon a message from Christ to the church corporate. And most interesting, there is almost always a thread of communication that can be heard as one looks at the last number of messages. What has He been saying over your church lately? How then do you apply THAT message to what you are doing and who you are?

This same line of thought can be applied to the community, if you know what has been spoken to the churches as a whole.  Even if you only look at a subset (as most ministerials are), you can often see what the Lord is saying to the community as a whole.  Often this is reflected in the issues the community is dealing with.  Such is one great value of being part of a ministerial (a group of church leaders from a local area, who typically meet monthly or quarterly for prayer and fellowship).