First of all, I want to start by simply saying “thank you!” We have something pretty exciting to celebrate:
We not only reached our Annie Armstrong offering goal, we exceeded it by over 10%!!!!!!
At the time of the writing of this Forerunner article, we have brought in $14,513 for this special offering. I thought our goal of $13,000 was pretty audacious, and I am so thankful for our church, which sacrificially gave to this important cause. 100% of this offering goes to support church planters and missionaries here in North America.
It is so important for us to continue to spread the hope of Jesus to those who desperately need it. There was a fascinating article written by a nonbeliever in England that highlights this need. John Harris, in a column for the Guardian, wrote that, as an irreligious person, this pandemic has been very difficult for him to understand. He said, “For many of us, life without God has turned out to be life without fellowship and shared meaning – and in the midst of the most disorienting, debilitating crisis most of us have ever known, that social tragedy now cries out for action.”
Harris pointed out that across 95 different countries, Googling the word “prayer” increased by 50%. He uses this as evidence that people need something more. Harris, and so many secularists like him, are realizing that they need answers to life’s most difficult questions.
However, what is heartbreaking is that Harris’ answer to this issue is to create a community modeled after the church. He argues that “religion, after all, often comes down to people doing things together, whatever the transcendental meaning attributed to it: they sing, they pray, they eat together.”
Do you see how he is missing out on the true reason that we gather together as a church? Christianity is so much more than just a social club where we do things together. It is all about a relationship with the one true God! It is about celebrating new life through the Gospel!
People are longing for more; Harris makes that clear. However, he incorrectly posits what it is that makes our church a community. His article is a compelling piece of evidence that we need to clearly articulate the truth of the Gospel. We need to continue to have a life-giving community that gathers together and strengthens one another in the midst of a crisis. However, we also need to clearly and explicitly explain why we are gathering together: because of Jesus!
Please join me in praying for the many lost people around who are desperately searching for something more. And please join me in praying for opportunities to share the truth of the Gospel with them!
Thank you for giving sacrificially to Annie Armstrong. Now, let’s pray about opportunities to give the truth of the Gospel to those around us that are looking for hope!
In Him,
Pastor Zach