2022 - A greater Faith, Love and HopeSample

1. The Power and Mission of the Church
2. Devotion:

It is no secret. The world is broken. Things aren’t okay. There seems to be an ever-evolving narrative being played out everywhere we look, across all news headlines - that things are getting darker. But what can we do about it? Can we actually make a difference, or are there things that are “just the way they are”? In a society where there is a perceivable accelerating culture of tolerance - that is cancelling out, shutting down, and labelling any language or culture that may shine truth and light on the situation as hate speech, more than ever, we don’t need a woke church, we need an awakened one (Ephesians 5: 8 - 14). A Church that knows who we are, our spiritual inheritance, authority, and assignment. A Church that doesn’t lay down our Holiness, all in the name of tolerance. As it speaks about in Philippians 2:1-4, a community of God that embodies radical love to the world around us to model what real life and freedom look like. A community that doesn’t push our way to the front but rather forgets ourselves long enough that we can be of real help. The world is eagerly waiting for the Church to step into the fullness of our identity in Christ, walking in purpose, purity, and power (Romans 8: 19). As His Church, one of our greatest powers and strengths to fulfill God's mission in our generation is found in our diversity (Romans 12: 4 - 8). A great scholar says it like this:

“Unity without diversity creates uniformity. Diversity without unity creates division. But where there is unity working in diversity, we see the fullness of the Kingdom of God”.

We are better together, and when the Church can stand united, we become unshakable. Because we fight, not so that we would all look the same, but that we would look like Him, and if His body can daily pursue His presence, being sanctified to look more like Him, carrying faith, love, and hope every day - this is how we will change our families, cities, nations and the world.

Prayer:

God, we want to know and look like your Son. Every day would You allow us to be unified together as Your Church and become more alive to our spiritual inheritance, authority and assignment so we can walk in the calling You have for us. Knit us together as Your community by Your love, that as we lay down our lives for one another, the world would witness what real life and freedom, that's only found in you, looks like.

Amen.