I have made you a watchman; so hear the words I speak and give them warning for me. --Ezekiel 33:1-9
Grants Pass, Oregon is the gateway to the Wild and Scenic Rogue River. Just west of Grants Pass the river rushes through a 250-foot deep rock cleft known as Hellgate Canyon. This world renown gorge stands as a strong monument to the city and draws a significant stream of tourists into the community to experience Hellgate via jet boats and white water rafts.
Ten years ago, the First Baptist Church of Grants Pass went through a restructuring program and wanted to rename the church. While many proposals were submitted, Pastor Mark Goens suggested The Church at Hellgate. He argued the name had direct ties to our community while symbolically representing a church standing at the very gates of hell rescuing the perishing. Church members, perhaps concerned how such a name would look on the church’s letterhead, voted instead for a less controversial name and First Baptist Church of Grants Pass became River Valley Community Church. A truly vibrant and evangelistic church focused on reaching the lost for Christ, regardless of its unpretentious name.
However, unconcerned about letterhead, or political correctness, or voting members, I took a liking to Pastor Mark’s suggestion and have chosen to use a variation of this name for my blog-site: Watchmen at Hellgate.
I believe many followers of Christ truly want to be watchmen. You and me, we want to stand at the gates of hell and warn the lost. As God’s children we recognize the significance of The Great Commission and understand it is our responsibility to disciple the nations. We want to join God in building His Kingdom. We know this is what we are to do. But how to actually do this thing we call evangelism escapes us.
My goal is to unravel the mystery the church calls The Great Commission. To answer questions about a topic given to the church some two thousand years ago
and how this is supposed to be relevant to me today. What does it mean to disciple a nation? Is it possible to preach the gospel to all creation? Do the methods of evangelism used in the first century church still work in a 21st century church? And more importantly, how does all this apply to you and me in our daily lives?
Watchmen at Hellgate is a daily devotional guide designed to help in your walk with Christ as you attempt to make sense out of sharing your faith in the real world, with real people.
"I have made you a watchman, give them warning for me." GO!
