“CHANGING LIVES AND RESHAPING FUTURES FOR JESUS CHRIST”

After Jesus death, burial and resurrection, he appeared to a number of people. His final words to his disciples are recorded in Matthew 28:18-20:

          “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

 

 Bill Hybels begins his book, “Just Walk Across the Room”, with these words:

   “Ten thousand steps.

     Roughly, that’s the distance you travel sunrise to sunset, each and every day of your life.  It adds up to about 115,000 miles in a lifetime---or more than four times around this big blue planet of ours.

    With that said, just one question:  Are you using your steps wisely?

    Assume the average distance across most rooms is twenty feet---about ten steps.  The question I hope to answer to answer is this:  What if ten steps---just one one-thousandth of your daily average---could actually impact eternity?

    If so, it might well change the way you walk.”

 

 Just as God equipped the original disciples to share the story of Jesus Christ with others, He has equipped us to share the greatest gift in this life with other human beings. What are you doing to change lives and reshape futures for Jesus Christ?  Take those ten steps across a room to invite someone to Sunday school and worship.  Take a few steps over to tell a friend, a relative, an associate or a neighbor what being a member of McCary’s Chapel means to you.  Step out and let your life have a positive impact, an eternal impact, on someone you care about.

 

 Bill Hybels says in his book that “in heaven we will meet people who were once lost but somehow got found.”  Don’t you want to have a part in pointing your friends and family members toward an eternal destiny with God?

 

 When we share our faith, it is because something has touched us and we want to share it with another person.  Faith’s moments aren’t always easily shared.  They take time to relate, they take patience, and they take humility.  We have to give our faith story to another without expecting a return; but at the same time we pray that lives will be changed, that our community will be touched and that as people of God, we will find our voice.   Jesus handled this situation with an invitation, “Come and see.”  We can do the same.  We can always invite others to share in our worship, to share in our fellowship, to share in our faith story.

 

 Let’s take Jesus’ final words in Matthew seriously. Let’s take our vision seriously.  Let’s keep McCary’s Chapel a vibrant, growing congregation changing lives and reshaping futures for Jesus Christ.  Let’s continue to work on our mission of transforming ourselves and our church as we make disciples for Jesus Christ for the glory of God.

Reverend Charlottes’ May Message