Dear Rosedale Network of Churches,
I greet every believer in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Whether this article finds you between the shining seas or somewhere around the globe, you are part of those being transformed into Christ’s likeness. This is my final article to you as one of your servant-leader pastors on the executive board. I’m thankful for the time I’ve had on the board and the opportunity to have learned more about your churches and communities. My respect for the role of your church and the calling of those who serve as members, leaders, and pastors continues to increase. I thank God for you all.
I recently spent 48 hours in a focused retreat. No laptop. No cell phone. No TV. Nothing but a cabin, nature walks, a prayer chapel, a journal, and my Bible. I ended up reading through every epistle in the New Testament. Each one came alive to me, and I couldn’t get enough of God’s Word. I was struck by the patterns I saw in the forest of the New Testament. A greeting, a reminder of the gospel, the implications of the gospel, and a closing prayer.
The Holy Spirit clearly worked to remind each gathering of the body of Christ of the gospel. Christ accomplished in His voluntary sacrifice what we could never have done for ourselves! When God raised Christ from the dead, He opened the chance for each person made in God’s image to live again, even though sin had left us dead. When we placed our faith in Christ, we were given new life! We were placed in a new Kingdom. Our names were written in the Lamb’s book of life (Revelation 20:12). The paperwork of our belonging and loyalty was completely transferred from our temporary, fallen world into the eternal kingdom of Heaven.
The God that forgave us works to restore us into His image.
The New Testament is filled with the implications of this shift for our daily life and our life together! 24 of these implications for the church are highlighted in the single chapter of Romans 12. Many of these implications sound like echoes of the teaching Jesus gave us in Matthew 5-7. They describe what people who live in the new Kingdom live like! Read it. It’s quite a list! We don’t fit into a self-centered world’s mode of operation any longer. Instead, our lives serve others with self-giving love. We become people who practice hospitality, demonstrate true humility, love each other unconditionally, and overcome evil with good.
We become transformed members of our families, our churches, our workplaces, and our communities. The people who know us best see the love of God increasing in our lives. The God that forgave us works to restore us into His image. Angry outbursts are traded for patience and kindness. Deception is traded for truth. Pride is replaced with humility. Despair gives way to hope. May the God of all hope give you hope that the Holy Spirit is doing this work in you, your family, and your church. If you are lacking such hope, may you persevere in prayer until God grants you this hope.
As we are transformed individually, our churches become sanctuaries of love, hope, and joy. These sanctuaries are the places people from our community will long to get to, just as people longed to get close to Jesus. In fact, your church is the closest place on earth that people can get to Jesus! The couple with a marriage that is failing can find redemption and healing through the gospel message, forgiveness, and the support of the church. The child who doesn’t have a father can find a mentor and a father figure through the church. The adult who never had a child can find a spiritual child through the church. The person who always went it alone can find a friend in the church. I pray that all who walk through the doors of your church experience your hospitality and love as if they walked into the presence of Jesus. That is what you are—the body of Christ on earth! Greet each other with such love.
I pray that you will find the grace and strength to live the way of Jesus described in Romans 12. I have confidence that the Holy Spirit will give you this strength if you ask. As you ponder the gospel and lovingly devote yourselves to living Romans 12, the Spirit of God will shine Christ’s light through you. Your church will be the light of Christ in your neighborhood!
I pray that every neighborhood in the world will have this light. May the gospel message be heard and believed in every corner of the globe. May each person who believes grow in their new life in Christ. May they find in their church the gospel light of other believers living out Romans 12. Jesus is coming soon! When Jesus comes, may he find us loving Him with all our heart, and fully devoted to living what He taught. Amen.
Photo credit: unsplash-luke-lung
