04.28.20
A Loving and Missional God
"But God demonstrates his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 I (Amber) love the word “demonstrates” in this verse. The Webster definition of this word is “to clearly show the existence or truth of (something) by giving proof or evidence.” I am reminded of Jesus’ indescribable love, and how it takes my breath away when I think about what he did to “demonstrate” that love. There is no greater “proof and evidence” of His love than the cross. Jesus loves you with an indescribable love. A love so full, so welcoming, so complete, so vast, so wide. A love that cannot be contained. It’s a love that inspires us to love others the best we can. It’s a love so amazing that he died in your place. He literally bore the pain of every painful moment, every unkind word, every evil thought. And he did it because he loves you. The King of Kings traded his crown for thorns, his comfort for pain, his throne for a cross, all because he LOVES you so much. And because he loves us that much, he also calls us to love one another. To demonstrate His love to everyone, just as He demonstrated His; to be Jesus
to everyone you meet, and love them as He would. How can you be Jesus to those around you?
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“But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice.” Philippians 1:18 Even in the midst of imprisonment, Paul still found every opportunity to share the gospel, regardless of how it was being presented. His love and excitement of the story of Christ filled Paul with much hope and allowed him to rejoice even in what seemed like awful circumstances. I (Erica) pray that we can be filled with that same hope and be encouraged to share the gospel of Christ even in the midst of such unknown circumstances. I pray that regardless of the situation we can still rejoice in the hope of the gospel!
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“And I sent messengers unto them, saying, ‘I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease, whilst I leave it and come down to you?’” Nehemiah 6:3 The Lord placed in Nehemiah’s heart that the Jerusalem’s Wall needed to be rebuilt because it was in ruins and the people were suffering because of it. Many leaders did not want the wall to be rebuilt so they sent messengers to taunt, distract, and threaten Nehemiah. But he responded that he was doing a great work and cannot come down. Do not let isolation distract you from doing the works that the Lord has called you to. The Lord still desires to use you for good works in spite of not having the ability to be physically present with others. Have you come down from the great work? How will these works look different during this time? - Nadya
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Do you ever just feel lost or purposeless, especially like now, in times of uncertainty? As believers we have the privilege to know the all knowing and almighty God. Luke 10:9 says “Heal the sick and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you." Jesus is sending out the 72 in this passage to go and share the Gospel, but not just verbally, but by healing people and caring for them. Both to know God and to make Him known are major purposes for us as believers. How are you caring for someone both physically and spiritually during this time? - Jacalyn
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-The Missions Team
04.25.20
Still One Body
Ephesians 4:3-6
The chairs are put up, the stage is cleared, the lights are off, and the house is silent.
Our BCM home sits empty- missing fellowship and missing you. Although we can't be
together in Milledgeville now, BCM is still there, and it is still home. Even though we are
apart for now, it does not mean that we are any less important and unique to God's plan;
we know that He designed us to be one, even if we aren't all in one place.
Ephesians 4:3-6 says, "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the
bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope
when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who
is over all and through all and in all." While it has been hard being separated from our
BCM family, we still have the responsibility to stay strong in our faith. We are called to still
stay strong as the body of Christ. Even though we may not have our usual people to hold
us accountable in our walk, we have to learn to hold ourselves accountable for staying in the Word. It is our job to have integrity in maintaining our prayer life and daily quiet times.
This is so important during this weird time as it will help strengthen our relationship with Christ. Here is some encouragement for your day, Ephesians 3:16-18 says, “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ”
We can’t wait to see you again soon!! Miss you guys.
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Love,
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The Inreach Team
04.21.20
The Great Commission
Matthew 28
When everyone is isolated, it can be difficult to see how we can fulfill the Great Commission and make disciples. This is understandable, especially when the government is mandating practices like social distancing and quarantine. When we look at the Great Commission however, there’s no qualifier for the Jesus-follower here except being a Jesus-follower. The Great Commission of Matthew 28 still stands. Jesus does not say, “Go make disciples of all nations, unless you’re stuck in your house or in some other situation.” Within every circumstance, we should constantly be using every opportunity to advance the Gospel. This can be seen clearly with the Apostle Paul. Paul was an apostle, missionary, and leader in the early church, but as many of you know, he spent a lot of time in prison; stuck in a single place for a long period of time. But in Philippians 1, Paul writes that the time he spent in prison was for the purpose of advancing the Gospel through letters and other means. And we see this come to fruition as Paul’s letters make up a large chunk of the New Testament. Our circumstances don’t change our commission.
So how do we fulfill our commission at home? Well the most obvious way is to text, call, or email that person that has been on your heart. Maybe it's a freshman you met last semester who was struggling to make friends or an elderly person you’re connected to who is isolated from their family. In a time of isolation, it’s easy to feel alone, but know you are not the only one. But maybe this could also be a time to preach the Gospel to the family member who might not be a Christian. But even with other Christians, a continued effort of preaching the Gospel is important during this time. In Romans 1:15, we see Paul, who is writing to other Christians, say that he is eager to preach the Gospel to them. It is important to constantly be sharing and feeding people with the Gospel no matter who they are. Be the shining light for the Gospel to everyone you meet, whether it is to your family at home, through Zoom, through email, through text, or through a simple call.
When everyone is quarantined and social distancing, it’s difficult to see how we can fulfill the Great Commission and make disciples. When we look at the Great Commission of Matthew 28 however, there’s no qualifier for the Jesus-follower here except being a Jesus-follower. Jesus does not say, “Go make disciples of all nations, unless you’re stuck in quarantine”. Within every circumstance, we should be using every opportunity to advance the Gospel. Paul was an apostle, missionary, and leader in the early church, but he spent a lot of time in prison; stuck in isolation for a long period of time. In Philippians 1, Paul writes that the time he spent in prison was for the purpose of advancing the Gospel through letters and other means, and without Paul’s imprisonment, we would be missing a large chunk of the New Testament.
So how do we fulfill our commission at home? Think about some people in your life who may not have anyone checking on them. Maybe it’s an elderly person you’re close to or a freshman you met last semester that was struggling to make friends. Take some time to reach out by phone call, text, or carrier pigeon, but just let them know you’re thinking of them! Use this time to share the Gospel to the family member who isn’t a Christian and like Paul in Romans 1:15, who is writing to other Christians, be eager to encourage and share your faith with fellow believers. Be the shining light for the Gospel to everyone you meet, no matter the circumstances!
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-- The Outreach Team
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