Training Camp - Part 3

In the words of Jesus...

“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me.”
‭‭John‬ ‭6:44-45‬ ‭

God draws people into Himself.

Hope.  We all need it.  We all search for it.

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭10:23-25‬

We (Christians) are fulfilling a biblical command God has given us when we go to church: to not abandon the gathering together as saints to worship Him.  Church should be a place of transformational hope.

Every church starts out intending to point people toward Jesus.  Not to construct barriers between us and God.  But for many, that's what happened!

In the words of Casting Crowns:

Jesus Friend of sinners we have strayed so far away.  We cut down people in your name but the sword was never ours to swing.  Jesus friend of sinners the truth's become so hard to see.  The world is on their way to You but they're tripping over me Always looking around but never looking up I'm so double minded.  A plank eyed saint with dirty hands and a heart divided.

Oh Jesus friend of sinners.  Open our eyes to the world at the end of our pointing fingers.  Let our hearts be led by mercy.  Help us reach with open hearts and open doors.  Oh Jesus friend of sinners break our hearts for what breaks yours.

For many, church turns people away.

Grace Community Value #5:  Excellent Environments - we strive to remove all the obstacles that might create barriers to new people seeing Jesus in the existing people in the church.

We (at Grace) use things in the culture to point people to Jesus.  We are never going to change or dilute the truth of Scriptures, but we will constantly seek better ways to point people to Jesus.

We will do anything short of sin to reach people with the truth of Jesus.  The message will always be the same, but the methods will constantly be changing.  There are no sacred cows when reaching people for Jesus.  We shoot them.

Our job as a church is to take out tradition, knock down the barriers, and get out of the way so people can meet and grow closer to Jesus.

For more truth about life, see...   www.truthatlife.com