Editor’s Note: For our Ordinary Time Devotional series, you will be hearing entirely from young authors. They will be sharing their perspectives on the theme, “God is in the streets.” Enjoy reading how the next generation of emerging GCI leaders experiences God outside the walls of the Sunday church gathering.
The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” John 4:9-10 NRSV
If Jesus only held Sunday service, the Samaritan woman in John 4 would not have encountered him on her daily routine of drawing water from the well. Jesus spread his love and his message almost exclusively to those marginalized by society, like the Samaritans were. Those marginalized—almost by definition—didn’t gather in the temples, in the city centers, or in public.
Jesus made it clear. If you practiced religion exclusively in the traditional religious gathering spaces, you were absent from most of the miracles Jesus was performing and the message of love he was spreading.
How then, after more than 2,000 years, have we come to act as if Sunday worship is the highest form of spiritual expression? It seems as though we have learned no lessons from our past. Jesus says “go,” but we’ve stayed put for many years.
Prayer: Lord, help us reach those marginalized by our society. Help us reach those experiencing homelessness—giving them spare change so they may get through another day. Help us reach those struggling with their faith in humanity—giving people the benefit of the doubt whenever they ask for help. Help us reach those experiencing loneliness—taking time out of our day to make conversation with our families, neighbors, and coworkers. Help us “go” and be like you. Amen.
The New Testament uses a variety of terms to express our transformed life in Jesus. Jesus talks to Nicodemus about being “born again” or “born from above.” Paul tells the Colossian church that it is “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27 ESV). Paul describes this life in Jesus in several ways. In 2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV) he declares, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” Being “joined to the Lord” is another phrase that the apostle Paul uses.
Being in Christ gives us a new life and a new identity; we leave behind former ways of behaving and self-identifying. We are now becoming the people we were initially created to be—people in Christ, bearing the image of God, no longer bearing a false or broken image.
The apostle Paul provides a sample list of these types of former behaviors. Not so much as a “checklist,” but as a reminder of the ungodly, unrighteous activity we leave behind. After all, grace teaches us to say “no” to ungodliness (Titus 2:12).
In Paul’s letter to Corinth, he said:
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10 ESV)
And the key to Paul’s point is found in the next verse:
And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:11 ESV)
Paul reminds the church of who they were apart from Christ. He does this to break down their division and pride, but even more importantly, to help them regain their new and true identity in Christ and to refocus on their kingdom of heaven citizenship.
We all get called out in this list in one way or another. The great common denominator all Christians share is that before coming to Christ, we were outside of his kingdom – outside of a participatory relationship with our triune God—because of our sin. None of us were living according to our true, original, God-intended identity.
This Corinthian passage often gets singled out to show how the church is known for its views on homosexuality. However, let’s not miss the bigger context here; it is not just sexual activity that is called out. Paul shows us how sexual immorality in general as well as greed and swindling are symptomatic of a false identity (and this certainly isn’t a complete list of such behavior). To be part of God’s kingdom, we need to live according to the identity we have in Christ. We are to no longer be defined and controlled by our past, present, or future sin, whether that is seen in sexual struggle, idolatry, or greed. All those things are poor and false substitutes for what is offered to us in Christ.
How do we treat people who are struggling with these various temptations? How do we share God’s love without implying an endorsement of sinful behavior? How do we help people see the real issue is about our true identity—living in Christ, knowing him, and knowing he knows and loves us.? Can we be pastoral in our care?
First, we must admit that even though we are in Christ, we are also in the flesh; we all deal with temptation in various ways. In his letter to believers in Rome, Paul says that as believers, we aren’t ruled by these temptations, yet the temptations still nip at our heels. When considering the sins Paul listed, we need to delineate between temptation (the lure or attraction involved in sin) and response to temptation—behavior. Temptation, the attraction which leads to sin, is not the problem. It’s the wrong behavioral response to temptation that is the problem. This is true for all of us, whatever sinful temptation we experience. Jesus said that we must deal with the plank in our eye before we call out the speck in our neighbor’s eye. In Peter’s letter, he says that we should engage people in humility and with respect. That’s good and sound advice to heed.
Second, Jesus died for all. Therefore, we don’t look at others as outside the atonement of Lord Jesus. All are included in the love, grace, and life of our triune God. We who have received the transforming love of Jesus are outfitted to align with the two great commandments—loving God with our hearts, minds and souls and loving our neighbor as ourselves—and the new commandment Jesus gave us – to love others as he loves us. This means treating others, no matter their sin struggle or their false identity, with grace, respect, care, compassion, and hope.
What posture do we take as church communities in receiving and discipling people who are showing interest in Christianity, yet are still entangled in sinful behavior and false identities?
As stated earlier, we must first see people as children of God under the atonement of Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit, and we should always display an environment of welcoming and care. We can seek to understand the struggles people deal with, as best as we are able, and not rely on misinformation or prejudice. Our central message and our actions consistently point to who Jesus is and who we are in relationship to him. We rely on the Spirit to guide the new person toward convictions about sin and righteousness in their individual life, according to a timing that only he regulates. If we, as a group of mature believers, can do this, we provide a safe space where people with all types of struggles can find their identity and belonging in Christ Jesus. We share with them a life journey of forsaking sin and growing in our relationship with Jesus in the true identity he gives them. This is a picture of the church being the church, and this is how we live out the slogan “All Are Included.”
We have GCI churches all around the world, in many different cultures, facing different societal pressures regarding sin issues. Let’s all be true to the gospel of Jesus by focusing on Jesus and our identity in him. This enables us to give answers and counsel to people’s struggles and sin issues.
Even as we have doctrinal unity outlined in our GCI Statement of Belief, the understanding and application of how we show care has some variance around matters of indifference and depth of understanding in various cultures around the world. This is no surprise to Jesus as he remains the faithful Head of the church. Some congregations, for various reasons, may be more effective in ministering to people experiencing various identity issues. In every case, however, the consistency we hope for in GCI is that we faithfully point all people to Jesus, over and above any social agenda or false identity. As we participate in a wide variety of relationships, we trust the Holy Spirit to actively accomplish the transformational work that only he can do.
The takeaway is this. Christ-centeredness and Holy Spirit dependence is how we operate as healthy churches. Because of Christ’s saving grace, we have a new identity. The sense of our belonging, significance, purpose, security, and destiny is realized in the true self found in Jesus. This union with Christ is the highest prize for which we lay all other things aside. We are justified in Christ by being forgiven and made righteous in his sight. For the rest of our lives, we live into that new identity as we are sanctified more and more, growing in the grace and knowledge of our Savior. We are a born-again, Spirit-filled work in progress, pointing others to the same Jesus and the same journey.
“For years, even in my personal, quiet prayers, I worried that I was saying something wrong. LIke that the Holy Spirit was some too-strict teacher that was judging every piece of syntax and phrase and word. But the reality is, prayer is just another way to connect with a loving and gracious Father.” ― Hannah Brencher
Join us in communion and corporate prayer this month as we celebrate how God is working in and among our fellowships.
Click here or the image below to download and print the September Prayer Guide.
“Our mission statement is growing in faith, living in hope, and serving in love. It is my joy to support that mission through this role, and I have fun doing it.” —Rene Overton
Check out this month’s GCI Member Profile to get to know Renee Overton, the Social Media Coordinator for Grace Communion Cleveland.
To read her full profile, click the image below or here. #WeAreGCI
Join us in honoring Bob Ehlen’s retirement. He served as GCI pastor for 15 years and as an elder, facilitating a fellowship group, for the past seven years in Missouri.
Congratulations, Bob and Jan! We are very grateful to both of you for your many years of faithful service.
We wanted you to hear from Bob in his own words.
Our journey started in 1968. Together, with our two sons (our daughter came later), we encountered the church through my mother and brother. We were baptized shortly thereafter.
Since the church hall needed to be set up each week, I became interested in helping set up chairs. There was a catch, though. I was told I needed to go to Spokesman Club to be able to help. It seemed a bit strange for chair set-up, but I joined and graduated. Some years later, when a graduate club was formed, I was appointed president. Eventually, Jan and I were ordained as deacon and deaconess, and we continued to serve in many areas, like organizing socials, potlucks, picnics, and in the choir. Jan also served in the women’s ministry.
In May 1992, I was ordained as an elder. It happened the day before our daughter got married, and I was told I could officiate their wedding. But everything was so new to me, I didn’t think I was ready for that. We continued to serve in the local area.
Things were changing in our church. God, the Holy Spirit, was leading us in new teachings and new understandings of what the Scriptures were saying and or not saying. It was a time of uncertainty for a lot of members. It was sad to see some members in turmoil.
As time passed, the opportunity opened to start a new church location. I was told I would be the pastor of that congregation. It was a new beginning and a very new experience for us. It was certainly different pastoring a congregation instead of just giving Bible studies and sermons occasionally.
I think, not until changes came in our doctrines, did we fully realize that the new covenant was fully in force now, and that our salvation didn’t depend on laws, days, food, nor any person. Nothing that we did or didn’t do was the way to salvation; no person can bring about our forgiveness and salvation, only Jesus.
Our salvation depends on what Jesus did for all his creation. We found it to be such a relief that it didn’t depend on our righteousness but on Jesus.
During my time pastoring, I was blessed to be able to baptize some of our grandchildren and others who accepted Jesus as their Savior. Once another pastor and I visited a prison to baptize one man and ended up baptizing eight. It was also rewarding to be able to marry couples, especially some of our grandchildren.
Retiring, after 31 years in ministry, will give us time to travel and see more of our beautiful country.
On August 11-13, women from our GCI Spanish-speaking congregations in Southern California came together for a retreat in the San Bernardino Mountains. For three days, 44 women took part in worship, teachings, interactive activities, and workshops focused on the theme: “Woman, you are not alone.” Various women gave messages that allowed participants to reflect on how they are not alone through this journey of life, no matter the circumstances or stage. “It was reassuring to know that I don’t have to walk alone in my life. My heavenly Father’s love is endless and unconditional,” summarized Ana Molina (participant and workshop leader).
Xochilt Ticas, Women’s Ministry Leader
Saturday was filled with various activities, including a break in the typical program to focus on practical skills related to physical, financial, and mental health according to God’s word. Women were able to reflect on making possible changes to glorify God in all aspects of life and become better servants. Saturday night was high energy and included times to fellowship and sharing of testimonials. It ended with a liberating worship night focused on exalting our Lord with all our being. First-time visitor Brenda Benitez stated, “I am so thankful to God for being part of this beautiful retreat. It was a great blessing for me. The messages shared by different servants, the testimonials, games, and worship were great.”
The women’s retreat concluded on Sunday with Communion and prayer over each participant and those in leadership positions. First-time visitor Karen Campos said, “It was a great experience for me, full of learning and motivation.” Karina de la Rosa, an event organizer, left the event feeling, “so blessed to have had this opportunity in which I was inspired, empowered, and renewed by the Holy Spirit.” GCI women returned home with the reminder that they are not alone and “feeling blessed and renewed,” as Lourdes Núñez said.
Lily Aparicio, Worship Leader & GCI Coach Santa Ana, CA, US
Equipping gatherings around our theme of Faith, Hope, & Love in Action are taking place throughout the GCI regions. Earlier in the year, ministry leaders attended a retreat in Tagaytay, Philippines (pictured above). Last month, 25 people from four congregations attended a workshop in Ladson, SC, US (pictured below).
Read on for a detailed account of the workshop in Monterey, Mexico.
On the weekend of March 18-19, 35 members, leaders, and pastors from the northeastern region of Mexico had a blessed time of fellowship and teaching in the city of Monterrey, Mexico. The theme of the conference was “Faith, Hope, and Love in Action.” This was the continuation of the introductory training on the Avenues of a Healthy Church, held in the spring of 2022 in Francisco Villa, a town close to Monterrey.
We started the event with a delicious lunch offered by the Monterrey congregation and immediately we had a time of praise and prayer. Next, I gave an exposition of the themes of “Faith, Hope, and Love in Action,” echoing the invitation of President Greg Williams for 2023. Then my wife, Pastor Selena Venegas, spoke on “Preaching with the RCL.”
On Sunday morning of March 19, we had the worship service and participated in Communion. After lunch, we had a brainstorming session led by the local church pastor, Mario Sáenz, in which the leaders came up with different practical ways to get the Avenues up and running in their church’s neighborhood.
We are grateful to God for the atmosphere of love and fellowship that we experienced at this gathering. We said our farewells with the certainty of the guidance of the Holy Spirit to carry out our participation in the mission of Jesus.
Join us in praying for all our members around the world who are beginning a new academic year, as students or teachers.
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we pause from our busy lives to acknowledge how much we need you. A new school year has started in many parts of the world, and we feel excited and nervous. Please guide and direct your children who are students. May they have many opportunities to learn and have new experiences. May they make friends easily and experience safety and security. Please guide and direct your children who are teachers, administrators, chefs, facility managers, bus drivers, counselors, nurses, and all who keep a school running smoothly. May they have a renewed sense of purpose and fondness for their coworkers and the students. May they experience safety and security. May all who are going back to school feel your love for them in tangible ways, God. We pray this in Jesus’ name, amen.
Click the image above to watch our Pause for Prayer video.
Editor’s Note: For our Ordinary Time Devotional series, you will be hearing entirely from young authors. They will be sharing their perspectives on the theme, “God is in the streets.” Enjoy reading how the next generation of emerging GCI leaders experiences God outside the walls of the Sunday church gathering.
How do I see or experience God in the everyday or in the streets? One way I see God in the everyday is when I touch the lives of people who I least expect. In one example, there was a person in my life who has been enslaved to addiction for years and felt far away from God. After having an encounter with God, he now strives to learn more about Christ. We have Bible studies on a weekly basis.
Another example is when I experienced God in my own life. He has brought me from a place of bondage, where I was constantly chasing meaningless things of the world to now following the one who is eternal. I am a witness to say that God’s glorious presence can change anyone he chooses. He does not have favorites.
For the Lord is spirit, and wherever the spirit of the Lord is there is, there is freedom. 2 Corinthians 3:17
Now that I’ve found true meaning in life, which is in Christ, God is now using me to show younger people that there’s more to this eternal life than this life here on earth. “In those days I will pour out my spirit even on servants—men and women alike.” (Joel 2:29, NLT)
Prayer: Lord Jesus, we ask you to use us as vessels for your kingdom and to lead those who are in darkness into light. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
By Jesús Molina
