Red Letters: Just 1- Pastor Josiah Elias

On Sunday we commemorated the Last Supper with communion. Before we partook, Pastor Greg Hendricks reminded us that in order to participate, one must be a Christ follower. We were not performing an empty ritual but remembering Jesus’ sacrifice. Pastor Greg invited any one who was not a Christ follower to pray and accept Jesus as her/his Lord. Two people raised their hands when Pastor Greg asked who had accepted Jesus as Lord. A man and a woman

raised their hands. Heaven rejoiced as did the FC family. Then Pastor Greg led us into breaking the bread to remember Jesus’ broken body for our sins and His blood spilled for our eternal lives. Jesus took on God’s wrath so that we could be redeemed. Such a powerful moment it was!

Then Ashley Elias shared Psalm 27:4.

“One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek:

that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,

to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.“ (NIV)

She reminded us of the wonder of being in the LORD’s house and gazing on His beauty. What joy it is to be a Christ follower.

Also Pastors Erick and Alyssa sang a beautiful song to Selah Joy who was dedicated. What a privilege as a church family to share in this sweet baby’s dedication.

After Pastor Josiah dedicated Selah Joy, he emphasized that FC mission is to culture like Christ, and the vision is Jesus. He reminded us about Pastor Greg’s sermon on growing one’s faith. One of the main tenets was to spend time in the Word consistently. The Lord can order and direct our steps when we are in deep communication with Him.

Then Pastor Josiah directed us to Matthew 18 which pointed us to a shepherd with a lost sheep.

“Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go

out to search for the one that is lost? In the same way,

it is not my heavenly Father’s will that even one of these

little ones should perish.” Matthew 18:12b,14 (NIV)

As the shepherd leaves the ninety nine for the one lost sheep, the Lord is coming after you. He is running after you. God is searching for His lost sheep.

“But how can they call him to save them unless they believe

in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never

heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless

someone tells them?” Romans 10:14 (NLT)

Maybe you and I are being sent. Are you to go around the world or across the street to help the lost hear of the only One that can save them? Pastor Josiah cited, “Fifty-one percent of church goers have never heard the Great Commission.Twenty-five percent do not know what the Great Commission means.”

The Great Commission is found in Matthew 28.

“And Jesus came and spoke to them saying, ’All authority has

been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing

them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the

Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have

commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the

end of the age.’ Amen” Matthew 28:18020 (NKJV)

Life style Christianity means you live as Christ lived. All authority was given to Jesus, and He gave His authority to teach others of Him and to heal. We are to make disciples for the uncompromised Gospel.

Also Jesus has given us the authority of ambassadorship so that people will be more like Jesus and less like the world.

“For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no

longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us

this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s

ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak

for Christ when we plead,’Come back to God!’” 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 (NLT)

You have been given the ministry of reconciliation. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you to the right person and to give you the right words to say so that person can be reconciled to Christ. We gain His heart the closer we get to Him.

The Just 1 movement equips people to have a lifestyle of serving the Lord and sharing Him with others. You carry the message of freedom; a lost and dying world must hear. Mature, Jesus-following Christians take personal responsibility for the commands and example of Christ. However, Banning Lieschen stated, ”We’ve kept people in the church so immature, we as leaders are basically living their Christian lives for them.” If we as church leaders aren’t careful, we’ll end up fostering such a co-dependency upon the church in order to cater to

believers disobedience.“

Be available to share Jesus with whomever you encounter. Only 1% of believers will ever lead someone to Jesus in their lifetime. What are you willing to do to lead someone to Christ?

The Paramount Point is “If I value Him, then I value the one.” Todd White emphasized, “You might not be an evangelist, but you have no right to not be a witness.” In order to be salt and light, let us boldly share the love of Jesus with whomever we encounter.

Calendar:

4/11-LB potluck, worship and Meet to Swap with proceeds blessing the FC Youth

4/12-Women's Walk, 9-10 am

4/18-Midnight Hour 8-12 pm

5/16-LB potluck, worship, The Forge, movie night

Submitted by

Larry and Annette Linthicum