March Loop
Beloved,
As we enter into March, we got a little teaser of warmer temps this week and a hope of what’s to come. The warmth of a little sunlight has a way of helping bring us up out of some of the seasonal disorders and give us hope to persevere. Discipleship as Paterson called it is a “long obedience in the same direction.” We are pressing on in the assignment that God has for us.
I hope that Romans 12 has been an encouragement to you so far as we’ve been seeing what a life of worship looks like in response to the Gospel. I’ve enjoyed digging into it and seeing connections to the rest of the book. It’s amazing how practical theology is and how theological every Christian practice is. As we go further into the many practical commands and applications Paul makes, it’s important to remember that each one is clipped to the same carabiner on the basis of Paul’s appeal for total sacrifice and surrender, the Mercies of God. If we don’t stick to this basis, we will turn the Christian life into something it was never intended to be. As Tim Keller said, “the only sufficient motivation for the Christian life is gratitude for grace.” A reminder that the whole of life must be consecrated to God. If I’m just partially or half-hearted, you’re not dwelling on and grasping the Gospel. If you’re looking at what Jesus did for you and it’s not moving you to full service, you need to do some checking and see if you’re really understanding the Gospel.
There are a lot of positive trends and things to look forward to at LCC. Choir is starting up this coming Sunday and preparations for Resurrection Sunday and Easter weekend are underway. Yet, it’s also a time that many in our church family are experiencing various trials.
Let’s talk about outreach! When we talk about outreach, we often try to create new ways of outreach, which can be good and important. However, we need to remember that God created His church to be evangelistic in its ontological nature. The ordinances declare and display the gospel. There’s one outreach that we often overlook, but it can be one of the most effective outreaches a church has, and it’s right in front of us. Can you guess what it is? …I’d submit that it’s a funeral or memorial service. That might surprise you as it did me, but consider for a moment that there is a short list of events hosted at a church that nonbelievers will attend. Christmas, maybe Easter, but often weddings or funerals. Funerals and memorial services are events that the unsaved attend, and at a time they are considering mortality and life after death. It’s also a time that the church gets to use one of its greatest tools and two virtues intrinsic to New Testament Christianity…showing hospitality and showing care. As we have opportunities come up, I hope many of you will take advantage of these opportunities to respond to the Gospel in a life of worship, showing hospitality and care.
Grace to you,
Pastor Jayson