Church Family,
This post is the final installment on our discussion of measures of a healthy church. The last measure we use to determine health is a willingness to share hope through the gospel of Jesus Christ to all peoples.
God has and will always care about all nations (Ps 96). Our Duty (Matt 9:35-38, Matt 28:16-20, 2 Cor 5:14-15, Rom 1:16, 10:17, 1 Peter 3:15) as Christians is to willingly proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ with those who do not know him. We acknowledge that sin must be dealt with for ourselves and others to live fully (John 10:10). Sin has utterly and entirely ruined man; therefore, humanity needs a Savior (John 6:44-45, Rom 2:29, 3:1-20, 5:12-21, 1 Cor 15:22, Titus 3:5). It is no small thing to consider the far-reaching effects of sin on the world around us, and we deeply desire to give an adequate response that actually works; Jesus death, burial, and resurrection. The follower of Jesus will arm themselves with the gospel (Eph 6:17) to go and free sinners who are enslaved; to cut the cords of bondage caused by our sin (Heb 12:1-3)!
We are not only compelled to share hope through the gospel of Jesus Christ because of the devastating effects of sin but because the entire storyline of the bible has pointed towards Jesus (Gen 3:15, 12:3, Ps 2, 110, Matt 1:21-23, Gal 3). He is the common thread throughout all scripture that brings God’s Kingdom on earth, that redeems God’s people, and fulfills all of God’s promises. Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah who creates peace between us and God (Rom 5:1). The point of scripture is to exalt Jesus, so we too want to exalt Jesus.
As we have done in previous posts (here and here), though not comprehensive, these are great ways to observe in each other this measure:
- A growing esteem for Jesus Christ
- Leverage everything for gospel work
- Heart focused
- Compassion for the nations
- Sensitivity towards the less fortunate
Disciple-Makers
Don’t forget to mark your calendars for our informational meeting on September 4th at 6:30 pm. Click here to read more and to register and let us know you are coming.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Bryan