This weekend was the third and final week of our series, "The Story." In his message, Joe shared about how and why we to share the gospel in a compelling manner, inviting others to trust in Jesus for their salvation. You can listen to or watch the entire message and service here. Here's our service plan:
Pre-Service - "True Love" (C) [Phil Wickham]
Welcome
"Hosanna (Praise Is Rising)" (G) [Paul Baloche, Brenton Brown]
Greeting Time
Announcements Message - "The Story: Share It Compellingly" [Joe Hishmeh]
"Your Great Name" (Bb) [Michael Neale, Krissy Nordhoff]
"Lead Me To The Cross" (Bm) [Brooke Ligertwood]
"I Will Go" (F#m) [Tim Neufeld, Jon Neufeld, Allen Salmon]
Dismissal
Thoughts: I believe this weekend was a great weekend for our church. Joe really called us all into sharing the gospel with the people in our lives, because Jesus is worth it. Our singing echoed that same thought, and it was a great call and challenge to each of us as we evaluated our priorities.
We began in the pre-service time the same as we had the previous two weeks, with "True Love" by Phil Wickham. I love this song, because it is a very powerful portrait of the gospel and what Jesus accomplished for us. We then began the service by inviting the Lord to have His way in us as we sang "Hosanna (Praise Is Rising)," which is an excellent call to worship. Later, we responded to Joe's message with "Your Great Name," reflecting on the power of the name of Jesus. Jesus changes everything. His name, and His name alone, has the power to save. We continued with "Lead Me To The Cross" to give us words through which to express our submission to the Lord's call to take up our cross and follow Him in proclaiming the good news. We closed our service with another song in that same vein, "I Will Go," which is a little bit of a punch in the gut, if we're honest. It calls us from our comfort and privilege to sacrifice, service, and submission in reaching the lost and needy in our world. Everyone who encounters Jesus has to wrestle with that decision–either they leave following Him more closely, or they walk away further from Him and more committed to being "lord" of their own lives. I called the church to see the surpassing worth of Jesus and what He has done for us, and to respond with living our lives in worship and submission to Him. He alone is worthy!
Your turn: what were your experiences, observations, or take-aways from this past weekend?
- Bill