Hope For the Church in 2020

Commit to Worship on Sundays

Too often we look at our Sunday Gatherings as obligations rather opportunities. Does a couple of hours on a Sunday morning really influence our lives towards following Jesus. In short I would say yes because where else can we go that has the means by which God has promised to encourage, grow and bless his people. God speaks to us through his preached Word. God stirs our minds and hearts through singing, God draws near to us as we pray together. God reminds us of his commitment to us through communion.

Not only that, God wants to bless people through YOU in our Sunday Gatherings. Your kindness to others in the church is a reminder of God’s kindness. Your faithful singing about the goodness of God will stir someone else’s faith. Your prayer for another will remind them of God's nearness. You are not a spectator. You are the way that God blesses his people. Let's commit to being faithful to our gatherings for our good, the good of others and the glory of God.

Grow in Scripture Reading

I fear that we often neglect God’s Word because we do not see immediate benefit in reading or we struggle to understand. I want to challenge you to read the Word of God by faith. What do I mean by that?: In Psalm 1, we have a promise that the one who meditates on God’s Word will bear fruit and “Whatever he does prospers.” We need to cling to this promise. God matures me by reading the bible. This may not seem immediate but we should believe that God will use his Word to grow us over time.

But what about not understanding everything? Whenever someone sets out to learn something new, they will not understand everything. But the best way to learn is exposure over time. This is how children learn to speak. They hear so much that they do not understand but over time they learn the language. Their minds bloom with abilities that they did not previously have. So commit to reading the Word because the more you read it the more you will understand it and the more it will change you.

Enter into Transparent Community

We have a tendency to bottle up our emotions and hide our problems because we are afraid to ler people see our dirt. But the Gospel frees us from guilt and shame and is also the tool for our healing. Especially as administered by our Christian family.

Here is what I mean: All of the things that I would feel guilty about have been placed on Jesus on the Cross. The suffering and death of Christ is punishment for that bad thought, word or action. Our guilt has been placed on Christ. We also do not have to live in our shame because of the evils commitment against us. Jesus endured the shame of the Cross so that we could feel the honor of the resurrection. Jesus does not label you by the sins committed against you. He sees you spotless, pure and valuable.

The truths of the Gospel are great but we do not always know how to apply them to ourselves. And in fact, it is not meant to be our sole responsibility. One of the reasons that we have the church is to remind us in the moments of doubt about what the Gospel of Christ has given us. We miss this opportunity when we decide to live in isolation and secrecy. Yet God promises to use these moments to help us become whole: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

Embrace Personal Mission

God has specific ways that he wants to use you to bless people. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do. Eph 2:10. You are uniquely positioned where you live, work, and rest. You know the people that you know not by chance, but because of God’s plan. With that in mind, we need to own what Jesus commands us by loving, serving, and sharing about God’s goodness to those around us. Those whom you regard as spiritual or mature do not have the same access as you do to the people that cross your path. Let us commit to owning the mission of God around us.

Believe God for Big Things

Faith is central to our life in Jesus. But sometimes the frustrations and complexities of life may create pessimism in our hearts. We may know that Jesus is King but sometimes our hope for God’s work in us and through us is weak. Yet we serve a God who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us! So let's believe that God will help us grow in holiness. Let's believe that God will use us to bless and serve those around us. Let’s believe that we will see new people enter into his Kingdom! Let's believe that God will use our church to preach the Gospel, produces disciples and pursue justice so that we will see Jesus reconciling our community to God and each other!