My first year in ministry was in a little Methodist church in Sharptown, NJ. It was one of the most fruitful years of my life. Here’s why…
After a Sunday service, a precious elderly woman came to me and handed me a browned and fragile piece of paper. She said: “The Lord told me that I have carried this long enough and that I should give it to you now.”
When I opened it, I found these words:
Lord lay some soul upon my heart, and love that soul through me
May I bravely do my part, to win that soul for Thee
Give to me Your love for souls, for lost and wandering sheep
That I may see the multitudes, and weep as Thou didst weep
Help me to see the tragic plight, of those far off in sin
Help me to pray, help me to go, to bring the wandering in
O fire of love, O flame divine, make Thy abode in me
Burn in my life, burn evermore, til I burn out for Thee
From off the altar of Thy heart, Take Thou some flaming coal
Touch my life and give me Lord, a heart that’s hot for souls
I spent the next year reading through the Bible with this prayer: “Give me a heart that’s hot for souls as I study Your Word.”
I was amazed at how the Scripture opened up to me. I saw things I had never seen before. The Holy Spirit sealed in me that year that we have a Father who is unwilling that ANY of His little ones perish!
About Rich Stevenson
Rich is the Executive Director of The Malachi Network (www.malachinetwork.org), a ministry focused on making the name of the LORD great among the nations. This network serves young leaders in missions and church planting. He also serves as Executive Pastor at Wesley Church in Quarryville, PA. And in the summer, you can find him leading Avalon Beach Church in Avalon, NJ.
Prior to his present ministry, Rich pastored in Southern New Jersey, planted a church in Wilmore, KY, established a network of churches, served as an adjunct professor at Asbury College.
Rich is the author of five books:
Secrets of the Spiritual Life—10 Lessons from the One Thing Passages (Baker Books, 2003)
A Voice from Home—The Words You Long to Hear from Your Father (WaterBrook Press, 2005)
Let’s Dance – A New Way of Relating to Jesus (1elevenmedia, 2017)
40 Days of Easter – Walking with Jesus from the Resurrection to the Ascension (1elevenmedia, 2017)
Scattered Sheep – For Those Prone to Wander (1elevenmedia, 2017)
He graduated from Asbury College in 1984 with a BA degree in Philosophy of Religion and Asbury Theological Seminary in 1987 with a Master of Divinity degree. In 2010, Rich received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Union Biblical Seminary in Yangon, Myanmar.
Rich has been married to Tania since 1982 and they have been blessed by amazing children and grandchildren.
My first year in ministry was in a little Methodist church in Sharptown, NJ. It was one of the most fruitful years of my life. Here’s why…
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