April's Message Easter is not far away and for those of us who are preparing for the musical drama production, “More Than Just A Man”, that thought can be a little frightening, and yet, the anticipation of celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ reminds us that even in the middle of intense time pressures we can live with a sense of joy and peace because of Jesus. The greatest story ever told is that of God’s Son, Jesus, coming to earth to live and then to die on a cross to show us first hand the incredible length of God’s love so we could experience forgiveness of all of our sins and have a brand new life in Christ!! What an awesome provision and blessing for all who will believe that truth and receive Christ by faith! In addition to the joy of forgiveness and our personal salvation, the Apostle Paul reminds us in II Corinthians 5:14-15 that “Christ’s love compels us (to reach others for Him), because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again.” That means, as verses 18 & 20 say, that “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation…(so) we are therefore Christ’s ambassadors…” To know that God wants to use us in that way is a tremendous blessing and it is the way God has planned for us to experience wholesome and meaningful relationships with each other. Henry Blackaby writes: “Christ’s sacrificial work has restored Christians to a love relationship with the Heavenly Father. As Christians, we are appointed as ministers of reconciliation. Once Christ dwells within us, we become His ambassadors, and we entreat others to be reconciled to Him. We are God’s messengers of peace and grace.” When we experience a restored and reconciled relationship with Almighty God first, we then know the joy of peaceful and meaningful relationships with each other. That is part of the awesome joy of Easter and being a part of the Body of Christ where we work together to accomplish God’s mission here on earth and the specific mission of Lakeside Community Church “to demonstrate God’s love to all people, leading them to embrace Jesus Christ, and helping them grow to maturity in Him.” I am so thankful I have the privilege of working together with each of you to be “ministers of reconciliation” and “ambassadors for Christ” and I look forward to all of the blessings God wants to pour out on us as we faithfully serve Him and as we celebrate the love of God in worship each Sunday.
|