Scripture Reading — Psalm 71:1-18My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds, of your saving acts all day long.— Psalm 71:15This week we have reflected on what it means to be a witness to God’s saving work. To be a witness is to simply tell about what you have seen and heard. As Christians, we believ
Scripture Reading — Matthew 10:16-20“At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.”— Matthew 10:19-20Someone told me recently about an illustration that I used in a sermon several years ago. They said it made a helpfu
Scripture Reading — Luke 14:15-24“The master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.’”— Luke 14:23Let’s return to a parable we looked at last week (Sept. 6). We can reflect on this story through the lens of our call to witne
Scripture Reading — John 1:1-8[John] himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.— John 1:8When we think about sharing our faith, we are often nervous about having the right words to say. What if I say something wrong? What if someone asks me a question I don’t know how to answ
Scripture Reading — John 4:1-26When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”— John 4:7Many Christians are uneasy about sharing the gospel message. We don’t want to say the wrong thing or offend people or push them away. I remember how scared I was the one
Scripture Reading — Acts 4:8-20“As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”— Acts 4:20When we see or experience something extraordinary, usually we can’t help telling people about it. Whether it is an encounter with a celebrity or a wonderful vacation or a life-changing ev
Scripture Reading — Matthew 11:25-30“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”— Matthew 11:28Today is Sunday, so let’s pause our focus on mission themes and take some time out for worship and rest. This is important, because missions can easily focus on all the thing
Scripture Reading — Luke 14:15-24Jesus replied, “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests.”— Luke 14:16Thinking about the gospel reminds us that at the heart of the Christian faith is a life- changing message of joy. That’s why I like this parable so much. Jesus uses a pow
Scripture Reading — Romans 6:1-11Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.— Romans 6:8As we think about the Lord’s good news, the gospel, it is important to be aware of the radical change it brings to our lives.A few years ago, I had the privilege of baptizing Ava, a re
Scripture Reading — Philippians 2:1-11God exalted him to the highest place . . . that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow . . . and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord. . . .— Philippians 2:9-11When I was a pastor, one of the churches I served celebrated Ascension Day with a mi
Scripture Reading — 1 John 4:7-12This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.— 1 John 4:10My wife, Jacquie, is a teacher in a Christian elementary school. One day she asked her students to complete this sentence: “Jesus loves me bec
Scripture Reading — Matthew 9:35-38Jesus went through all the towns and villages . . . proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.— Matthew 9:35The first word we want to focus on as we think about God’s big mission is gospel. Here is a definition of the gospel th
