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Building up

February 1,  2009  - Ian

“To know and make known the love of Jesus”. This is the All Saints Anglican Churches’ mission statement. It is a great mission statement showing two responses to Jesus’ initiative in our lives. The two responses are; 1) to know the love of Jesus and 2) to make the love of Jesus known.

Today we look at All Saints’ planned response to 1).The key word for knowing the love of Jesus is “building”.

To know the love of Jesus is firstly about a personal response to Jesus as saviour and Lord. That is, make sure that you have a personal relationship with Jesus, that you know him as friend, saviour and king, that he is your hope and joy. Do it as soon as possible. It is the best thing that you can do – ever. That is building a wonderful home on the foundation of Jesus’ love.

We at All Saints want each one of us to build on that relationship with Jesus; to not only understand the love of Jesus in our minds but to demonstrate it in our lives. Some ways this is evidenced is by reading the bible and praying more, dealing with the sin in our lives, serving others at church, and outside of church times, using your God given- Holy Spirit given gifts to serve others, seeking to live Christ honouring lives. It is about being a Sunday to Sunday Christian not just a Sunday only Christian. Growing to be like Jesus is building a mansion.

Knowing the love of Jesus brings us into relationship with others and so we as Christians have a responsibility to not only care for our own spiritual growth but also to build each other up in the faith. That means to get to know new people at church, to pray for others and to help in whatever we can. We can’t help everyone but we can help a small number of people so the best way to care for others is to do it in small groups – so why not join a home group? Join in our prayer sms system, talk to a new person at church, come early stay late at church, join in a guess who is coming to dinner.

Building up others in their love of Jesus, that is building up a skyscraper.

 Ian