What is a Gatekeeper?
Quite simply, the Lord appointed gatekeepers because he wants a house with open gates so that his people can eagerly enter his presence with praise and thanksgiving. Gatekeepers are those who make a way for others to come. They are our volunteers, prayer partners, strategic partners, and our return guests who are led by the Spirit of God to bring a friend to a Gateway Stories night.
It was a Friday afternoon at the end of the school year, May 27th. Gateway had our next event scheduled at the Airway Baptist Church in Southeast Houston near Hobby airport. I had just finished my final day of radiation for throat cancer that morning and we loaded up the cars in the early afternoon. Though I was tired and worn out from the treatments, it never fails that when we bring Gateway to a sister church, my heart is filled with so much joy and I’m energized by the Holy Spirit. This day was no exception, and God used our volunteer team to help in powerful ways that day. Scripture writes about the body of Christ and how we each have different gifts.
“Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.” Romans 12:6-8
Without the help of our Gateway volunteer team, there would have been no way for us to pull off this event that evening. A week before, Amanda and Denise, helped to sort and organize all our items to get us ready to travel.
Then, that evening, Amanda, and her beautiful daughters, Kaylee and Evelyn, helped us unload, set up, greet guests, and serve dinner, and clean up afterwards.
Along with them, we were blessed when both Stephanie and her daughter Jude called me and said she wanted to come serve, and it didn’t matter to her how far the drive was! After work, they both drove on the Houston freeway and traveled close to two hours one way just to serve guests on a local mission field that they had never met.
The Lord used them in so many special ways. Greeting neighbors, helping new guests feel comfortable, and modeling what it means to be a servant leader. You can read more about Stephanie’s powerful conversion story from the Muslim faith here https://gatewaystories.org/stephanies-story/.
“I really enjoyed hearing Joey’s testimony and seeing how Gateway serves people and that is why I felt I wanted to serve with Gateway. It was a desire to serve God by serving people being loved by Gateway, not to win God’s favor but because oh He loves us so.” ~Stephanie
