Hi All,
I’ve really enjoyed these last couple of weeks in Romans and even though it’s a part of the Bible I know well, I still feel like I’ve been struck by all sorts of things I either haven’t seen before or just haven’t been struck by before! (Which isn’t surprising given this is God’s living and active word!)
One of those things is the power Paul sees in the gospel. He doesn’t try and sort out this Roman church’s issues with rivalries and arrogance by telling people to pull their heads or by telling them to get along better with each other. He sees the great power that the gospel has to deal with these issues. The gospel is a great equaliser – it reminds us that we’re all sinners, relying on the grace of Jesus. And whatever our differences, that’s a powerful thing that Christians have in common. A powerful reason for churches to have a great unity.
There are lots of ways we might seek to express our unity in our church, but one that comes to mind for me is serving. The way we serve each other week-by-week is a great way in which we show our togetherness and by which we show that we’re all ‘equal’ in Christ. Of course there’ll always be reasons why some of us are unable to serve, especially in formal ways, but I think the way we serve each other is a powerful pointer to the power of the gospel amongst us. I counted up this week and by my count at our church we have around 90 of us regularly involved in serving in formal roles on Sundays. I think that’s pretty incredible. We’re all different people with different backgrounds and skills, but on Sundays we come together and serve each other so wonderfully.*
Let me encourage you to keep going in your serving! It’s such a valuable thing. And if you are interested in serving but aren’t sure where to start, we’re always keen to have that conversation – get in touch!
Matt
*I should note that serving doesn’t have to be formal and doesn’t have to be on Sundays!
Upcoming Dates:
- Sunday October 8 – Mission Prayer Meeting. 7:15pm for a 7:30 start.
- Thursday evening October 17 – “Food That Takes Me Home” (Engage Work Faith event).
- Friday evening October 20 – Screening of The Last Daughter.
- Thursday evenings from November 2 – “Taste And See”.