Scripture:
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
Thought for the day:
It is an exciting time and challenging time to be a Christian! Look beyond the committees and the councils; look beyond the programming and the property; see the existence of the church for what it is…
A means to bring people into a life-saving relationship with Jesus Christ!
Scripture insists that our very purpose for existence once embracing God’s saving grace is communicating the good news of that grace to everyone else. “Everyday people die without a relationship with Jesus Christ, who paid for their sins with his death and resurrection.” This truth makes our work that much more urgent as Carl Henry stated, “The gospel is good news only if it arrives in time.” And today is the last day for someone!
To make someone’s the last day a day of eternal joy is the epitome of our faith. But how do we remove the obstacles preventing people from hearing the good news?
Certainly, providing a place of fellowship and sharing God’s love with one another is extremely helpful but sometimes we make that our goal instead of Christ command to “Go into the world, making disciples…”
Kent Hunter, Discover Your Windows: Lining Up With God’s Vision, uses the analogy of a country club. In this analogy, members pay dues and receive services. Some enjoy being catered too while others enjoy helping with club functions but ultimately purpose of a country club is to make members happy and comfortable. Unfortunately, the country club is not a model that the church can imitate and remain faithful to the Great Commission commanded by Jesus Christ to make disciples. Why? Because the country club mentality deals with those on the inside and making disciples deals with those on the outside.
The church must meet the needs of those people who do not have a real relationship with God, who are not part of the community of faith or else the church fails to abide by the commands of Christ.
We must find ways to remain relevant as the body of Christ in a changing world.
Engage in conversations concerning the future of mission and ministry, talk about how God would have you utilize your resources. These conversations of faith identify our community of faith, our God and us.
Prayer for the day:
Dear Lord, today is the last day someone will get to hear your Word. Grant me the courage to have that conversation with someone today. Amen.