Turns out, there’re just some scriptures that a Christian who’s been around for a while needs to KNOW . Two weeks ago we shared in worship what is called the Great Commission from Jesus (Matthew 28:19-20):

“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything that I’ve commanded you. Look, I myself will be with you every day until the end of this present age.”

This Sunday, we feature the Great Commandment from Jesus ( Matthew 22:34-40 ):  “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: You must love your neighbor as you love yourself.”

Are these two ‘Great’ scriptures something you could memorize? Put them in your mind and soul? Can they serve as measuring criteria for spiritual growth? How are you doing with loving God and loving neighbor? What kind of spiritual growth (discipleship) are you encouraging in others? If you and I are not doing too well on those, maybe we shouldn’t be spending a lot of time on finer theological points until we get these basics DOWN.

We also throw in another passage from a New Testament letter ( Ephesians 4:11-16 ) that could be called the Great Leadership Strategy of the early church. We have God-given leaders to equip us to do our own ministry, not to do it for us. What ministry are you doing? Or do you depend on the ‘hired staff’ to do it all? What are you missing out on?

Worship is a time for growing in our understanding of God but also our understanding of ourselves. I’m excited about the possibilities of wisdom and growth this Sunday. I will be sharing in the traditional service at 9 am and, of course, we also have the contemporary service at 11 am. Both can be shared in-person, live-streamed, or later while viewing the recoding. I would love to get your comments or questions before or after the service. Just click here.