showgrace

God chose the church to be the vehicle to spread the good news of the Gospel to every nation. As Richard Stearns so clearly states, “The world we live in is under siege – three billion people are desperately poor, one billion people are hungry, millions are trafficked in human slavery, ten million children die needlessly each year, wars and conflicts are wreaking havoc, pandemic diseases are spreading, ethnic hatred is flaming, and terrorism is growing. And yet in the middle of that stands the Church of Jesus Christ in America, with resources, knowledge and tools unequaled in the history of Christendom. We have a defining moment.”

There is no government nor is there a non-government agency on the planet big enough or bad enough to handle the global giants that we are facing today. God in his infinite wisdom chose the Church to take the message of the Gospel to the entire world. This is no small task, nor does it come without cost.

If you have nothing worth dying for then you have nothing worth living for.

Jesus modeled the ultimate sacrifice when He gave up His life on the cross. He then calls on His followers to do the same. He demands, ‘take up your cross daily and
church

Our partner church, Mission Point Community Church leadership with their partner, Pastor Moise and his wife

follow me.’ The cross is not a piece of jewelry. It is an old rugged cross that is stained with blood. This Gospel is revolutionary. It is causal. To each serious and dedicated follower of Christ there is but one mission in the war that is fighting for souls: SHOW GRACE!

If we are going to be like Jesus we must leave the comfort and safety that we find in the four walls of structures that we fallaciously call ‘church’ and ‘go’ out into the world obeying the first word in the great commission, GO! The Church is the vehicle to care for people’s needs both physically and spiritually. We do that best when we SHOW GRACE!

Acts 1:8 “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

1. Personally SHOW GRACE – Jerusalem – Every Christ follower is personally responsible to SHOW GRACE in their neighborhood, workplace and school.

2. Locally SHOW GRACE – Judea-Samaria – Every small group should be a missional community involved in SHOWING GRACE in their local community.

3. Globally SHOW GRACE – Every person and small group should SHOW GRACE globally as they turn their focus on the physically and spiritually poor.

The world is in serious need of fully devoted followers of Jesus who choose to demonstrate the love of God by showing grace.

Show them How: People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. Values are caught not taught. Let’s take the time to ‘show’ them how to care for the physical and spiritual needs that we all have.

Help Them Out: People have needs. Everyone falls. The essence of poverty is hopelessness. There are three kinds of poverty: material, spiritual and relational. The Church is best equipped to breathe life and hope into our world.

Observe Them Doing It: In order to ‘observe’ you have to be present. Your presence matters. When you are there, people know that you care. As you see lives transformed, take the time to encourage. What is rewarded will be repeated.

Walk Them Through Doing It Again: Don’t walk away when you are ‘done.’ Stay in the game and coach them through the steps of multiplication. Reproduction is God’s plan for growth.

Through showing, helping, observing, and walking, you become a parent. Parents nurture their kids. Grandparents love their grandkids. They visit often. They are present to provide wisdom and coaching for the new parents in their family. The world is up against some very serious problems. I believe the church is the driving force
and the vehicle that God is using to bring healing to a hurting people. There are 5 major problems in the world. 1). People are spiritually blind. 2). Leaders are corrupt and self-centered. 3). Poverty of every kind is a serious issue. Material poverty alone reveals that 50% of the world lives on less than $2 a day. 4). Disease is spreading. 5). Most of the world is illiterate and uneducated.

God’s fix for these problems is G.R.A.C.E.

Go and Make Disciples: The number one problem in the world is that people are spiritually blind. The answer is not ‘church planting.’ The answer is to GO and make Christ followers who are making Christ followers. Be the Church. Demonstrate God’s love. Show compassion to the poor.

Raise up Servant Leaders: Position and power is what we are told matters. Sacrifice and service are overlooked. As we ‘go’ into the world we must demonstrate and model ‘servant’ leadership. We must speak the truth in love as we equip and train young leaders.

Assist the Poor: We have been blessed and therefore have a responsibility to bless others. Enabling the poor ends up hurting the very people we are trying to help. Assisting the poor balances the tension of sustainable responsibility and being blessed so that we might bless others.

Care for the Sick: Most of the world is dying from diseases that are preventable. We have the resources to help. Clean water and hygiene education go a long way. Your presence matters. Our mind is strong. When people feel cared for they feel better. Medical care is now a reality. Mobile clinics allow us to help people where they live.

Educate the Next Generation: Every child deserves an education. Not every child will read, but every child needs to know the ‘love’ of Jesus. While we would love to effectively change the literacy rate, the Church is capable of demonstrating the love of Jesus by telling the stories of Jesus to the children of the world.

Hey Church! Join us in the movement. Let’s SHOW GRACE. To whom much has been given, much will be required.