We’re kicking off a new teaching series at Mountainview called “Hope Lives.” Here’s a quick blurb about it:
“The sheer enormity of the problem pins Christians to their couches. What can we do? Where should we start? And didn’t Jesus himself say the poor would always be with us? Beginning August 1 and 2, Mountainview is embarking on a one month journey in weekend services, LifeGroups, youth, childrens ministries, and in our personal lives to nudge us beyond the horizons of our 401ks. Not just to save the world… but also to restore our souls.” (read more).
This is a church-wide emphasis on how we can better engage the poor and disadvantaged. I’ll be starting the series this weekend by talking about how God has designed every believer to be an impact-player. As Christ-followers, we all have the ability to make a difference. I’ll be sharing one of my favorite Bible characters — Benaiah. This is the guy who killed a couple of Moabs as well as an Egyptian. And then he stared down a lion in a snowy pit.
He did all of that even though it involved risk. Championing God’s heart always involves risk. Not risky behavior in the sense of acting reckless and immoral. But risky in the sense that it takes us out of our comfort zone and perhaps even beyond what is considered “normal” behavior by our culture.
The greater the risk, the greater the reward. The greater the challenge, the greater the impact.