Brethren,
As December comes to a close, I find myself looking ahead to 2015. It is hard to believe that my first year here in Moab has come and gone. This year has certainly been a busy one and as I look ahead to 2015, I can’t help but be thankful for all that the Lord accomplished in 2014. In 2014 we baptized three people, two of which are still with us. We have completed and are nearing completing our study of three New Testament books: Ephesians, James, and 1 Thessalonians. We have held a seminar which better equipped the congregation in Moab to more effectively reach this generation of people. We held a Fall Festival which allowed the Lord’s church to establish more of a presence in the community of Moab. And finally, contact has been made with several lost souls that are local to Moab. All these things were accomplished by His grace and providence.
However, as I reflect on 2014 and look ahead to 2015, I am reminded that the work here is far from complete. This last year has allowed me to become more familiar with the unique challenges that the work in Moab presents. As a result, I have been able to establish some goals for the year ahead. Among them, is to begin a young adult home Bible study. The reason I would like to do this is because most of the people I have established contact with here fall within the 20 to 40 age bracket and I believe a young adult home Bible study will prove fruitful in bringing these people in to a right relationship with our Lord.
The second goal that I have as I look ahead to 2015 is to continue to equip the congregation to be even better servants of the Lord. This will be accomplished first and foremost by placing an emphasis on the Lordship of Christ because one thing 2014 has taught me, it is that we as a church must be about converting people to Christ. When we do that, then obedience to the gospel will follow. Therefore, in accomplishing this goal I will be teaching and preaching several lessons from the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John which contain the words of Jesus Himself. Among these lessons will be a sermon series through the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7. These two are the primary goals that I have for 2015. I believe that if these two goals are met, the Lord will be able to accomplish great things through His church here in Moab and allow the congregation here to grow numerically but more importantly, spiritually.
Finally though, as I reflect on 2014 and look ahead to 2015, I am thankful for the generous financial support that you all have provided me with in order to do the Lord’s work here in Moab. Without you, doing the Lord’s work here in Moab and in the greater state of Utah would be much more challenging than it already is. I am so thankful for the financial support you have provided because it allows me to focus entirely on the Lord’s work without having to distract myself with secular work in order to meet my monthly expenses. Because of your generous support, you are aiding the Lord’s work here in Moab and in turn the state of Utah as a whole. As always, when I think of you I think of what Paul said to the Philippians in Philippians 1:3-5 “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now.” Thank you for your “participation in the gospel from the first day until now” through your generous financial support. Your generosity has not gone unnoticed, especially by the Lord who I know from experience will repay you for your generosity.
Wishing you all a very Happy and Blessed 2015,
In His service and on behalf of the Moab church of Christ,
David Malley