This past Sunday was big for Our Saviour. We announced a challenge to pray for and plan to see 50 people sent out as short-term missionaries and 50 people become followers of Jesus over the next three years. Then, three years from now, we hope to have 50 people become the core group of a church-plant in our area. We’re calling this challenge Three50. More information and more importantly, many opportunities to be a part of this challenge, will be coming in the next several weeks and months. For now, we just have one question: Are you in?

Dear church,

Everyone is contending for truth. While relativistic thinkers have been around for thousands of years, perhaps they have never been so widespread. One of the attacks the secular media and those antagonistic toward the Church bring on a consistent basis goes something like, “Christians are so narrow-minded for making absolute truth claims.” What are we supposed to do?

If we believe the words of the Bible, not only is truth knowable, but it, or should I say He, is personal. In John 14:6-7 Jesus says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” Isn’t that amazing? We can see and know truth!

We can also read truth. Perhaps that does not seem like a controversial statement around our church, but try telling many of your neighbors or coworkers that and see what kinds of reactions you receive. King David says, “The sum of your word is truth” in Psalm 119:160 and Jesus says, “Your word is truth” in John 17:17. If we can read the truth and know the truth, we are compelled to proclaim the truth; namely, the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

When we gather this Sunday morning, we will focus on another commitment that defines our church: truth. As a church, we are committed to studying, teaching, and submitting to the truth of God. This is not something that comes easily to us. In the face of resistance and many opposing viewpoints, we must contend for truth. We are not just committed to this for ourselves, but for the hundreds and thousands of people in our lives and the billions of people around the world who do not know the Truth.

This Sunday, we will talk about the nature of truth, but it will not be a philosophical time for distant ideas. We will proclaim and celebrate the nearness of the God of truth in Jesus Christ. He is knowable and He is truth. Truth can be known and it is essential to life that we know Him. I hope you will join me.

For the sake of His name,

Pastor Adam

Dear church,

You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

-Romans 8:9-11

            Christians are spiritual people. In fact, we are the only spiritual people. You may know someone who disagrees. It is not uncommon to hear a person say something similar to, “I’m not religious, but I am very spiritual.” In fact, I would mostly agree with this statement when it comes to myself. However, most people making it and I probably disagree significantly over the meaning and intention of their words. They are probably referring to a new-age, alternative understanding of faith and purpose in life. When I think of spirituality, I think of life through God the Holy Spirit.

The Bible teaches that those who place their faith in Jesus Christ are no longer empty shells, but temples of the Holy Spirit. That’s a significant change. It is a change in purpose. It is a change from an inward focus on oneself to an outward focus on God and others. And, mostly importantly, it is a change from death to life. In the verses above, the Apostle Paul says a person without the Spirit lives for the flesh. That is his way of saying they only seek to gratify themselves. However, he says a person who lives by the Spirit glorifies God.

As we continue in our series of Sunday morning messages on our core commitments, this week we will define our commitment to the Spirit. In this commitment, we are claiming both our life through the Spirit and our intention to trust the Spirit for assurance, seek the Spirit for direction, and grow as disciples of Christ through spiritual disciplines. Because God’s Spirit is the only true Spirit and His Spirit brings life, we, as Christians can celebrate being the only true spiritual people. I’m looking forward to celebrating with you this Sunday.

For the sake of His name,

Pastor Adam

Dear church,

What is the Gospel? Now, the simple answer is, “It’s the good news of Jesus Christ.” But, what does that mean? If a co-worker or neighbor asked you to tell them the message of the Gospel, what would you say? Are you prepared to respond to that question?

Paul tells the Roman church, who he’d never met, that he is “not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” He has conviction, but is that it? Is that a full explanation of the Gospel? Now, with every ounce of respect due to the Apostle Paul (I have no doubt he could articulate the Gospel far more clearly and completely than I will ever be able to), I still don’t know what to do. I am still not sure HOW salvation comes for everyone who believes. We may think it’s simple, but this is a very important question; what is the Gospel? It’s also one we cannot afford to get wrong. The very souls of people are at stake.

Not long ago I was reading a blog where this question was asked. I am not sure you would believe me if I told you how many very different answers were given. I should mention that this was the blog of a popular ministry that serves mostly evangelical pastors. Some of the answers were long and winding, others were overly simplistic, but the thing that stood out to me the most was the variety of words and content that these, mostly, pastors used to articulate the Gospel. I thought, “Is it really this hard? With so many differences, can we hope to share a succinct message of hope and reconciliation between God and a lost and dying world that says all it needs to say without adding things it does not mean to?”

Our Saviour Evangelical Free Church is committed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am not sure I can understate the tenor of this commitment. We are not just Gospel-oriented, we are Gospel-centered. We are Gospel-saturated. It is the first in a list of four things we are committed to and it is by far the most important. The Gospel of Jesus Christ defines and shapes everything about who we are.

As we continue speaking this Sunday about our purpose and what we are committed to, I’m going to try to simply and clearly define what the Bible says the Gospel is. Then, we’ll have a better understanding of what the Gospel calls us towards. This may seem like an easy task, but it is harder than we think. However, I want to be clear. I am not going to tread on new ground this Sunday as much as I will identify old truths that should have never been forgotten. I hope you will join me. This is the message of our faith. It is what makes a Christian a Christian and it is what EVERYONE needs.

In closing, I want to let you know that over the next couple of months we will have some new worship leaders on a Sunday morning here and there. In order to fill out our schedule I have asked Bill, a man who has served this church for many years as pastor and Tim, a college student who has made this his church home to lead the music portion of our worship services. I can personally vouch for the humble, sacrificial, Gospel-centered lives of these two men and look forward to worshipping along with them as they serve in this capacity on occasional Sundays.

For the sake of His name,

Pastor Adam

Dear church,

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

- Hebrews 13:17

As a pastor texts like Hebrews 13:17 are difficult for me to preach and teach. I am always afraid, if I am not careful, that I will come across as power-hungry or arrogant. Through Jesus Christ, I am not, but I still worry. Nevertheless, these are God’s words and if we are to be a Biblical church, we must know them and submit to them.

The reason I want to draw your attention to this passage is that just a few hours after you receive this, much of the leadership of our church will gather for the purposes of prayer, discerning God’s will for our church, and strategically planning for the future. During this time we will have two main groups of people in mind: you and those God is calling us to reach with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. On behalf of our elders, staff, and ministry team I want to tell you how seriously we take our calling. In particular, the end of that first sentence in Hebrews 13:17 weighs heavily on us. As those who lead God’s people we will one day give an account for your soul.

Secondly, we are told to undertake this work with joy, not groaning. The reason for this is that it would not help you if we did not enjoy our work. For the men and women that will gather, our ministry is both a delight and a burden and we carry it joyfully. It is our privilege to serve you in the ways we do.

Finally, you may have noticed that I have yet to challenge you to obey your leaders and submit to them (the beginning of this command). That is because I believe this obedience and submission must be earned through Godly, servant-leadership. In fact, I believe if we as leaders remember that we will give an account for other souls and approach our tasks joyfully, you will find it easy to submit to that kind of leadership. So, according to this way of thinking, even though this is a command to those under leadership, it is much more a challenge to leaders to serve humbly and faithfully.

As we prepare to retreat together this weekend, I want you to know how much respect and admiration I have for the elders, staff, and ministry team of our church. They are men and women of Godly character, compassion, and they are servant-hearted. As we gather together, our deepest desire is to glorify God and serve Him. We covet your prayers on Friday evening and all-day Saturday. As God leads you, please pray specifically for these areas:

1. Pray that, first and foremost, our time together would be worshipful to God and centered on His Word.
2. Pray for humility, fellowship, and unity among our leadership.
3. Pray for discernment of God’s will and desire as well as the courage and boldness to pursue it wholeheartedly.
4. Pray for wisdom and vision in our leadership of others to pursue joy in Jesus Christ.

Thank you in advance for your faith-filled prayers. As for this week, I am excited to begin a new series of messages that will communicate and call our church toward a renewed sense of purpose and vision. The series is called Committed with the subtitle, “What defines us.” Beginning this Sunday, I will unpack a slightly revamped Purpose Statement for our existence as a church and then, in the weeks following, identify four Commitments that drive everything we do. Along the way, I will also highlight five central Values that make Our Saviour Evangelical Free Church a, somewhat, unique place to belong.

Please pray for these things as well. These are very exciting times at OSEFC, however, we must be mindful that they are not exciting because of our strength, but because of God’s abundant provision. To Him be the glory forever! Sunday will be an exciting day. I will see you there.

For the sake of His name,

Pastor Adam