When the Gospel Takes Hold
Five outcomes that reveal how the Gospel transforms our hearts and lives.
Five outcomes that reveal how the Gospel transforms our hearts and lives.
We are bombarded with messages to improve ourselves. “The new you!” “Self-care and self-love!” These and similar pitches push us to the centre of our own attention and at times, the centre of our adoration. This type of thinking and living doesn’t last.
Congregations are still struggling to reach their pre-COVID numbers for physical gatherings. Some remain online or continue to meet in small groups at home. Congregations are dispersed in a way that we haven’t seen in centuries…or millennia. Church leaders are looking for direction. Will God provide direction? He will, in His time for His purpose.
We’ve been in a wilderness over the past two years. Our wilderness has been social, societal, phycological and political. It’s been very exhausting, like walking through the wilderness. We have been bombarded with fear through confusion, isolation and polarization.
Maybe you’ve just entered a time of sorrow? Maybe you’re just coming out of one? I can’t promise it won’t hurt, but joy is coming. Hope is on the way. Don’t stop praying; don’t stop crying out to God. He sees you. He is faithful. He has a plan.
Although it might not always feel like it; although you might not always see it happening, God is intimately involved in your life each and every day. Why? Because He has a greater purpose, and you are part of His plan. He wants to bring meaning and value to your life for His glory and the Gospel.
What have you had to endure throughout the pandemic? How might you be hurting or suffering as we hit the 2-year mark? What wounds might you be carrying?
I’ve been sitting on this post for the past two weeks. As a pastor, it’s hard to know when to speak up and when to stay silent, since I have friends and family on both sides of this discussion. As I watch protesters being rounded up by police, I feel like it’s time to publish a few thoughts.
Describe a life of faithful obedience and reverence. What does a faithful, obedient, reverent life look like for you right now?
How is your faith being displayed in this moment of life? How is your life any different? How is your life pleasing to God?
What’s your faith position on the origins of the universe? What’s your reaction to hearing that you’re God’s image-bearer?
How have you aided in the mission of Jesus in the past couple of years? How will you aid in His gospel mission this year? What step will you take this week?