A Note from Michael Gossett
The Need for Evangelism
Jesus gave us a clear understanding of how we are to live our lives. Too often, we complicate and clutter our lives, which casts an unintentional shadow on our calling as followers of Jesus. Wouldn’t you expect the enemy to work in this way? We know the commands and our calling, yet everything else takes priority in our lives. We have work to do, we have goals to accomplish, we have family activities, we have sports to keep up with, schoolwork to complete, tasks at home, cars to take care of, and the list goes on and on and on. We have become so busy with our lives that we could not possibly consider adding one more thing to do. However, in the structure of the great commandment, we do not read that we should add one more thing to our lives, such as evangelism, but instead, this is the one thing in our lives that we add other things to. Jesus said, “Go.” It could be better translated to say, “As you are going,” make disciples of all nations…. This is where we often get it wrong. We believe that the command is to “go and do” rather than “as you are going… MAKE.” What is the difference, you ask? If we are told to go and make disciples, then it becomes a task to manage, but if we make disciples as we are going, it is a reality and expectation of our life.
As a church family, WE MUST be about this one task. We cannot get bogged down in the management of tasks and forget our purpose in life. Jesus said in Acts 1:8 that we will receive the power of the Holy Spirit and we WILL be His witnesses. One of the greatest evidences of the power of God in your life is your commitment to be His witness. We do not go somewhere to make disciples; we do not go somewhere to be his witness, but instead, EVERYWHERE we go, we make disciples, and we are His witness. We know that as a church, this must be our primary effort, which all other efforts support. Every activity of the church must directly support the church’s ACTIVITY, which is to witness Jesus and make disciples in His name and in His way. I am excited that we have a great opportunity to grow in evangelism!
I want to invite you to be a part of an incredible event that will give you the tools to share the Gospel with others effectively on Wednesday, September 27th, starting at 6 pm in Crosswalk. The guest speaker will be Dr. Bruno Molina of the SBTC, and he will be guiding us through practical ways to turn our everyday conversations into Gospel conversations based on The 3 Circles method. Childcare is available for this training, and we invite you to register HERE.
This Sunday at Green Acres!
As you prepare for worship, take time this week to read James 2:14-26. We will look at this text together and study the “Wisdom in Obedience.” James, in his own unique way, gives us incredible wisdom on the implications of obedience in our faith. Many people (including the great reformer, Martin Luther) believe this is one of the most challenging topics to reconcile with the Pauline thought of “Justification by faith alone.” We obviously hold this doctrine as true, but how do we reconcile the words of James that says, “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone” (James 2:24, CSB)? Come and worship with us at Tyler or Flint at 9:30 or 11:00 to see what it means to obey in light of our salvation.
I want to invite you to join my wife, Katie and myself on the journey of a lifetime as we explore the Holy Land. You will have the opportunity to see the “place of the skull” and the garden tomb as the crucifixion comes to life. We will follow in the footsteps of Jesus and his disciples as we travel through the Holy Land, where our Messiah lived and worked miracles. Watch the Scriptures come to life as you visit places like Bethlehem, Jericho, the Mount of Olives, the Sea of Galilee, and Jerusalem. Float in the Dead Sea, discover Masada, and gaze upon the Valley of Armageddon. This trip will be an incredible spiritual experience that will forever change how you read, study, and understand the Scriptures.
Sign up today to secure your spot on this trip of a lifetime!
I also want to personally invite you to our Wednesday Morning Bible Study for senior adults. Each Wednesday from 10:00am – 11:00am, we hear outstanding teaching by former Executive Pastor, Ken Warren. On September 20, we will meet at the Student Center, as we kick-off our new series, “Jonah – Lessons from a Petulant Preacher.” This is a great time for you and your friends to be together!
You are loved and prayed for!
Michael Gossett