" Just as each one of you has received a special gift [a spiritual talent, an ability graciously given by God], employ it in serving one another as [is appropriate for] good stewards of Gods multi-faceted grace [faithfully using the diverse, varied gifts and abilities granted to Christians by Gods unmerited favor]. Whoever speaks [to the congregation], is to do so as one who speaks the oracles (utterances, the very words) of God. Whoever serves [the congregation] is to do so as one who serves by the strength which God [abundantly] supplies, so that in all things God may be glorified [honored and magnified] through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 4:10-11 AMP)
This October, we, the GMI family, will once again hold a Retreat Encounter & GMI Family Days 2025 which invites all congregations in the GMI environment to unite in fulfilling the vision that God has given us for His church. The theme of the Retreat in 2025 is "Be pure like Gold" (Revelation 3:18). The purpose of the Retreat Encounter is to invite the entire congregation to serve Christ by fulfilling His calling so that God may be glorified. There are still many children of God who have not yet realized how important it is for every member of the Body of Christ to serve as a member of the Body of Christ. This is not a matter of whether we can or cannot, whether we want to or not, but rather how we can fulfill our calling as members of the Body of Christ to serve one another and also to fulfill the calling of special ministry in building His body. The participation and involvement of every member of the Body of Christ in attending the Retreat Encounter is an inseparable part of realizing His plan for the future of His church. The Retreat can be an important means for achieving the vision and mission of building His body as written in Ephesians 4:16 which says From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. That is why the apostle Paul felt the need to explain to the congregation in Ephesus that every member of the Body of Christ needs to be united in carrying out ministry according to the level of work of each member. Each member needs to pay attention to the ministry they received from the Lord, which must be carried out fully for the sake of building up His body. The word "fully" is an important word that also indicates the highest commitment to fulfilling God's calling. Every member of God's family is called by God to carry out the ministry they have received fully for the benefit of the entire body of Christ. If we all desire to fulfill our vision in the lives of all GMI congregations, then it would be very effective if every person who has become a GMI member could carry out the ministry fully in every city where he is located. The participation of each member, the sacrifice of time, money and energy is highly expected from all of us. This is also what the apostle Paul longed for the churches he founded, namely that every member could receive service in the Lord and the name of God would be increasingly glorified. The day of the Lord's return is getting closer, and let us be more diligent in serving while it is still day. There will come night, when no one can work (John 9:4 We must do the works of Him who sent Me, while it is day; there will come night, when no one can work). Let us serve together to glorify God. ... the Son of Man also came not to be served, but to serve.. (Mark 10:45). Let's also remember what Jesus said in John 12:26, ??"Whoever serves Me must follow Me, and where I am, there My servant will be. Whoever serves Me, the Father will honor him." See you at our family retreat in Vouren-Belgium, Lord Jesus bless! Amen!
By Pastor Silwanus Obadja M.Th.