INCREDIBLE BLESSINGS PART II (Ephesians 1:6-9)

We have been talking about the incredible blessings that God freely lavished upon all Christians regardless of their background. Last Sunday we learned that a simple definition of a Christian is “a saint” A ‘saint’ or a set apart one for God.  You may not be feeling a saint this morning, perhaps sick, sleepy and struggling with sin but nevertheless if you are a born again Christian then you are a saint. Not only has God set Christians apart for himself but also blessed them with manifold blessings and seven of them are found in Ephesians 1: 6-9.(Read)

A bit of background on the book of Ephesians will help us understand this better. The apostle Paul wrote this letter during (AD 60-64) to the church in the city of Ephesus, capital of the Roman province of Asia (Asia Minor, Modern Turkey). Though it was addressed to the Church in Ephesus it may have been a circular letter intended to be read by all the churches in Asia Minor. In this epistle, the word church means Church universal. Therefore the truths from this letter are applicable to believers of all times.

Ephesians is one of Paul’s five “Prison Epistles”, probably written while in prison in Rome. This letter is rich in New Testament doctrine but also is filled with practical suggestions on Christian behavior. This is a letter of encouragement and admonition, written to remind believers of their incredible blessings in Jesus Christ; and not only to be thankful for those blessings but also to live in a manner of worthy of them. So far we looked at three incredible blessings namely; 1. A divine election (Hand picked by God) 2. A divine adoption (Adopted by God) 3. A divine redemption (Set free by God.) Today we will focus on two more of the Incredible Blessings of Christians: The abundant grace and the mystery of His will.

I THE ABUNDANT GRACE: (Vs 6)

Vs 6, “To the praise of the glory, of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.” The ultimate purpose of our salvation is first and foremost for the glory of God. In Ephesians 2:8, we read, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works so that no one can boast."

           

Our salvation is a free gift of grace. We did not deserve it neither did we earn it by our good works. It was absolutely God’s doing. The word grace in Greek means: a favor, acceptance, a kindness granted, a benefit. A favor done without expectation of return. God’s grace affects man’s sinfulness and not only forgives the repentant sinner, but brings joy and thankfulness to him. Let me illustrate grace. In a great article on grace Charles Stanley notes:

“One of my more memorable seminary professors had a practical way of illustrating to his students the concept of grace. At the end of his evangelism course he would distribute the exam with the caution to read it all the way through before beginning to answer it. This caution was written on the exam as well. As we read the test, it became unquestionably clear to each of us that we had not studied nearly enough. 

The further we read, the worse it became. About halfway through, audible groans could be heard through out the lecture hall. On the last page, however, was a note that read, "You have a choice.

You can either complete the exam as given or sign your name at the bottom and in so doing receive an A for this assignment." Wow? We sat there stunned. "Was he serious? Just sign it and get an A?" Slowly, the point dawned on us, and one by one we turned in our tests and silently filed out of the room.

When I talked with the professor about it afterward, he shared some of the reactions he had received through the years. Some students began to take the exam without reading it all the way through, and they would sweat it out for the entire two hours of class time before reaching the last page. Others read the first two pages, became angry, turned the test in blank, and stormed out of the room without signing it. They never realized what was available, and as a result, they lost out totally.

One fellow, however, read the entire test, including the note at the end, but decided to take the exam anyway. He did not want any gifts; he wanted to earn his grade. And he did. He made a C+, but he could easily have had an A.

This story illustrates many people’s reaction to God’s solution to sin. Some people look at God’s standard--moral and ethical perfection--and throw their hands up in surrender. Why even try? They tell themselves. I could never live up to all that stuff. Others are like the student who read the test through and was aware of the professor’s offer but took the test anyway.

Unwilling to simply receive God’s gift of forgiveness, they set about to rack up enough points with God to earn it. But God’s grace truly is like the professor’s offer. It may seem unbelievable, but if we accept it, then, like the stunned students who accepted the professor’s offer, we, too, will discover that, Yes, God’s grace truly is free.

It is not only free it is abundant, it never runs dry. It is always available for a repentant sinner. No matter what horrible sin you have done, this morning, God’s grace is sufficient for you. You don’t deserve his grace but he gives it to you. All you have to do is to accept it by faith and receive his forgiveness. Dou you want to know what grace looks like and like, it looks like Jesus. “He came from the father, “full of grace and truth. He personified God’s grace. He showed us what grace is like through his life and death.

Though being in very nature God, He did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing… he humbled himself to death even death on a cross. Through his substitutionary death, God imputed righteousness to us. In other words God accepts us as his righteous and beloved children and blesses us with his abundant grace.

What does it mean that we are blessed with his abundant grace? As undeserving as we were yet received grace so we are to give grace to the most undeserving people. We can not afford to hold grudges against the brothers and sisters in the family of God. If God could be gracious toward us and forgave and accepted us how can we not then be gracious towards our spouses, children and friends even when they hurt us? Being God’s children not only makes us recipients of his grace but also makes us his confidants. He reveals the mystery of His will.

II. THE MYSTERY OF HIS WILL: (Vs 9)      

Vs 9, “And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ.” This scripture explains that God keeps no secrets from his Children; moreover it was His pleasure to reveal His will to them and what he purposed to do in Christ.

                                                                 

The apostle Paul calls this a mystery (highly kept secret) and it is only meant for God’s children. For example: A stranger is denied a share of little familiarities and secrets of a family. No one in the family is willing to take him into the delightful confidence of its innermost secrets. In the same manner, the unregenerate are excluded from the sweet inner experiences and knowledge of the secrets of God which He entrusts to the members of his family or household. Ps 25:14, “The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.”

What is the mystery of God’s will?  The mystery of God’s will has two dimensions: one for the individual believer and the second is for the world. First, the mystery of God’s will in the life of an individual believer.

Paul unfolds this individual mystery in Colossians 1: 24-27. “I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness- the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Can you imagine what would that do to you, when you know that Christ lives in you? It is indeed a mystery, how in the world is that possible, that the creator the whole universe makes his dwelling in your heart? It is highly impossible to fathom, but that is what exactly took place when we have opened our hearts to God and surrendered our lives to Him the king of the universe came to live inside of us.

Christ in you; let that truth sink in a bit. When Christ is living in us is there anything we lack? Is there anything or anyone we are afraid of? Is there anything that we can not do? When we know Christ is living in us how can we go out and offer the parts of our body to adultery, pornography, smoking pot and drunkenness? When Christ is living in us how can we not forgive those who have hurt us? Would Christ in you be honored when you let your tongue indulge in gossip? When Christ is in you can you honestly hold on to bitterness?

Christ in you, this profound truth has been kept hidden for all ages and generations but now has been disclosed to us by the power of the Holy Spirit. When we believe it and apply to it and begin to live accordingly it will radically revolutionize our lives.  This Christ living in me concept is not new to me but I am beginning to see it in a fresh way and it is changing my perspective on how I see myself, how I view others and how I interpret the world around me. If there is one thing you can take away from this message it is to know that Christ in you is the hope of glory. Christ in you is all you need or ever want, because in Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 

The second dimension of the mystery is what God will do at the end of the world. In our passage Paul explains, when the fullness of time comes God is going to bring everything in heaven and on earth together under one head that is His Son Jesus Christ. If we take a close look at our world who do you think is controlling the world? It looks like as if the most part of the world is under the grip of the prince of the air. There is crime, starvation, war, political unrest, economic crisis, apathy, greed, sexual immorality, arrogance, addiction, divorce, murdering of the innocent children, and the persecution of believers. It feels like as if the devil is in absolute control and he is having a field day.

We wonder and complain like the ancient prophet Habakkuk, saying, “How long, O Lord, must I call for help?...Why do you tolerate the wicked?..(Habakkuk 1:14-15). But let’s take heart. The long wait is over. There are signs all around us that remind us, not too long from now God is going to bring his judgment upon the earth. That will happen when Christ returns to the earth for the second time. When Christ returns what will happen to all the believers and to all those who rejected Him?  He will gather all the believers to himself to rule and reign with him throughout eternity and He will send the devil and all his followers to a hopeless eternity.

That is the mystery revealed in God’s word. In closing, I want to ask how many of you are sure that you have received God’s abundant grace and understand the mystery of God’s will? If you are sure, then thank God. If you are not sure, you can be sure of it today; all you have to do is to ask Jesus to forgive your sins and come reside in your heart. If you do that sincerely; then you too will become a son of God and have access to all these incredible blessings. Amen

INCREDIBLE BLESSINGS: PART I EPHESIANS 1:1-14

Hans Christian Andersen’s tale of “The Ugly Duckling” illustrates the truth that what you know and believe to be truth determines your behavior. Although hatched in the same nest as the other eggs, this “duckling” looked different. He was big and ugly, not soft and yellow like the other ducklings. No one could understand what was wrong with the ugly duckling – not the Mother Duck, not the Rabbit, not the Turkey . . . not even the ugly Duckling himself!

Can you imagine what the Ugly Duckling might have been thinking about himself? “What’s wrong with me? I’m so worthless! I’m such a failure! I’m not measuring up to the other ducks!” The result of such thinking was: Depression, feelings of worthlessness, a sense of failure, always trying to perform like the other ducks and perhaps feelings of rejection.

But what was the truth? The truth was that the Ugly Duckling wasn’t a duck after all. It was a swan. Over the long winter months the “duckling” had changed. It had become what it really had always been, a swan, beautiful and graceful like all the other swans.

The Ugly Duckling believed that he was a duck and an ugly duck at that! But just because he thought this to be the truth, was it really the truth? Indeed not! The Ugly Duckling believed a lie and because of what he believed, his behavior was affected. So it is with us.

Do you think like the Ugly Duckling and undermine your true worth? If we believe a lie we will find ourselves in bondage. If we believe the truth about what God says about us, we will be set free. What is the truth about who you really are? In Ephesians 1:1-14 the Apostle Paul describes who Christians really are regardless of their past background, not only who they are in Christ but also he enlists seven incredible blessings that are part and parcel of every child of God. Let’s Read (Ephesians 1:1-14)

BACKGROUND TO EPHESIANS

The apostle Paul wrote this letter during (AD 60-64) to the church in the city of Ephesus, capital of the Roman province of Asia (Asia Minor, Modern Turkey). Though it was addressed to the Church in Ephesus it was encyclical, intended to be red by all the churches in Asia Minor. The city of Ephesus was perhaps best known for its magnificent temple of Artemis, or Diana, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It was also an important political, educational, and commercial center. Ephesus proved to be a very powerful springboard for influencing the world for Christ.

Paul visited Ephesus three times during his missionary journeys. Ephesians is one of Paul’s five “Prison Epistles”, probably written while in prison in Rome. This letter is rich in New Testament doctrine but also is filled with practical suggestions on Christian behavior. This is a letter of encouragement and admonition, written to remind believers of their incredible blessings in Jesus Christ; and not only to be thankful for those blessings but also to live in a manner of worthy of them. Today we will focus on three Incredible Blessings of Christians.

Paul begins his letter by asserting his apostleship then addresses the Ephesians believers as, “saints and faithful” This was a common way how Paul addressed all the believers. The word saint means holy, set apart, consecrated. The whole idea here is “separation.” The word saint designates those whom God has set apart from sin to himself, made holy through their faith in Christ. If you confess Christ as your Lord and savior then you are a saint; you may still struggle with sin as we all do at times, nevertheless you are saints. This is a radical thought!

We tend to believe certain so called Christian myths, like, “God helps those who help themselves” or “I am just a sinner saved by grace.” We hear a lot of Christians saying these words without even thinking. Are we still sinners saved by grace? Is there any scriptural basis for this myth; absolutely none yet every body keep saying, I am just a sinner saved by grace. On the contrary, several scriptures suggest that, we are made holy, we have been justified, we have been   from the kingdom of darkness into His son’s marvelous light; we are a new creation, God will not remember the sins of our youth, God has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west and so on.

No doubt while we were still yet sinners Christ died for us and only by grace we have been saved through faith. But once you are saved you are no longer just a sinner saved by grace now you are a saint. So next time you tend to think you are just a sinner saved by grace, stop and be amazed with the truth that God doesn’t see you anymore as a sinner but sees you as a saint! That is the work of the Holy Spirit in us. If only we believe this truth and live accordingly, it will revolutionize the way we see ourselves and other brothers and sisters in the body of Christ.

A simple definition of Christian is a saint or a set apart one for God. Not only has God set Christians apart for himself but also blessed them with manifold blessings and seven of them we read in this passage. Three of them we will study today. The first one: A divine election.

I. A DIVINE ELECTION: (Vs4)

Vs 4 “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless.” This verse talks about a divine election. It is emphasized in the following ways in this chapter. Here “he chose us” Vs 5 “he predestined us” Vs 11, “we were also chosen” and “having been predestined.” Divine election refers to God’s volitional intention and decision. In other words it entirely depends on God’s will. He will do what he chooses to do by His own will. The doctrine of divine election or predestination is emphasized throughout scripture.

For example:

Deut 7:6, “For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.”

John 6:44, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.” These two scriptures seem to indicate that God is the one who saves or draws the people whom he wants to save.

Therefore no one who is saved can say that he is saved because of his own choice of God. His salvation is in response to God’s choice or election of him.

And, on the other hand, no one who is lost can say that he is lost because God willed him to be lost. God’s election or predestination does not operate apart from human free will or it will nullify human responsibility.

In 1982, in God’s providence salvation came to me. I don’t understand why me and why not so many of my friends, relatives and people of my home town.  But I am grateful that God chose to save me from eternal destruction, not because I was better than the others but it was purely his choice that I was shown grace and mercy.  My next question therefore needs to be for what purpose did God save me or elect me? So that I might live a holy and blameless life for His praise and glory. It was all God’s doing and none of my doing.

I simply accepted the invitation and became the beneficiary of God’s election of me in His son Jesus Christ. The same applies to all of you who have responded to God’s invitation. We are called to live holy and blameless lives before Him. The ultimate purpose of election to salvation is the glory of God. The second blessing of Christians is a divine adoption.

II. A DIVINE ADOPTION: (Vs 5)

Vs5, “In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.” This scripture talks about our adoption as sons into God’s family.

Again this was determined long ago by God that he would adopt all those who believe in his Son Jesus Christ as sons in his family. John 1:12, “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” Romans 8:15, “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship (adoption). And by him we cry, Abba, Father.” Being called the son of God is another incredible blessing only given to Christians. Let me work this concept of “sonship” out for you. Can you imagine for a moment what it is to be a son of God?

Watchman Nee tells about a new convert who came in deep distress to see him. "No matter how much I pray, no matter how hard I try, I simply cannot seem to be faithful to my Lord. I think I'm losing my salvation." Nee said, "Do you see this dog here? He is my dog. He is house-trained; he never makes a mess; he is obedient; he is a pure delight to me. Out in the kitchen I have a son, a baby son. He makes a mess, he throws his food around, he fouls his clothes, he is a total mess. But who is going to inherit my kingdom? Not my dog; my son is my heir.” Incase if you ever wonder about your identity and struggle with self pity, hear the encouraging words of Paul to the Ephesians believers. It was God’s will and his good pleasure to adopt you as a son into His family through Jesus Christ His Son.

What does it mean to be a son in God’s family? I John 1:18, “No one has ever seen God, but God the One and only (the only begotten), who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.” God deemed it necessary to send his only begotten son (Jesus) into the world so that Jesus could reveal God to the world. In other words, if it was not for Jesus we would not know what God is like. Paul tells us in Christ we become the sons of God. As God manifested himself through Jesus now he wants’ to manifest His presence through his adopted sons in the family, that is you and I.

What an incredible blessing it is to know that we are sons of God! How that was made possible? God did it by granting us redemption through the blood of Christ.

III. A DIVINE REDEMPTION :( Vs7)

Vs7 “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins..”

Redemption is neither a “Tattoo shop” nor the latest drug in the market. It is the old English word which means, “The act of buying something back, or paying a price to return something to your possession.” In the Biblical Greek it has more in depth meaning.  It means "to purchase in the marketplace." In ancient times, it often referred to the act of buying a slave. The Christian use of redemption means Jesus Christ, through his sacrificial death, purchased believers from the slavery of sin to set us free from that bondage.

It also means going from something to something else. In this case it is Christ freeing us from the bondage of the law to freedom of a new life in him. Finally it means "to obtain release by the payment of a price." In this case the price was Christ's precious blood, which obtained our release from sin. Some one said, ““If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent an educator. If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent a scientist. If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent an economist. But, our greatest need was forgiveness and redemption, and, therefore, God sent a Savior!

Last week Americans have seen two redeemers in John W. Henry the owner of the Red Sox who bought the “Boston Globe” for $70 million and Jeff Bezo the founder of Amazon.com who bought the “Washington Post” for $250 million. In a sense what these two men did was to save these age old news paper companies from near extinction, by doing so they saved many people from loosing their jobs. Let’s hope that they will improve the image and the circulation of these papers so that “pure journalism through print media will continue for a long time.

In essence that is what Christian redemption all about. Romans 3:23-24 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” We were bankrupt on all fronts. Sin has ravaged our lives. If we die in our sins we would be totally annihilated forever in hell. But thank God the redeemer, Christ stepped in time, shed his precious blood and bought us back to himself. Now we are a new creation. Christ gives us hope. Therefore we can not only survive but also succeed in this life not only here but through out eternity. 

What incredible blessings Christians can experience in Christ; a divine election, a divine adoption and a divine redemption. These three blessings are not only meant for Christians but for all those who believe in Christ and will accept him as their Lord and savior. Are you assured of these incredible blessings today? If not this is the time to ask Jesus into your life. Those of you who have accepted Christ as your savior you have already received these blessings; now begin to live worthy of these blessings. Amen  To be continued…

THE PRIMARY PURPOSE: LUKE 5:27-32

If I were to ask you why does the church exist? Well, it ought to be obvious, right?  The church exists to meet my needs and expectations, and not to bore me to death.  Or maybe it exists to protect the truth, and to never change anything, especially the worship style!  Though we may not say this out loud, but often this is the bottom line of why we think the church exists.  Too often it comes down to personal preferences and meeting our selfish needs. It is all about what church can do for me rather than how I can serve the Church.

Each Sunday and during the week we get busy doing events, and churchy things that we totally forget the primary purpose of our very existence as a Church. We often act as if we were members of an elite club rather than belonging to a church that reflects and lives out the primary purpose of its founder. So what is the Primary purpose of Christ in coming to this world? And what should be our primary purpose? In order to find out let’s turn to Luke 5:27-32(Read) Three things we can learn: A powerful call, a radical response and the primary purpose.

I.                   A POWERFUL CALL  Vs 27

Chapter five begins with Jesus calling two of his first disciples Simon Peter and his brother, who upon seeing the miracle of the catching of huge amount of fish, left everything and followed Jesus. Then Jesus went on to heal a social outcast and a paralytic man. Crowds were following Jesus because of the miracles and some individuals wanted to follow out of curiosity, perhaps impressed by His teachings, but there were only a few people that were personally called upon to follow Him. It was just like any other day in the city of Capernaum. A man named Levi also called Matthew went to the tax office since he was a tax collector. Little did he know what the day was in store for him, that by the end of the day his destiny was going to be changed?   

Matthew went on his usual business of collecting and counting Taxes for the Roman Government. He might have been feeling lonely and rejected thinking of what the whole Jewish community was thinking of him, a “traitor”. For that matter all the tax collectors in that region were treated as social outcasts. Here Matthew sitting in the tax booth and pondering his situation; all of a sudden heard the voice of Jesus saying “Follow Me.”

Just imagine if Jesus were to come to you at your place of work, business, play ground, or in the kitchen and say to you “Follow Me” how would you respond to that simple yet most powerful call? Let’s see how Matthew responded to that powerful call.

II.                A RADICAL RESPONSE (Vs 28)

Matthew displayed one of the most radically changed lives in the Bible in response to an invitation from Jesus. He did not hesitate, he did not look back. He left behind a life of wealth and security for poverty and uncertainty. He abandoned the pleasures of this world for the promise of eternal life. That one call of Jesus dramatically altered the life and pursuits of Matthew. Up until that time he was shunned by everyone and no one wanted to be his friend, but here Jesus of Nazareth of whom he may have heard of and seen his miracles now calls him to follow Him, what joy must have filled Matthews’s heart?

He could hardly contain that joy. He wanted his tax collectors community to know his Joy and new found friend Jesus, so he threw a party, invited his friends and many others to his home. Jesus was at the party eating and drinking with the so called social outcasts and sinners in the community. That did not go well with the Pharisees and the scribes but they could not question Jesus directly so they grumbled at his disciples saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax-gatherers and sinners? Ceasing the opportunity Jesus explained His Primary purpose for coming to earth.

III.             THE PRIMARY PURPOSE( Vs 31-32)

Vs 31-32, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” Jesus in no uncertain terms made it clear that He was not there primarily to call the so called righteous people who think that they are better than others and could make it to heaven by their good works, but he came to call sinners. He used the analogy of a hospital where the sick will go to see a doctor who could possibly cure their sickness. Whereas Jesus the greatest physician not merely concerned in healing physical sickness but in forgiving sins so that we can go to be with him in a place where there will never be any sickness anymore. 

During his time on earth Jesus time and again made it clear to his own disciples and to the Pharisees and scribes that he came to seek and save lost sinners. He loved sinners. He wanted them to be saved. After His death and resurrection He commanded his disciples to go and preach the Gospel to all creation. The same command He gives now to all his followers.

The primary purpose of our Church, for that matter any Church is to give a friendly invitation for sinners to repent of their sins. The first century church understood this, and went to the whole world preaching the good news of the gospel. But as the years went by the church is forgetting their primary purpose and getting caught up in all kinds of worthy activities.

In the eighteenth century the Church of England had become so elitist and inhospitable to the common man that in 1739 John Wesley had to take to the graveyards and fields in order to preach the gospel. Yet Jesus met unbelievers where they were. He realized what many Christians today never seem to realize. According to one count, the gospel records 132 contacts that Jesus had with people. Six were in the Temple, four in the synagogue and 122 were out with people in the mainstream of life. That shows what Jesus’ primary purpose was.

Where do you think Jesus would spend most of his time today if He were to come to Boston? He may pay a casual visit to a few of the mega churches in the city but most of the time he may spend walking around Boston commons reaching out to the common man, the homeless, and the drug addicts. He may even go up to the city hall and challenge some of their policies.

What can we learn from the life of Matthew? Matthew was a dishonest tax collector driven by greed, until Jesus Christ chose him as a disciple. Matthew is an example to tell us that a specific call of God can come to anyone at any time at anywhere and when it comes it comes with power and conviction and is irresistible. Matthew responded to that call by giving up everything to follow his new found lord and savior. Immediately upon his transformation Matthew did not conceal his joy to himself. He was not ashamed, neither was he afraid to let that joy be known to his friends and fellow sinners so he threw a party. You don’t have to be a genius and scholar to share the gospel with others, all you need is a willing heart to do so then you will find number of ways to do it. 

All Matthew did was to invite his friends to come and see his new friend Jesus. Matthew became an ardent, faithful follower of Jesus. The remainder of Matthew's life is uncertain. Tradition says he preached for 15 years in Jerusalem following the death and resurrection of Jesus, then went out on the mission field to other countries. Legend has it that he died as a martyr in the cause of Christ. But by writing the gospel of Matthew he lives on today. Matthew left a legacy. His life counted.

How would you like to spend the remainder of your life? What legacy would you like to leave behind? What is your primary purpose as an individual, as a family and collectively as a church? Do we know and understand why we exist as a Church?

How are we sharing the good news of Jesus with others? You may ask where I can begin. Well the best place to start with is your family and friends. Let them know how God changed your life, and how he can change their lives too if they believe in Christ. How do we do it?

In order to help you and the Church in America to reach their communities with Gospel, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association is taking up an ambitious task in November 2013. It is called “My Hope America with Billy Graham.” It is a grassroots effort to reach neighbors, friends, and loved ones with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Following a simple biblical model found in Luke 5:27-32 (which we just heard about), My Hope America combines the reach and excitement of a nationwide video event with the power of personal relationships.

Christians across the country including our church will invite their guests to their home, church, or favorite hangout to share the Gospel through a program, which will feature a message from Billy Graham. I am excited about this opportunity. Let’s see a clip of “My Hope America with Billy Graham.”

I am excited for the opportunity for our Church to become Mathews and get involved with “My Hope America with Billy Graham” this fall. If God is speaking to you to be a Matthew please sign up for further information and future training. More details next week. Amen