the gospel matters.
Carrying out Christ’s great commission (Matthew 28:18-20) is a glorious calling that we, as a church family, have committed to carry out together in NWI. It is Christ and his gospel that sets this family apart from any other social gathering. Countless organizations give their members reasons to meet and places to socialize. But you and I both know your membership in the body of Christ has an infinitely greater why. It’s the gospel that truly changes everything. It’s the message of God being born to live, die, and rise – all to rescue and reconcile us broken sinners to himself. It’s the true story of our redemption from sin, death, and hell, and the true story of God graciously restoring what we had destroyed. The good news of Jesus is the best thing we can offer the Region. We’re not ashamed of that either. After all, our potlucks, picnics, and clubs are not what the Apostle Paul identifies as “the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16); that accolade solely belongs to the gospel.
you matter.
What’s so beautiful about this message is that it truly is for everyone. Just as “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” so “all justified freely by [God’s] grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23, 24). That ‘all’ includes you. You matter to God. You’re not a grain of sand lost across the dunes of history; God personally came to win your forgiveness. God personally sought you through the waters of your baptism (Titus 3:5) and personally nourishes your faith in Word and sacrament. You are God’s beloved (Isaiah 64:4-5). You are a member of his Church, the very bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:25-27). You are an heir among God’s chosen people, a diadem among his royal priesthood, and God’s own inheritance and treasure (1 Peter 2:9). You are his workmanship, “created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God in advance prepared for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). The Lord of the Church delights in accomplishing his purposes through the diverse gifts he’s given to his people.
your gifts matter.
Your God-given gifts of time, talents, and treasure truly do matter – and they truly do make a difference in the lives of people. In view of God’s mercy, we’re commended to give in the following ways:
Give in view of God’s mercy. We do not give out of fear or guilt. We do not give because our membership to this church is “pay to play” or membership to Christ’s Church depends on how much we give. After all, our God gives graciously, not transactionally. We give in view of God’s mercy already given to us in Christ (Romans 12:1). It’s Christ’s love that compels us to give (2 Corinthians 5:14). In spite of the depths of our depravity and how spiritually bankrupt we were before God, our God has responded with nothing short of the overflowing abundance of his grace. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). What liberates us to give liberally is the generous love richly poured out on us already in Christ.
Give worshipfully. Jesus said that, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). Our giving, after all, is a form of worship. It’s a way of saying “I love you” to the One who already loves you infinitely more! It’s an expression of thankfulness for all that God has done for us. That we’re called to give our first fruits doesn’t just mean we’re called to give our first and best back to God (before Starbucks Coffee, the latest gadget, or that dream vacation); that we give our first fruits regularly and prayerfully back to God is an expression of trust that the God who died for you will continue to meet your daily needs (Matthew 6:26-27).
Give of your time and talents. While your financial gifts are important, your talents are needed just as much as your financial gifts. God has intentionally gifted us with an array of abilities to be used in concert for the advancement of his kingdom. God compares the diversity and unity of the members within our church to the diversity and unity of the members of a human body (1 Corinthians 12:12-14). None of us can say to one another, “I don’t need you” or “You don’t need me” anymore than we could say “I don’t need my hand” or “My hand doesn’t need the rest of my body.” We interdependently need one another, as each of us are indispensably gifted. Gospel-ministry is far more beautiful (and frankly, far more fun) when all the diverse gifts and talents God has given us are used together as a church family for the building up of God’s Church and the advancement of his kingdom (Ephesians 4:11-16). What’s more, every time you volunteer, you – in some way – offset the financial cost of our ministry. Ask yourself: where do my God-given gifts fit into the mission of Our Shepherd?