I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it. 1 Corinthians 9:19-23
Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God. Romans 15:7-13
But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: …. if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “Whoever will call on the name of the LORD will be saved.” Romans 10:1-3, 6A, 9-13
Truly the story of redemption permeates who we are as a church. In our Sunday gatherings the redeemed rejoice in the gift of their redemption through expressions of worship week after week. People come to our church whose hearts are ready for a “turning to God” experience and they feel the love and acceptance of redemption all around them. Redemptive grace is the heartbeat of those who stand before us and guide our worship. The message of redemption is proclaimed faithfully and graciously. And wonderfully on any given week the story of redemption becomes the story of those who come seeking and find the One who had been waiting for them all along, the Lord Jesus Christ.
By God’s grace and through the leading of the Holy Spirit, our church embraced an approach to corporate church meetings that takes place in a setting within which the unreached people of the culture feel welcome and comfortable. Over the years the result has been that many, many people who would not venture into most church meetings, have come and enjoyed their experience. Feeling loved and accepted and seeing vibrant worship all around them, they have heard the truth of the Gospel disseminated in a simple, clear and gracious way. In the absence of the many trappings of conventional church meetings and settings that unnecessarily get in the way, those who earnestly seek God with their whole heart embrace the Lord and His people and stay for the long haul. Truly we have a lot to rejoice in as we look back on the wonderful ways we have participated in the commission of Christ’s church, and we have a lot to be excited about as we anticipate the amazing ways for participating in the commission of Christ’s church that lie ahead for us.
Lord, thank you for the gift of redemption and all the love and acceptance that has come to me from you because of it. Thank you for the love and acceptance that has come to me from my brothers and sisters in Christ. I am grateful for all the ways I am learning to extend love and acceptance to those you bring my way. May the heartbeat of love, acceptance, and redemption continue to be our heartbeat as a church. I pray that the commission of Christ’s church (both in “what we are like” and in “what we proclaim”) would be embraced and fulfilled by your people everywhere. Amen!
