2019 Started off Strongly at Forum!
It was great to see so many of you making church a priority for the new year. In fact, we had over 300 children in the facility that first Sunday, which is awesome!
This past Sunday, we focused on the phrase which Christ uses, “But I say.” It was His way of stating there’s something new on the horizon. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus turned everything from vertical - meaning the way we relate to God, to horizontal - the way we relate to one another. In this first “I say” teaching Christ pointed out that anger is on par with murder in a person’s life. To say, “You idiot” puts you in danger of the fires of hell itself. This is strong teaching from our Lord pointing us to live uprightly before one another and the Lord. In fact, this teaching said that if you are going to offer an offering before the Lord and remember that a brother has something against you, then you should first be reconciled to that brother. Whoa! That is strong teaching if we apply it to our lives.
This Sunday we look at Christ’s teaching connected to our hearts and minds related to adultery. Christ says in Matthew 5:27-28 “You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Christ teaches radically that to peer lustfully at another person is like committing adultery in your heart. Christ then goes into a teaching that can be controversial if we were to apply it literally when He says in verse 29, “So if your eye—even your good eye—causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.” If we were all to apply this to our lives, we’d be eyeless and sightless. So Christ is pointing to dealing with sin in a radical way. We strive to live this out each and every day.
Let’s continue to honor Christ in His church with our attendance. Being at church with fellow believers makes a positive difference. It makes a difference in your life. It makes a difference in the lives of your kids. It makes a difference to your spouse. It makes a difference to your friends and family. Your faithfulness actually inspires people around you to catch your excitement and passion for the Lord. Can’t wait to worship with you this Sunday!
-Scott