Come join us for a fun morning of learning, laughter, and fellowship at LifeBridge in Sealy!
Whether you’ve never played Mahjong before or you’ve been curious to learn, this beginner-friendly class will teach you the basics and give you an opportunity to practice and play with others.
LifeBridge Community Church is excited to help sponsor a FREE Outdoor Movie Night at Eastside Foundation Community Park on Saturday, October 31 at 7:00 PM, featuring Hotel Transylvania!
We’ll be serving free hot dogs, popcorn, and drinks to families from throughout the Sealy community, and we need volunteers! Come help us serve food, welcome our neighbors, and share the love of Christ through simple acts of hospitality and community.
📍 807 San Felipe Road, Sealy 🎬 Movie begins at 7:00 PM
It is tough to look at the giants of faith in Scripture and compare ourselves to them, even though nearly all of them had giant foibles and issues. They still tower over us, or at least they do to me. Paul is probably one of the pinnacle examples. In today’s reading, he even gives his curriculum vitae, if you will: his qualifications as a Jew, a scholar, a Pharisee, a persecutor; someone righteous and blameless under the law. He really did seem to have it all. And then he goes on to say that he knows he is not perfect in achieving the goals of Christian living.
My goodness, if Paul says that, what possible chance is there for any of us?!
Whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
Philippians 3:7-8
Paul counts all of his qualifications and good deeds – everything that set him apart and above – as loss. He wants to forget those things and strain forward for what lies ahead, “pressing on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).
“The upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
That is an amazing phrase. God calls us upward, in our reflection, our action, our faith, and our walk. Where we are isn’t sufficient for the Christian. The Christian always wants and looks for more, because God has called him to it. This is not a matter of salvation, but a matter of one who is already saved.
Paul counts all of his previous accomplishments and qualifications as useless and loss, because he has a better call, an upward call, one based not on himself but on Christ, who has done all for him and now bids him respond joyfully and willingly. Paul knew that what he had before was nothing compared to Jesus. Now that he has Jesus, he wants to do everything for Him and everything to reflect Him. Christ is what it’s all about, and living for Him is what really matters, so that others can see, receive, and be saved in Christ too.
We try to compare ourselves to others, and it’s a useless task. Comparing our works to Christ’s is likewise useless. But if we see in Christ that we have everything through faith, then all we do becomes a useful, productive, and joyful task.
That is our upward call.
May we find ways to strive and strain forward in that upward call in Christ Jesus, as a grateful response to His salvation for us.
“Gracious Lord, we count all that we are and all that we have done as loss when compared to what Christ has done for us on the cross and through the empty tomb. Thank You that through Your Son and our Savior we have been given everything that matters, and that You have given us an upward call to do things that matter in faith and to touch others with that same saving gospel. Grant that we do it joyfully and wholeheartedly. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
We have finished our journey through the difficult book of EZEKIEL and have a couple of weeks before beginning the Pastoral Epistles to cover miscellaneous topics and issues.
“Lord, show me Your ways. Teach me how to follow You.”
SYNOPSIS
Parables are short stories that Jesus told with a much bigger meaning. In some ways a parable is a lot like a pumpkin seed. It starts out as just a small story, but after you spend time thinking about it you realize it has a really big and important message to tell. These four lessons will use pumpkins to teach children about 4 of Jesus’ parables.
There is a lot going on in our Scripture for today, but we are going to focus on the second half of it (Matthew 21:28-32).
Jesus is being confronted by the chief priests and elders of the people. They don’t like the way things are going and want to put a stop to them. They ask about Jesus’ authority for His actions and Jesus turns things back on them. (I love it when He does that!)
“Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.”
MAtthew 21:31ab
He makes His point with their hubris, but then drives the point home with a question of His own.
He lays out a story about a man with two sons, who he asks to go work in the vineyard. One is defiant and says he won’t, but ends up changing his mind and obeying. The second does the opposite, saying he will go, but doesn’t. Jesus then asks which “did the will of his father (Matthew 21:31)?
The leaders rightly answer with “the first.”
But Jesus drives it home by saying they – the religious leaders – say they will follow the Lord; His will and ways, but when they point to Jesus, they change their minds and believe in the One God sent. Others – gentiles – say they don’t want to have anything to do with God, with the Word, and with Jesus, but many of them have changed their minds are do believe unto salvation!
Which is the better?
To believe!
But there has always been something about this story that Jesus didn’t bring up that has rubbed me wrong.
Isn’t the best way for things to play out to both say you will obey the Father and actually do it?
After all, I’ve heard say, “delayed obedience is disobedience;” and there is truth to that.
But that’s not what Jesus was getting at in this teaching. He was giving opportunities to show that doing the will of the Father by His Word is more important that knowing the Word and refusing to do His will.
Or, let’s break this down another way.
We start out in sin and all we desire is against the Father’s Will; so our initial state and reactions will always be against. But by the power of the Holy Spirit, our hearts have been opened and granted faith in Jesus and has changed to want and do His will through that faith.
That gets us to faith and life. That gets us sanctification.
But it doesn’t end there.
Now that we are saved, we take the next step and get into His Word so that whenever He calls, we both respond with a resounding, “yes, I will go!” and while the words are yet ringing in the air, our bodies are racing toward to door to do it!
That’s our joyful response to the gift of salvation in Jesus! That’s our heartfelt desire because of the mercy and grace shown to us! That’s our default action for what the Lord says to us, requires of us, and desires of us!
“I will, Sir! I will!”
May we, who have been redeemed by Christ, be ever in His Word, His Will, His desire, His plan, and His heart all our days!
Thank You, Father!
“Gracious Lord, forgive us when we refuse Your Word, Your Will, or Your call to action. Forgive our disobedience, our reluctance, and our delay. Forgive our shortness of mind, of character, or desire and of heart. Thank You for the gift of Faith through the Holy Spirit and grant that, as Your forgiven, renewed, and led children, we answer “I will, Sir!” to anything and everything all our days; giving bold witness in word and action. In Jesus’ Name; amen!”
