Look around and identify where you see hope. There just isn’t that much hope in the world today. The world economy isn’t offering a whole lot of promise. The streets are restless with racism and violence. The political scene is filled with empty promises. Sometimes relationships are good and sometimes they are, well, not so good. Even our wardrobe is either outdated or it doesn’t fit! Oh, sure we see and experience pockets of hope from time-to-time; everyday life in this world isn’t always hopeless. But if we lock our hope in what this world has to offer we will live like Eeyore in Winnie the Pooh who didn’t find any reason for joy when he looked around. As Christians this shouldn’t surprise us; our ultimate hope is found beyond this world. Paul wrote,

“If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.” (1 Corinthians 15:19)

What he is saying is that even if we have Christ and that relationship with Him doesn’t offer us anything outside of what we experience in this life then we are miserable indeed. We have been called to live a life of denying self and suffering (Galatians 2:20) and if there is no resurrection then we are just poor chumps slogging through life. Through Christ God not only offers us forgiveness in the present, He also offers us resurrection hope in the future. Think about it, if Christ is not raise doesn’t that just put us right back on the same slippery slope as everyone else, looking for hope in a hopeless world?

Does this means that Christians are just supposed to exist in this life and hold no value in living in the world today with a “pie-in-the-sky” attitude? Absolutely not! We have enough instruction in God’s Word to teach us that there are wonderful opportunities and there is great value in living today (cf. Romans 5:1-5). Paul even ended his great chapter on the resurrection with these sound words,

“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)

Yes, there is a reason to get up, get dressed and head out the door – God has something for us to do. It may not be fun, it may not feel good, but anything done for the glory of the Lord is worth doing and has eternal value.

The doctrine of the resurrection holds out hope to us. And hope is what we look for every day. When we have hope it energizes us to do the work God has called us to do.

He Is Alive…Hope Is Alive!

Sharing the gospel can be done a thousand different ways. There are all sorts of strategies and methods that are good and work when sharing the gospel. We can use words, drawings, music, or whatever. It’s all about living our lives intentionally…we are intentionally living in such a way so that we will build relationships that will lead to gospel conversations. People do this all the time in our culture. Nations build relationships with other nations that will lead to international good will. Companies build relationships with customers that will lead to a healthier bottom line. Young couples build relationships that will hopefully lead to the altar. All of this building takes time, patience and long-term investment, but it is worth it. When we are building these bridges for the gospel the goal of sharing what Jesus did is far greater than international good relations or a prospering company or a couple saying, “I do.”

I want us to be perfectly clear about what the gospel is. The gospel is the good news that God is also on a mission to transform sinners into saints. God created us and loves us. We rebelled against Him. This rebellion has separated us from God forever. We have a problem we can’t fix on our own. An eternal punishment is hanging over our heads because we’ve sinned against an eternal God. We need an eternal God to intervene. God did intervene and provided His own sacrifice – His own Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus is God in the flesh who lived perfectly, obediently, lovingly and sacrificially. In the end He laid His life down as our substitute. He died on the cross we deserved to die on.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:16-17)

God in His kindness provided Jesus to take our place; God in His mercy gives us the gift of faith to believe in what Jesus did; God in His grace gives us all the benefits of being in Christ. The gospel is understanding who God is, who Jesus is, who we are, and how we respond to it all.

We should not be living life telling others that we are Christians; we should be living life telling others that they need Jesus. I hope you notice the difference. Get the gospel deep in your heart so that when God opens the door, you’ll be able to share the good news of what God is doing.

Grace & Peace,

We are at that time of year when our mission’s focus is on the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering. But what exactly does this mean? And who was Annie Armstrong? Let me tell you about Annie and then I’ll move our focus to the offering.

Annie Armstrong (1850-1938) was born in Maryland, saved at age nineteen, and helped plant a church at twenty-one. She was instrumental in establishing the Woman’s Missionary Union in 1888. She was the WMU’s first secretary of correspondence. One year she wrote more than 18,000 letters! She was obviously passionate about writing that included writing curriculum for the Sunday School board.

Armstrong was also involved in leading the WMU to raise money for foreign and home missions. While she was serving as secretary (1888-1906) total offerings for the Foreign Mission Board increased 266.27907% ($86,000 to $315,000). This increase is mainly attributed to her passion for missions.

She had a tireless mentality of doing all she could for the glory of God and the advancement of the Kingdom. This commitment was felt throughout the world through missions and the Southern Baptist Convention.

The convention goal this year is $60 million; our part in this is $1,500. 100% of the monies given through the Annie Armstrong Offering will be used for missionary work in the United States and Canada. The funds will be used for church planting, college evangelism, and training the next generation of missionaries through apprenticeships, internships and student missionaries.

Giving to the Annie Armstrong Offering is not a duty, it is a delight. Our giving should reflect a sacrifice beyond our regular giving of tithes and offerings to support Calvary; our sacrifice should reflect the sacrifice of Annie Armstrong. If we truly sacrifice the way God would want us to I wonder if our offering wouldn’t blow the doors off our goal? After all, it’s only a goal.

Grace & Peace,

Snow, ice and cold go away,

And, please, don’t come back any day!

We’ve slipped, froze, and had our fun,

Now it’s time for spring to come!

Or, try this one…

Roses are red,

My toes are blue,

Why are my toes blue?

My toes should not be this hue?

I think I’ll take it as a clue

To pray for spring to come and warm my toes of blue.

Ok, I realize I’m not very good at this, but I think it gets my point across – spring can come at any time! We’re all ready for a change. The warmer weather will bring out the beautiful colors that remind us of renewal.

“The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come!” (The Song of Solomon 2:12)

Budding trees and blooming flowers are a reminder that a better day is coming. God has promised us a home where sorrow will be wonderfully absent (Revelation 21:4) and the joy of exultation in God will be beautifully uninterrupted (Revelation 4:8). Oh, what a day that will be. And God’s promises always find their fulfillment in Jesus – He is the “AMEN” to what God says will happen. Because Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to the presence of His Father, we who are His children by grace through faith can expect the same.

“For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Thessalonians 4:14)

So, in a weird sort of way we can and should be thankful for the snow, cold and ice, because it is the precursor to spring that reminds us of God’s future grace. Without the winter we would have no spring.

On a final note, I think we can all agree that we’re thankful we don’t live in Boston.

Grace & Peace,