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So much of what we do is empty without the love of Jesus fueling our actions. Throughout his life on earth, Jesus consistently showed compassion to others. That’s because Jesus is real and He invites us to follow his pattern of consistency in ways we live out our love for the people God puts in our paths. Jesus’ example invites us to make love and service part of our everyday life.
In biblical days, an armor-bearer was one who actually carried the shield and armor of his leader as he went into battle, often acting as his personal assistant. The term itself originally meant to figuratively or literally lift up, support, or simply help. The basic attitude of a Modern Day Armor-Bearer is one of servanthood. We are called to lift each other up, to support one another, to encourage, equip, and strengthen each other for the fight of faith. Therefore, it's no surprise the general functions of an armor-bearer: attend to, minister to, care for, help, be of use, assist, benefit, promote, support, make easy for, nourish and encourage are found in the formal definition of "serve”. We all need an armor-bearer as we walk the Christian walk.
If you think back over your week, there probably was a time when you forgot something. Maybe it was you forgot to pick up something at the store. You forgot to say something to a friend or co-worker. Or even, you forgot a special day. Memorial Day is that day that reminds us to remember. Remember those who sacrificed their lives for our freedoms. We have a pattern of forgetfulness. Maybe its in how fast paced our lives have become but we not only forget the simple things we forget the all important spiritual things in our lives. This weekend, we will gather to remember and worship the God who remembers.
As fellow Christians we’re not supposed to wait to see what happens, we are to be what does happen. The tomb is empty, we’ve been told the good news that Jesus is alive and yet, we’re walking away. Until we come in direct contact with Jesus and have a conversation with Him do we truly recognize who He is through the Word of God and ultimately we have communion with Him. But it doesn’t end there. We are to be lit on fire with a passion so great that His story continues in and through our lives.
Belief in the power of positive thinking is not the same thing as an inner wisdom and unwavering confidence in Christ. It doesn’t come from believing in ourselves. True optimism, true belief is in getting our minds right on the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. It comes from biblical convictions about the nature of God and knowing that He loves us and has an exciting plan tailored for just us. Getting our mind right is part of being able to recognize that God is working in and through us to accomplish His purpose.
We’re moving forward with our God-given dream and are focused on Jesus. What else would we need as believers, followers of Christ? Well, it takes a bit of risk. Most of the time when we think about risk, we think it is a negative thing. However, as we will discover this weekend is that there is the Safe Zone or the Faith Zone. If God has given you a dream, do you really think He will let it fail? This is where stepping out with a bit of risk and a whole lot of Faith ought to be how we walk in this world.
Do you know our lives are to reflect the thankful heart we have for what God has done? We ought to desire to walk into His presence with singing because of what Jesus has done— He saved us, He redeemed us, He called us His own! That is worth giving God all the praise and thanksgiving for working in each of our lives. As we celebrate Thanksgiving this week, let us remember the cost and give thanks to God for His hand of mercy and grace upon our lives.
As followers of Christ, there was a time in each of our lives when we surrendered to Christ. We gave Him our all, we were all in for His purpose and plan for our lives as individuals and as the Church. Jesus made it clear that commitment was a key part of being a follower of Christ. In the Gospels, we see many examples of people who followed Jesus because of what they hoped He could offer them, yet, He consistently challenged them to “count the cost” of following Him. We’re going to look at the call on the Christian life to be committed to Christ, His Word, the church, prayer, worship, and His mission. We’ll see that before God calls us to commit to Him in this way, He’s already committed to us.
When you hear the word surrender what does that mean for you? Does it mean giving up on something or does it mean giving it all to God to orchestrate? When we live fully surrendered to God, we trust Him so much so that our finances, our family, our job situation, our home, our car, our everything is given to Him for the benefit and blessing in our lives for us and for others. We gather once again to remember that Jesus is central to all of our daily living.
Whether you have noticed it or not, we are in the middle of the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. They mark the Jewish New Year and the Day of Atonement. It is during this time that one reflects on their relationship with God and their relationships with one another leading up to the holiest of days where the sacrifice for sins would take place with the High Priest walking into the Holy of Holies with the blood from the sacrifice to forgive the sins of the people. Christianity has a rich history that points toward fulfillment through the coming of Christ. We hope you will join us as we Honor Our Heritage.
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