Scripture – NIV
Galatians 2:15-21 –
“We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.
“But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners, doesn’t that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! If I rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a lawbreaker.
“For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”
Romans 8:11 –
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
Romans 8:14-17 –
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “ Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
Bob’s thoughts:
It was nice to find an early service that was only a half hour drive.
We were greeted by one of the pastors and one young man who came by as well as the usher at the door with a handout.
While in the coffee area there was an incredibly loud presentation/rally with a great deal of echo. I think most people would not understand what is said at that volume and echo.
When we got to our seats in the large worship area, we were under a blue spotlight and not able to see much. We found seats under a regular light which was great till the service started. I’m not sure if I have aged badly or the format has changed that much but we had to seek a quieter venue without spotlights. Both of us have ear problems but I’m not sure the lights were not the bigger concern.
We relocated to the Lounge just inside the front doors where we’d noticed a sign that we could sit there and watch the service on the monitor at a reduced volume. We found someone to turn down the volume for us and the others in the room. I enjoyed the female singer once the volume was down.
Once I was on the verge of being judgmental about a loud service with smoke and spotlights when Christ put me in my place, reminding me that we are all hopeless sinners without Christ and if worship I’m not comfortable with brings people to God, who am I to complain. I’m not judging, but the Lounge was a blessing.
While there God led me to a great witness with a member, so it was time well spent. The highlight is always Jeff’s message and today’s did not disappoint. The message dealt with how the Jews believed they must fit the box (i.e., the law) to be worthy to come to God. The pastor mentioned getting measured and marked on the kitchen door frame, and I don’t know anyone who didn’t do this. But the concept of measuring up, it recently came to my attention that I have lost four inches in height from what I was most of my life. A little more and maybe I’ll miss the things I’ve always hit my head on.
An enjoyable side note: I witnessed a father with a young child run toward the automatic door to the delight of the child. It reminded me of when I commented to one of my grands that he must be the magic that made the doors open and he replied, “No, God did that.”
We were blessed to talk to a pastor after the service and be led to pray over her.
Jan’s thoughts:
We arrived extra early so we could wander around some, having forgotten the size of this campus. After some meandering, coffee sounded like a good idea.
At a church this size with three services, we did not expect to be noticed as visitors nor especially to be greeted, but while we enjoyed our coffee one of the pastors approached and welcomed us. We saw her again after worship and appreciated the time she took for extended conversation.
I was glad to be able to join this church in praying for the physical and spiritual healing of China and its citizens along with all those affected by the current health crisis.
The sermon series is called Break The Box. It was a reminder of the truth that every last one of us falls short of God’s perfection and He loves us anyway. Still, we find ourselves striving for God’s love, which we already have, but somehow thinking it’s up to us. We must choose to stop the spiritual calisthenics and give up trying to earn what is already ours. We cannot perform well enough to earn God’s love, we cannot impress God with our piety, and we may as well let go of the self-imposed pressure to perform because we cannot produce it no matter how hard we try.
We can’t perform our way into or out of heaven. Thank God.
Our prayer for this church:
Lord, we pray You continue to bless Your church as they reach people of all ages with Your Good News. Amen.
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