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Quenching the Universal Thirst for Christ by Kimm Carr

Christian Leadership Alliance

By Kimm Carr

A common thread has been woven through my life. It is the power of the Word of God.

I experienced the power of God’s Word from the time I grew up in church through the time of my coming to saving knowledge of Christ as a college student. It buoyed me from caring for the hearing impaired as an audiologist to caring for my family as a wife and mother. And Scripture has been central to my journey from serving as teaching director of a local Community Bible Study to my role today as executive director of Community Bible Study.

There is a thirst in the human heart that transcends age, gender, culture, language and geography. God can only quench this thirst. Our source of knowing the eternal God is through his Word.

As Christian leaders, we share a common call. It’s the same call shared by Christian leaders who came before us. It’s the same call that will be given to those who follow us. Regardless of when we are called to lead, between the bookends of eternity, our shared mandate is to channel the living water of the Lord Jesus Christ to thirsty souls in the here and now.

We live in times of unprecedented change. Ours is an ever-shrinking world, growing less familiar each day. We live today within the confines of a creation groaning under the increasing weight of the fall. So how can we channel the living water of Jesus to today’s thirsty souls?

We must remember God’s lasting promise in Isaiah 55:10–11:

“As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

As Christian leaders in the midst of a groaning creation hurtling towards Jesus, we must intentionally equip ourselves by drinking deeply of God’s Word. We too share the thirst for that living water. In our time, just as in times past, it is the unchanging Word of God that transcends every boundary and effectively pours out the eternal gospel of Jesus Christ.

Community Bible Study is committed to this vision of the future: that God’s powerful Word will transform individuals, families, communities and even generations. I serve alongside thousands of other leaders who are called by God to the mission of channeling the Lord Jesus Christ toward thirsty souls around the globe. They do this through caring, in-depth Bible study, available to all. In only 40 years,

Community Bible Study has grown from one class in Bethesda, Maryland, to more than 200,000 participants in more than 80 counties and 65-plus languages. I share this not to make much of Community Bible Study, but to make much of the reality that our Lord continues to meet the thirsty through his Word.

I have seen thirsty souls, at every imaginable point in their journey with Christ; experience the security, hope, transformation and joy that come only from knowing him through the truth of Scripture. I can testify based on 40 years of evidence within Community Bible Study, that the Word of God alone remains the transcendent quencher of the universal thirst for Jesus — the longing for eternity, which God has placed in the hearts of man. From Africa to Europe, from Asia across the Americas, we daily see the miracle of God’s Word sinking deep into the souls of men, women and children.

I am convinced if we lead from the foundation of the Word of God, and weave it deeply into the expression of our leadership contexts, we will see the glory of God in the land of the living. We will see God’s Word achieving his eternal purposes worldwide until Christ returns

It is profoundly humbling, surprising and gratifying to be in the company of redeemed servants such as you who are already living your eternal lives with Jesus and channeling his redemptive love toward thirsty souls here on earth. Blessings in the name of Jesus upon you as you pursue the kingdom leadership to which God has called you.

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Kimm Carr is the executive director of Community Bible Study. Since 1975, Community Bible Study has been helping people — from children to seniors — to grow in their knowledge and love of Jesus Christ. This post is an excerpt from her article in the 2015 Spring edition of Outcomes Magazine.

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