Pastor's Weekly Musing
Hey everyone!
The Bible pulls no punches when it calls us spiritually "dead", "blind", and "lost." All of those adjectives can be used as insults if one so desires, right? When in an argument, if I call my opponent "blind", I don't mean it in a nice way.
But I believe those terms used in Scripture actually reveal how much we're loved. Think of the term "lost." When God says that we're spiritually lost, it's not an insult -- it's actually a HUGE compliment!
First of all, there's a big difference between losing something and misplacing something. Misplacing means I don't really find the item truly important to me. If I lose something, I think it's worth finding. I misplace my chapstick, I lose my wallet. Apply this to humans, God's "masterpieces." (Ephesians 2:10) People are only lost if they're worth finding.
This applies to other masterpieces as well. When a valuable painting is lost, the value actually goes up!
Consider this: The largest art theft in world history occurred in Boston on March 18, 1990, when thieves stole 13 pieces from the Isabela Stewart Gardner Museum. Among the stolen pieces was Johannes Vermeer's, The Concert, which was purchased by the museum in an 1892 auction in Paris for $5,000.
After the theft in 1990, the value shot up to.... wait for it.... $250 million! There's even a reward for finding it: another $10 million! The value increased exponentially because it was lost.
When God calls us "lost", He's not referring to us losing our value. People are lost when they're disconnected from God. When you're disconnected from God you lose a lot: you lose your happiness, direction, potential, your future, your hope. But there's one thing you don't lose: your value.
Jesus talks about this when He tells the parable of a lost sheep. The shepherd leaves the flock, tracks the sheep down, brings it back to the fold, and calls his friends to celebrate. He finishes the story by saying, "I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent."
God finds you infinitely valuable, worthy of pursuing, and will track you down again and again, because He loves you and considers you worth it. What a Savior!
The Bible pulls no punches when it calls us spiritually "dead", "blind", and "lost." All of those adjectives can be used as insults if one so desires, right? When in an argument, if I call my opponent "blind", I don't mean it in a nice way.
But I believe those terms used in Scripture actually reveal how much we're loved. Think of the term "lost." When God says that we're spiritually lost, it's not an insult -- it's actually a HUGE compliment!
First of all, there's a big difference between losing something and misplacing something. Misplacing means I don't really find the item truly important to me. If I lose something, I think it's worth finding. I misplace my chapstick, I lose my wallet. Apply this to humans, God's "masterpieces." (Ephesians 2:10) People are only lost if they're worth finding.
This applies to other masterpieces as well. When a valuable painting is lost, the value actually goes up!
Consider this: The largest art theft in world history occurred in Boston on March 18, 1990, when thieves stole 13 pieces from the Isabela Stewart Gardner Museum. Among the stolen pieces was Johannes Vermeer's, The Concert, which was purchased by the museum in an 1892 auction in Paris for $5,000.
After the theft in 1990, the value shot up to.... wait for it.... $250 million! There's even a reward for finding it: another $10 million! The value increased exponentially because it was lost.
When God calls us "lost", He's not referring to us losing our value. People are lost when they're disconnected from God. When you're disconnected from God you lose a lot: you lose your happiness, direction, potential, your future, your hope. But there's one thing you don't lose: your value.
Jesus talks about this when He tells the parable of a lost sheep. The shepherd leaves the flock, tracks the sheep down, brings it back to the fold, and calls his friends to celebrate. He finishes the story by saying, "I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent."
God finds you infinitely valuable, worthy of pursuing, and will track you down again and again, because He loves you and considers you worth it. What a Savior!
________________________________________________
We've got LOTS of action going on at Meadows right now.
Sundays: two awesome services at 9 & 11 AM
Mondays: Prayer Gathering at 10 AM
Tuesdays: Ladies Connect at 10 AM & 6:30 PM
Wednesdays: Wednesday Night Connect and MYG at 7 PM
Get in on the action!
Sundays: two awesome services at 9 & 11 AM
Mondays: Prayer Gathering at 10 AM
Tuesdays: Ladies Connect at 10 AM & 6:30 PM
Wednesdays: Wednesday Night Connect and MYG at 7 PM
Get in on the action!
________________________________________________
Operation: Christmas Child launched this past Sunday, and here are some important dates:
Sunday, November 20: last day to bring your boxes to church!
November 14-21: OCC drop-off location is in full affect! Talk to Susan Elliott about volunteering!
ALSO: this is Susan's 21st and final year as Central Team Drop-Off Leader, overseeing the drop-off site and being a part of the overall OCC team. If that role sounds appealing and you'd like more info, call/text Susan for more info! 702-498-6197
Sunday, November 20: last day to bring your boxes to church!
November 14-21: OCC drop-off location is in full affect! Talk to Susan Elliott about volunteering!
ALSO: this is Susan's 21st and final year as Central Team Drop-Off Leader, overseeing the drop-off site and being a part of the overall OCC team. If that role sounds appealing and you'd like more info, call/text Susan for more info! 702-498-6197
________________________________________________
This Sunday, we'll continue our series out of 1 and 2 Kings, Elijah and Elisha.
Also, it's YOUTH SUNDAY!
That's right, the legendary MYG will be leading the entire Sunday: the Youth band will lead worship, and Pastor Adrianne will bring the Word. She'll be preaching out of 2 Kings 4, when Elisha raises a young boy from the dead. You will NOT want to miss this!
Looking forward to seeing you on the walkway!
Pastor Ron
Also, it's YOUTH SUNDAY!
That's right, the legendary MYG will be leading the entire Sunday: the Youth band will lead worship, and Pastor Adrianne will bring the Word. She'll be preaching out of 2 Kings 4, when Elisha raises a young boy from the dead. You will NOT want to miss this!
Looking forward to seeing you on the walkway!
Pastor Ron
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