Bible Text: Matthew 5:13-16 | Preacher: Pastor Steve | Series: Abiding in the Lord, Transformed
There are two things we can do on earth that we cannot do in heaven:
Sin against God
Share Jesus with others
Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
God calls us to be WITNESS of our TRANSFORMED LIFE
As we WITNESS and SHARE the message of Jesus, we TRUST the Holy Spirit for what can and will happen within another human being.
Matthew 5:13-16 You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.
The Church needs to recover its VOICE
We cannot and must not isolate ourselves from the world around us.  We as the church must stay involved!
Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus came and told his disciples, I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
Romans 6:3-9 Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives…We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.  For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin.  And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him.
An important KEY in our communication about Jesus is how we communicate the message and how we season our words.  The best way for us to SHARE the message is with great COMPASSION
Matthew 9:35-38 Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages…and he healed every kind of disease and illness.  When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.  He said to his disciples, The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.
Jesus is calling us to be His WITNESSES NOW!
We need to go where we live (locally) and to the entire world (the Nations).
Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus replied, you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself. The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.
ACTION STEPS
Pray: join us in prayer for our community on 31 October
Participate: join a Community Group
Train: involve yourself in training or Bible classes
Serve: get involve in service projects
Partner together: we are better together
Build Bridges: reach out with compassion, love and hope
Plan and pray: create opportunities over the holidays
Be intentional: get involved in local government; children’s school; police/fire; hospitals
Pray and ask the Lord: to create opportunities at work and where we live and play
Trust in the Lord: the Holy Spirit will do the work; we save no one, only the Lord saves!