From The Pastor:
“The Mind of Christ”
On one of our youth service projects a couple of years ago, I was participating in a devotional at my work site with a team of five youth. During our conversation one teenage girl said, “I don’t think we can know Jesus.” My rebuttal was to ask, “Have you ever read the Gospels in the Bible?” “No,” was her answer. I then suggested she might read the Gospel of Matthew and see if she began to discover some insight into whom Jesus is. Most of us have learned a great deal about Jesus from reading the New Testament section of the Bible.
Sometimes we learn about Jesus and think that we have done all that is necessary. We know his teachings and his beliefs and we have faith that he is the Son of God. We have purchased fire insurance. We have done enough to get into heaven. If we have enough information to get into heaven, then why go farther? The Apostle Paul reminds us that discipleship is more than just knowledge. It is incorporating Jesus’ beliefs into our lives. In Philippians 2:1-11 Paul wrote that we should have the same mind as was in Christ Jesus. This is a tough challenge. To be like Jesus takes some willingness to change and be like Jesus in thought and action. I notice that Jesus never said, learn about me. Jesus simply said, “Follow me.” I think the upcoming Lenten season is a great time to recommit ourselves to follow Him. We can commit ourselves to having the same mind as He did.
To help us get a grip on Jesus’ thoughts and ideas we will focus our seven week Lenten sermon series this year on some of the key themes that Jesus tried to get his listeners to understand. During this series Jody Topping will also lead a study group through the same topics during the weeks they are preached on Sunday morning. I hope you will take advantage of both opportunities. My you take on the mind of Christ.
Grace and peace,
Fred Steinberg
Feb. 19 – Like Christ
Feb. 26 – Loving Like Christ
March 4 – Servanthood: You First
March 11 – Faithful Suffering
March 18 – Surrender: Letting Go
March 25 – Humility: Humble King
April 1 – Obedience: How Far Will You Go?