Welcoem to posts!!
in the future - u will be able to do some more stuff here,,,!! like pat catgirl- i mean um yeah... for now u can only see others's posts :c
Here in Sarasota the winter season brings lots of people who will stay still around Easter. I personally enjoy the influx, but I don't enjoy what it does to traffic. A 20 minute drive becomes 30. And the drivers seem to be on edge so much of the time. The vacationers take their time while the locals rage.
Earlier this week, while I was fighting traffic, the familiar phrase came to me from Luke's account of Christ's birth: "Peace on earth, good will to all."
I was immediately aware that something as trivial as traffic was robbing me of my peace. And not only that, I wasn't feeling much good will toward the people in front of me who were going too slow or the people behind me who thought I was going too slow. It was probably the opposite of good will. It was certainly the opposite of peace.
I was convicted.
But it wasn't just about how I need to be better at love. Yes, that. But I also realized how easy it is to hear the angel's proclamation, "Peace on earth, good will to all," as something for me to appropriate to myself. I hear it as a great promise that God will give me peace, and that he is favorably disposed toward me. I hear it as a salvation message.
And it is! Absolutely it is.
In Christ he has made peace by destroying the hostility that separated us from him. And he has given me peace by declaring me forgiven and justified, and by reconciling me to himself and giving me his Holy Spirit. He has shown me grace and favor and good will, not because he believed me to be a great specimen of virtue and moral excellence or even likeability. Ha. To the contrary, he redeemed me from what didn't measure up, and he bestowed upon me what does — namely, the righteousness of Christ. It's such good news, and it's good to reflect on that as we commemorate the arrival of "God with us."
But as I sat there in traffic, my conviction was that, yes I need to accept his peace within, and allow his good will to color my relationship with him. But I also need to be his ambassador of the same here on earth.
I thought, what if "peace on earth, good will to all" was a ministry we give to others?
It changed my mindset and my attitude toward the people stuck in traffic with me. I prayerfully gave peace to them. I prayed good will toward them. And as I did — as I embodied God's ministry to others, it became a renewed sense of God's ministry to me. In praying peace for those around me, I experienced a renewed peace. In praying good will toward those around me, I experienced a renewed sense of God's grace.
As you celebrate Christmas, with whatever busyness that means, be encouraged to breathe the prayer of peace and good will toward everyone you see. And please receive this little note as the same prayer of blessing from me to you.
Merry Christmas.
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I've been SO challenged by a few conversations lately. I've had the privilege of discussing Acts 7 with a couple different microchurches and what's come of it is SO radical. And so freeing. Stephen prayed for those martyring him: "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." I wonder, if we prayed that for those who hate us, would we be disappointed if God answered it? More Monday.
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Encouragement and instruction for people who desire a simpler church and a disentangled faith.
I oversee a network of microchurches called X242. We follow one path, four devotions, and two loves: We follow Jesus (the one path), we devote ourselves to scripture, fellowship, a common meal, and prayer (the four devotions), and we make it our mission to love God with all we are and love our neighbors with all we have (the two loves).
My wife and I live in Sarasota, Florida where we own and operate Main Street Creamery. We spend part of our time living nomadically, traveling the country in our fifth wheel to plant and encourage microchurches. If you'd like to show appreciation for this teaching channel you can give a financial gift to the X242 ministry at X242.net/support. Thank you!
#preaching #Jesusfollower #faith #deconstruction #spiritualdirection #earlychurch #microchurch #housechurch #sermon