Another amazing night last night with our Engage City Team.
It was great to see everyone back! Nerida's burgers and Southern Egg Pie were a knockout again! There were plenty of laughs going around as Nerida, Mike and others shared their most embarrassing experiences with the gang. That's what happens when sanguines are unleashed in a group!
After dinner we grabbed dessert while Tim and Nerida shared their story and Austin shared a song. In our time with God's Word in Acts 17 we revisited our purpose; that we exist "to see people far from God engage with Jesus and His life." It is so good to encourage one another In Jesus and His gospel and share Him with others. I talked about the unchanging nature of God, revealed in Jesus and His heart for those who are far from Him (Phil 2 & Luke 4).
The bottom line we landed on was this :
God created and sustains the universe. His attitude was and is one of grace and love expressed in humble service to His creation. Though we were at war with Him, hating Him, He nevertheless loved us. A love expressed in action. He set aside His heavenly glory and willingly humbled Himself. He chose to come to us and enter our 'culture' being born in the form of a man, Jesus Christ. Jesus loved us by living the God honoring life we could never live and dying the death we should have died. He was punished for our rebellion and wrong doing. Jesus served us so we could turn to God and be forgiven and enter into a new and right relationship with Him now and forever. This was all confirmed when Jesus rose from the dead on the third day. Now that is good news!
Jesus gifts His followers with His Spirt and eternal presence. It should be no surprise that as we follow Him our hearts are now inclined towards grace, mercy and love expressed in action to a lost and broken humanity. It is only natural for this is the heart beat of Jesus our God that now lives within us. This we pray is always the heartbeat of this new church.
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