Biker Deacon Drew On Giving, Going and Growing

Deacon Drew Castoral

In Matthew 28:16-20, Jesus introduces us to the importance of missions. In that passage, known as the Great Commission, He tells the disciples to GO into all the world and make disciples. This is the command many missionaries have answered.

The church is called to support those missionaries. There are two missions in regards to Fellowship Church that stand out in my mind. One of those missions is I Am Born Again Ministries in Palawan, Philippines, and the other is, Feed My Sheep Ministries in Haiti.

Last week Harrell Hemingway, the missionary we support in the Philippines, spoke with us, and at the end of his message he invited us to pray with him concerning sponsoring a child. As the music started I went and prayed with my wife at the altar, and God gave me some pretty incredible instructions concerning ministry and missions! God reminded me that as a church we are called to give to the needy and the poor, both near and far! WE can do this in many ways. WE can do this financially through sponsorship, and by meeting the needs of others physically. Many of us do this by sending clothes and materials to Haiti, or bicycles to the Philippines, or by directly sponsoring with our finances. The church, as a whole, sponsors these missionaries every month with a portion of your tithes. But our support is not limited to just these things. We are also called to pray for our brothers and sisters, who with much faith, have answered the call to be missionaries -- which is not an easy job.

As I continued to pray, I asked for the Lord to give Harrell the strength he needed to continue the mission God gave him. And in that moment, I felt God move in my heart, and I began to understand how one faithful congregant could invest in some good soil and reap a harvest, and how one person could change a child’s life, or a man’s household. The command of the Great Commission is a resounding GO for every Christian. The fruits of this going are very important. They include lives saved, towns revived, and Christian communities planted. It starts with US, the church, having compassion in our hearts, and yielding to God.

So GIVE according to what God has given you. GO according to His power and mandate, and watch His Kingdom GROW.

This week Pastor Damon and some of our Fellowship family had an opportunity to GO to Haiti and GIVE. Ask them how much they grew the kingdom, and ask how much their giving grew them.