This weekend I was blessed with the opportunity to spend a few days with the people of First Corinthian Baptist Church in Harlem, New York. It was an AMAZING time of worshiping the Lord, making new friends, laughing, crying, cheering, clapping, learning, and, most of all, SERVING.
I had the privilege of walking the streets of Harlem spreading the grace, mercy, forgiveness, and hope of new life found in Jesus. I had the privilege of sharing stories of freedom from hurts, habits, and hang-ups through a relationship with Jesus. I had the privilege of pointing people to welcoming arms of Celebrate Recovery. I had the privilege to be WITH PEOPLE!
Some people, make that ALL people, need to be reminded maybe even informed of just how much God LOVES them. I’m amazed by how few KNOW or BELIEVE that God loves them. I know self-professed Christians who struggle acknowledging God’s love for them. It’s EASY to see how God can love someone ELSE. We can become so entangled in guilt and shame, so mixed up in our past that we are blinded to the possibility of being loved by God or anybody else.
Here’s what I was reminded of this weekend:
#1 People Matter To God—It’s true! You cannot argue this point. He created us in His image. He created us in His likeness. He rescued us from the bondage of slavery. He broke us free from the clutches of captivity. He redeemed us from the pits of hell. That’s right! God sent His son Jesus Christ to die on a cross in order to reconcile our broken relationship. He loved us enough to DIE FOR US! People matter to God! You matter to God! And here’s the difficult part that some of you will struggle to say, “I matter to God,” (say it like 3-4 times…maybe SHOUT it!). Read John 3:16; Romans 5:8; Ephesians 2:4-10
#2 I Belong To Jesus, Not The Other Way Around—7 years ago God reached His hand down and saved me from myself. He called me His son. He adopted me into His family. He gave me a new beginning. He gave me hope. He GAVE. I RECEIVED. Many of us today fail to realize it is a GIFT that we’ve received from God, not something we’ve earned…freely given…freely received. I cannot box it up. I cannot store it away. I cannot put it up on a shelf to gather dust. I must SHARE IT. I must SHARE the Good News of Jesus Christ. I must SHARE the hope of a new beginning, a fresh start, a better way of life. God says in His word that for those who are faithful with little He will give MUCH and I want ALL THE BLESSING I CAN GET! If you don’t want yours, I’ll take it too! Read Matthew 25, Luke 16:10-11, Galatians 4:1-7
#3 Found People Find People—When God invades your life, SAVES you, REDEEMS you, RESCUES you…you can’t help but want to tell the world about it! You can’t help but want to tell everyone you know, every family member, every friend, every co-worker, everybody you pass in the street that God LOVES them and wants to give them NEW LIFE. I love my kids, but it pales in comparison to the love of God and it’s that indescribable love that will ultimately change this world. Let someone know. Tell someone about Jesus. Share your story.
I had the privilege of walking the streets of Harlem spreading the grace, mercy, forgiveness, and hope of new life found in Jesus. I had the privilege of sharing stories of freedom from hurts, habits, and hang-ups through a relationship with Jesus. I had the privilege of pointing people to welcoming arms of Celebrate Recovery. I had the privilege to be WITH PEOPLE!
Some people, make that ALL people, need to be reminded maybe even informed of just how much God LOVES them. I’m amazed by how few KNOW or BELIEVE that God loves them. I know self-professed Christians who struggle acknowledging God’s love for them. It’s EASY to see how God can love someone ELSE. We can become so entangled in guilt and shame, so mixed up in our past that we are blinded to the possibility of being loved by God or anybody else.
Here’s what I was reminded of this weekend:
#1 People Matter To God—It’s true! You cannot argue this point. He created us in His image. He created us in His likeness. He rescued us from the bondage of slavery. He broke us free from the clutches of captivity. He redeemed us from the pits of hell. That’s right! God sent His son Jesus Christ to die on a cross in order to reconcile our broken relationship. He loved us enough to DIE FOR US! People matter to God! You matter to God! And here’s the difficult part that some of you will struggle to say, “I matter to God,” (say it like 3-4 times…maybe SHOUT it!). Read John 3:16; Romans 5:8; Ephesians 2:4-10
#2 I Belong To Jesus, Not The Other Way Around—7 years ago God reached His hand down and saved me from myself. He called me His son. He adopted me into His family. He gave me a new beginning. He gave me hope. He GAVE. I RECEIVED. Many of us today fail to realize it is a GIFT that we’ve received from God, not something we’ve earned…freely given…freely received. I cannot box it up. I cannot store it away. I cannot put it up on a shelf to gather dust. I must SHARE IT. I must SHARE the Good News of Jesus Christ. I must SHARE the hope of a new beginning, a fresh start, a better way of life. God says in His word that for those who are faithful with little He will give MUCH and I want ALL THE BLESSING I CAN GET! If you don’t want yours, I’ll take it too! Read Matthew 25, Luke 16:10-11, Galatians 4:1-7
#3 Found People Find People—When God invades your life, SAVES you, REDEEMS you, RESCUES you…you can’t help but want to tell the world about it! You can’t help but want to tell everyone you know, every family member, every friend, every co-worker, everybody you pass in the street that God LOVES them and wants to give them NEW LIFE. I love my kids, but it pales in comparison to the love of God and it’s that indescribable love that will ultimately change this world. Let someone know. Tell someone about Jesus. Share your story.
Awesome. Just awesome!!!
ReplyDelete-Rusty Miller (aka Rusman)
It was an AMAZING weekend with some AMAZING people! Grateful we had the opportunity to meet Rusty!
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