Grace Sagola Church

In a world of retaliation, corruption, and increased division, it is no wonder that we know so little about forgiveness. Truth is, there is much to forgive, not to mention the truly grievous injustices that many have faced, yet we struggle with letting go - even the little offenses.  So, how do we truly forgive?  And why is it expected of Christians? 

Why is it important to go to church? There's a question we've all asked at one time or another.  The answer will come down to how we understand what the church is, and how God has designed our role in the church?

The whole goal behind evangelism is discipleship. And evangelism that fails to move towards making disciples is only making converts.  But what is a disciple, and what does it mean to truly "follow" Jesus? 

The bible reveals a surprisingly interconnect design to evangelism.  It isn’t just those who are missionaries who are called to be invested in the work of spreading the gospel.  God desires the whole church to cooperate; everyone has a mission. 

Today we are going to continue our series on evangelism and specifically, dealing with repentance. We are going to be studying out of the book of Acts. Paul was on the missions field in Athens and found himself in the middle of the Areopagus delivering a sermon which we can now read in chapter 17 verses 22-31 if you could turn there with me.

When it comes to our collective witness as God's people, God has designed our gatherings to be a redeemed platform for preaching the results of God's grace as evidenced in how we conduct ourselves with one anther.  This is intended by God to be most evident of all whenever we celebrate the Lord's Supper. 

When we think of evangelism, rarely do we link our commission from God to the ascension of Jesus.  However, it is precisely Jesus' ascension that both leads to our equipping for evangelism and substantiates the necessary precondition for why Christians are left on earth as witnesses.

When it comes to sharing the good news, we must establish that there is first of all some bad news - good news is only "good" when it is understood as contrast with the bad.  The bad news is that our sins will separate us from God for all eternity in hell, but the good news is that Jesus saves.

Each one of us has been given a story by God to share with the world.  It is a story of God's redeeming love and grace to save us from ourselves and the eternal consequences of sin.

The good news of Jesus Christ has been passed down from generation to generation.  It is not a flowery or eloquent petition, it is not forced with coercion or manipulation, rather the gospel is simply true - the evidence of God's love is demonstrated in this, while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. 

The message of the gospel has been watered down in recent years as we live in a world that increasingly fears offense.  In effort to avoid challenging the false gods of self and desire, evangelism has tried to appeal to the "natural" inclinations of the heart, and in doing so we've drifted away from the message first given by the Apostles.  

We have a story to tell to the nations... the message of Jesus' death and resurrection for our redemption is one that many of us have heard, but few of us are confident in sharing.  Although the message has many different aspects, one main component that is shared by all Christian evangelists is that Jesus is Lord. 

Easter is the pinnacle moment in the church for anchoring our souls no matter the storm or difficulty.  There is no challenge that you will face that God will not solve through RESURRECTION! 

Long before there were offices of professionals, there was the people of God.  And although our society has advanced to have the capacity to treat the most severe cases of mental health, we as the church are still equipped by God to offer a community of care to any and everyone struggling with navigating the soul. 

Sometimes the influences of evil forces are obvious, however more often than not it goes quite undetected in today's world.  Indeed the "father of deception" has made is such that if we do not have a biblical foundation for the influence of evil we will unwillingly make many missteps in our approach to spiritual warfare. 

When we face a sinful and broken world without the resources of God’s grace through Christ, we will inevitably end up relying upon our own abilities, schemes, thoughts, and designs for self-preservation.  The debt that this process incurs in our souls is a plague of anxiety and worry: two toxic thought patterns that will lead us into further brokenness and sin. 

Without biblical instruction, the church has looked to the world in our processing of grief.  But when grieving from a biblical perspective is ignored it is also then replaced with regret, resentment, substance abuse, or worse.  In our pursuit for navigating the soul we will see that God has given us a model to follow by learning to lament. 

The subject of transformation is the critical doorway that all believers must walk through. However, we can only accept God's new creation of our lives once we've first dealt honestly with sin. We will see that God has provided us more than just an answer for forgiveness, but through His Son we are offered an entirely new life!

The subject of depression is a primary category in mental health that affects everyone to one degree or another.  We will see that God's Word addresses this "sniffle of the soul" head-on, and teaches us to reframe what we dwell upon, who we listen to, and pursuing God as our greatest desire. 

The church has been silent too long on the subject and integration of mental health. Where the world has mistakenly addressed the issue as too one-dimensional, the church has also failed to respond with any comprehensive treatments that are rigorously Biblical and spiritual.  The reality is everyone's soul is in need of healing, and Jesus is the central answer for navigating the soul. 

The world around us is utterly broken.  God's good and beautiful creation has been subjected to the curse, and because of this we see brokenness in all spheres and in all contexts.  It is only an assured hope in God as the impartial judge that provides us with a confidence in His deliverance for His own. 

The warnings given for sin are clear from the scriptures. However, we too often consider these consequences as applying to someone else as we compare ourselves with people who we know are worse than us. The reality is, all of us are guilty of sin and deserve the consequences of those sins.

The requirement of a right standing with God can only come from God Himself, and can only be accessed by us through faith.  Nowhere is this more clearly seen than when we evaluate the transformed life to what used to be.  This new "living faith" is born out of a trust and confidence in God's promises that moves us towards obedience and love. 

There is an unnoticed danger in our lives.  It is an evil that has crept in has convinced us that it isn't a threat.  The danger is the deception that comes from our own hearts.  In a world fixated on pursuing and achieving your hearts desire, we need to take a step back and ask, "Does my heart even know what is best for me?"