Dear Family at Christ Community,

     We will gather at the Lord’s Table this Sunday as part of our worship in Romans 2:12-16. Jesus invites us to come be nourished by the elements in the power of the Holy Spirit to do the good works that have been prepared for us as His beloved saints. The bread provides a reminder of our eternal forgiveness. This affords us the ability to do good works free from shame, guilt, and the resulting inadequacies. The cup calls to mind that we’ve been filled with newness of life in Christ’s resurrection. This propels us to love in word and deed with patience, forbearance, and kindness in the image of God. As John Murray wrote concerning Romans 2:12-16 in The Epistle to the Romans :

The concept of salvation involves what we are saved to as well as what we are saved from. We are saved to holiness and good works (cf. Eph. 2:10). And holiness manifests itself in good works….The judgment of God must have respect to the person in the full extent of his relationship and must therefore take into account the fruits in which salvation issues and which constitute the saved condition.

Thus, how we live matters for God’s glory and the eternal lives of those in our spheres of influence. May we receive every advantage offered to us through God’s means of grace.

     Pray for the Holy Spirit to use the elements of the Lord’s Table to empower you in the good works that the Lord has prepared for you. Ask for the eyes to see opportunities of eternal value in your spheres of influence. Cultivate your love for God and for neighbor for which you have been saved. Participate in worship this Sunday desiring to be equipped for the work of the ministry by God’s various means of grace!

In Christ,
Cameron