Divine Compassion for the World

Our Fall Focus on Missions these last two weeks featured an emphasis on the heart of God for the lost:  "God so loved the world..." (John 3:16).  The Lord holds open the doors, and he reaches out to invite any and all to turn to him in faith and be saved (2 Peter 3:8-9).

On October 30, Pastor Josh Crans took us to Matthew 9:35-38, helping us to see the compassion of Jesus as he looked out upon a lost world--so many people like sheep without a shepherd, harrassed and helpless.  Do we see our neighbors near and far in this same way?  You can listen to Josh's message here.

And then on November 6, Dr. Michael Oh led us through the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13).  He helped us to see that the petitions of the second half of the Prayer (daily bread, forgiveness, protection in temptation), are not just for personal relief but to equip his church passionately to pursue the global and eternal worship of God as summed up in the first half of the Prayer (God's name hallowed, kingdom come, his will done).  You can access Michael's sermon here.

Our Special Missions Offering this year is to help the ministry to the homeless through Providence Church Coatesville.  Our Missions Team has set a goal of $4,000, and you have through Nov. 27 to designate an over-and-above gift for this vital outreach.

I see our Fall Focus as a key way that we can get our bearings and keep our biblical ballast amidst the crazy social/cultural/political storms of our times.  We do well to look away from the headlines and give attention to things that matter most--like God's heart for the the world and our mission to testify of his saving grace to all the people groups on earth (Matthew 28:18-20).  Here is a list of a few (out of the many!) Bible passages that emphasize God's heart for all nations:  "Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!" (Psalm 67:3).