Dear brothers and sisters,
Greetings in the Lord!
Sermon Recap
Last Sunday we considered one of the bedrock doctrines of the Christian faith: sola fida. Faith alone. From Galatians 2:15 – 3:14 we saw that no one can be made right with God by doing all the works of God’s law. Rather, we are made right (justified) through faith. But what is faith? Pastor Chuck gave us a simple equation to define faith: knowledge + agreement + trust = faith. We must have knowledge of who Christ is and what he has done to replace our sin with his righteousness. We must agree that all of this matters and is true. Finally, we must put our trust in Christ, casting ourselves upon his person, just as the rock climber leans back from 100 feet up trusting in the strength of the rope and harness.
But this means that the object of our faith is of vital importance! Brothers and sisters, Christ alone is the only object sufficient and worthy of our faith. All of our best deeds and most valiant efforts to justify ourselves will only prove a splintering rope. It will not hold the weight of our sin. But Christ can bear the weight, and he did so on the cross. Is your faith losing sight of its most precious object? Let’s begin and end each day consciously resting in Christ, meditate on the Scriptures that show us Christ, and live life transparently with the community of believers who constantly point us to Christ.
2 Gatherings begins!
We have finally arrived! This Sunday is our 2 Gatherings launch date! Services will begin at 9:30 and 11:15 am, with connection classes offered during both times. Pastor Chuck has encouraged those of us who are able to attend the first service to do so, since it is likely that the second service will be more full. Let’s prepare our hearts to be on mission. Remember that the purpose of this change is that we would have more opportunities to make the gospel known to more people who need a Savior. Consider ways to make the most of every opportunity before, in-between, and after the services!
Wednesday Nights
All Christians are disciples who make disciples. Want to learn how? Join us August 9th from 6:30 – 8 pm for Disciplemakers Fall Kick-off Night! Come ask questions and learn about what we will be studying this semester. It should be a great time!
In Christ,
Phil Hoshiwara
