The Vision plan that you are going to hear about all month long stems from our purpose as a church which is to meet as many people as possible right where they are and help move them to where God wants to be. Meeting and moving…that is what Grace Church is all about. Folks, listen, if “meeting and moving” is not what you see as the main priority and activity of our church, you are not going to like this vision plan nor are you going to be comfortable attending Grace.
Why is it that this is our priority? Because it is what God has called the church to do. If God wanted us simply to worship, He could have taken us to heaven the moment we got saved where we could have worshipped Him non-stop forever. If God wanted our main thrust to be simply deep, intellectual Bible Study, He could have taken us to heaven as soon as we got saved where we would have perfect minds of understanding. But God left us here. Why? Because He gave us a task to do…something we are to be ever so serious about making a priority. He told us in Acts 1:8 that we are to be His witnesses starting in Jerusalem and spreading all the way to the remotest part of the earth. That is why you will hear me say often that evangelism must be the engine that drives Grace Church.
And the coolest part of my job is that I get to hear stories practically every day of how God is using Grace Church to meet and move people in phenomenal ways. Last Sunday we showed the video story that our Media Producer, Tim Reedy, put together about a wonderful young lady named LuAnn. Before coming to Grace Church, LuAnn gave birth to triplets. How about that? But soon after that amazing experience, she literally found her husband dead in their house. Suddenly LuAnn was left a widow and a young single mom of three babies. In her own words, she was at her lowest last October when God connected LuAnn to the ministry of Grace Church. People from Grace reached out to LuAnn and she began to attend and as a result, her life was changed forever.
Isn’t that a wonderful story? And I could tell you dozens and dozens of others. In fact, throughout the month that is what we will be doing. Each week you will see and hear “meeting and moving” stories much like this one. Why? Because “meeting and moving” people is what is at the very heart of this vision plan.
We did not come up with this plan based on what would be easiest or most comfortable. At every turn and at every pause we asked ourselves this one pivotal question, “How can we meet as many people as possible and help move them to where God wants them to be?’ How can we as a church meet the hundreds and thousands of others like LuAnn out in our community who are hurting and who need the hope that only a relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ can bring? This vision plan isn’t for the comfortable Christian who sits in church week after week and never takes any spiritual risks. This vision plan is for those of you who are ready to say, “I have tasted what it is like to be part of meeting someone where they are and helping to move them to where God wants them to be, and I can’t get enough of it!”
Why is it that this is our priority? Because it is what God has called the church to do. If God wanted us simply to worship, He could have taken us to heaven the moment we got saved where we could have worshipped Him non-stop forever. If God wanted our main thrust to be simply deep, intellectual Bible Study, He could have taken us to heaven as soon as we got saved where we would have perfect minds of understanding. But God left us here. Why? Because He gave us a task to do…something we are to be ever so serious about making a priority. He told us in Acts 1:8 that we are to be His witnesses starting in Jerusalem and spreading all the way to the remotest part of the earth. That is why you will hear me say often that evangelism must be the engine that drives Grace Church.
And the coolest part of my job is that I get to hear stories practically every day of how God is using Grace Church to meet and move people in phenomenal ways. Last Sunday we showed the video story that our Media Producer, Tim Reedy, put together about a wonderful young lady named LuAnn. Before coming to Grace Church, LuAnn gave birth to triplets. How about that? But soon after that amazing experience, she literally found her husband dead in their house. Suddenly LuAnn was left a widow and a young single mom of three babies. In her own words, she was at her lowest last October when God connected LuAnn to the ministry of Grace Church. People from Grace reached out to LuAnn and she began to attend and as a result, her life was changed forever.
Isn’t that a wonderful story? And I could tell you dozens and dozens of others. In fact, throughout the month that is what we will be doing. Each week you will see and hear “meeting and moving” stories much like this one. Why? Because “meeting and moving” people is what is at the very heart of this vision plan.
We did not come up with this plan based on what would be easiest or most comfortable. At every turn and at every pause we asked ourselves this one pivotal question, “How can we meet as many people as possible and help move them to where God wants them to be?’ How can we as a church meet the hundreds and thousands of others like LuAnn out in our community who are hurting and who need the hope that only a relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ can bring? This vision plan isn’t for the comfortable Christian who sits in church week after week and never takes any spiritual risks. This vision plan is for those of you who are ready to say, “I have tasted what it is like to be part of meeting someone where they are and helping to move them to where God wants them to be, and I can’t get enough of it!”
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