a glimpse towards Sunday 3.20.15
Last night, I spoke to a gathering of students at Point University in West Point, Georgia. We talked about how the church is now viewed as dangerous. At one point the church was the center of community. Then she moved to being irrelevant but harmless. Now many think Christianity is dangerous and needs to be eradicated from our thinking.
What’s the answer to such a shift in culture? I passionately begged the Point University students to cement their identities… soul & spirit… in Jesus. Culture is tired of our pendulum swings to the rigidity of the law OR the “do whatever you want” tainted view of grace. Centered on the saving, rescuing, redeeming, identity-shaping work of Jesus is the answer.
Once our identities are cemented in Jesus, we are compelled by Jesus’ love to serve broken people. That is a dangerous strategy in a world viewing Christians as dangerous.
This Sunday, we are compelled by love to serve broken people. This Sunday is our 24th Faith In Action Sunday. We’ll be at Argyle Elementary School. Argyle is a title one school needing restorative relationships compelled by the gospel. We’ve partnered with Argyle for almost six years now. In the six years of doing FIA’s, Echo after school programs, Little School preschool, and in class mentoring/reading programs — test scores have risen dramatically. Yay God!
BUT… this year’s FIA at Argyle will be different. We are leaning into our Dignity Serves ideas. When you serve someone with dignity, you look for assets and not liabilities. When you serve someone with dignity, you look to how you can serve them AND how they can serve you. Make sense?
Sooo… this year at our Argyle FIA, there will be a community of Argyle parents preparing and serving us lunch. There will be teachers, administrators, and parents working with us in all of our work efforts this Sunday.
THIS is why we need all hands on deck. We need you at this FIA to rub shoulders with real people in our community. We need you there to BE served as well as serve. We need you at this FIA for serving to have dignity and be a two-way street dynamic. Cement your identity in Christ, and then serve and be served compelled by the love of Jesus. That’s the strategy. That’s what God is calling us to do. That’s why I’m pushing everyone from CCC to BE the church instead of just GOING to church this Sunday.
If you haven’t registered for this FIA, you can CLICK HERE to do so. OR… you can register at 8 a.m. on Sunday morning at Argyle Elementary School in Smyrna.
If you need more information concerning this FIA, you can CLICK HERE.
AND ONE MORE THING… If you can help translate Spanish, please let someone know at the registration desk come Sunday morning.
There’s a 50% chance of rain on Sunday (greater % towards evening… so let’s pray!), but don’t let this dampen or stop any of our Kingdom efforts. God’s has miraculously turned CCC around through giving ourselves away. May God grant us the grace to continue being Jesus to our community.
Let’s Do This, Cumberland! I’ll see you Sunday…
Blessings,
Weekly Giving | 3.15.15
$31,996.19
Weekly Need $33,000.00
