A Note from Michael Gossett
“Celebrate!”
As a church family, we have much to celebrate! We celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and the salvation He provides for those who trust in Him. But we can also rejoice in the way God moved this past weekend on all our campuses. Tyler, Flint, and Español experienced the presence of God as we gathered to worship in record numbers! We had over 9,000 people attend one of our Easter services, 31 baptisms, plus new members, professions of faith, and much more! Thank you for praying, and thank you for being a welcoming church to those who are seeking the Lord and gathering to worship. We also had many new families come to try Green Acres for the first time. The harvest is plentiful here in East Texas, and the time is now to go after people right here in our backyard.
The work is not done, it has just begun! Did you know that 85% of people who receive a personal invitation will attend a church service with you? The Gallup polls, Pew Research polls, and Lifeway research polls can seem to be gloomy at times, but the polls also show that almost 50% of Americans are interested in religion. This is a good sign and good news for the church. People are hungry for truth and are searching for the missing ingredient in their life. You and I know that Jesus is that ingredient, and the Gospel is the message they are desperate to hear.
Let’s continue to be a church family that invites and believes that God is still in the business of transforming lives with the truth of Jesus. Research shows that every person has at least seven people in their sphere of influence who do not know Jesus and are not connected to the church. That means we have opportunities all around us. Consider your circle of relationships. Will you invite them to experience the transformation that Jesus can make? After you invite them, just watch and see what the Lord does!
This Sunday, we will jump back into our study of Hebrews. We will examine Hebrews 6:9-20 to explore the Greater Promise of Christ. I encourage you to begin reading and preparing now.
Hebrews 6:9-20 says, “Even though we are speaking this way, dearly loved friends, in your case we are confident of things that are better and that pertain to salvation. For God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you demonstrated for his name by serving the saints—and by continuing to serve them. Now we desire each of you to demonstrate the same diligence for the full assurance of your hope until the end, so that you won’t become lazy but will be imitators of those who inherit the promises through faith and perseverance. For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater to swear by, he swore by himself: I will indeed bless you, and I will greatly multiply you. And so, after waiting patiently, Abraham obtained the promise. For people swear by something greater than themselves, and for them a confirming oath ends every dispute. Because God wanted to show his unchangeable purpose even more clearly to the heirs of the promise, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain. Jesus has entered there on our behalf as a forerunner, because he has become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”
I cannot wait to worship with you this Sunday!
You are loved and prayed for!
Michael Gossett