16 Sep A World in Need of Prayer
We live in a sin-cursed world, filled with sinners. We encourage you all to be continually praying for the many situations in our world – so much wickedness, violence, hatred, and loss. The greatest help for our world, is not politics, social activism, debate or rallies, but the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Word of God has the only hope for a world under the weight and destruction of sin.
Our mission, as a church, comes from the Chief-Shepherd of the church, Jesus Christ. Our mission is to make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20). Ian just preached a great sermon on this on September 7. If you haven’t heard it, I encourage you to listen to it on our website. This past Sunday Scott preached a great sermon on the mandate we are under as stewards who are seeking to make disciples. If you missed this past Sunday, I encourage you to listen to Scott’s sermon on Matthew 25. These sermons put forth our message for our world, for those who are hurting, mourning, and overcome with concern for events happening.
The only hope for our world is the gospel of Jesus Christ, the very mission and mandate we have been commissioned to. If we aren’t on mission, who else has this message of hope, for it is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved! (Acts 4:12).
In light of this mandate and the sin-plagued world we live in, please be praying for the loss of those horribly impacted by the shooting in the US last week of Charlie Kirk. Pray for a wife and mother, pray for his two young children, his extended family, loved ones, organizations, and all those impacted in this loss – including each other. Tragedies like this can rock us emotionally in many ways, as it did to me.
Thankfully, at least from all I have seen, heard, and read over the past years, Charlie Kirk had a strong faith in Jesus Christ, as it seems does his now widowed wife. We are thankful he has entered his rest and we pray for his wife, family, and friends. We pray for our own culture and country, as we pray for the US and the world beyond.
This is such a tragic reminder of the sin in this world and the need for us who are in Christ Jesus to be ambassadors and witnesses for Christ, to be and stay on mission, and with horrible events like this, to be even more committed to our message and mandate. Jesus alone has the hope for those who are hurting and He alone is also the only hope for a world overwhelmed with sin.
Here is a helpful article by The Gospel Coalition, with a reminder of how to process this tragic event Biblically. Our Revelation series (starting in a few weeks) will address the very issue this article covers, among many others. Where Is King Jesus when violence reigns? I think this study of Revelation is very timely and will be a gift from God to our church.
Blessings,
Norm Millar
