Posted on August 20, 2023 Posted By: HCCCategories: journey
Heartland Community Church
THE JOURNEY
Helping People Make a Difference
By Chris Woodward
As an addiction professional, in the work that I do, I have so many opportunities to meet people where they are, hear their stories, and inject my thoughts, feelings, and experiences into their situations. Hopefully, each day my walk with Christ allows those thoughts, feelings, and experiences to be from Christ and directed towards them as a person and a creation of him. This work allows me to be a part of healing in the person, the family, and the community. This is how I observe Heartland as a powerful tool in the community. As a teen, I heard a sermon many years ago that talked about Jesus, “being about the work of God as we go.” No matter what we do, our relationship with Jesus affects how we do it. That, for me, is one of the greatest heartbeats of Heartland, giving the persons involved in Heartland opportunities where they are to affect others for Christ. This thought is the one that attracted my wife and me to this community when we were looking for a church home.
One of the joys of my life is that when I am in the community walking out life with clients, I see Heartland! I hear the stories of this church that “…helped me out with my groceries, they have an AA meeting, they are nice, and allowed me to be a part of things even though they don’t know everything about me.” Real talk about how my clients have been affected by interactions with you as a church. Thank you, Heartland, for being a people that are about God’s work. I see it as I sit in community meetings and see the faces of Heartland working in the community. I see nurses in our community caring for the sick and the hurting, teachers doing the best with what they have, and putting their best efforts into the little people in their care. I have watched how my wife has found a group of ladies in the women’s ministry. Our son loves running, playing, and learning in the children’s area. We have gained lifelong friends and support throughout the depression of life, the sting of death, and the loss of hope, dreams, and goals. I say thank you, keep it up, allow others to be open, and keep making a difference where you can and when you can.
As he reads these verses from the book of Isaiah Jesus is in the synagogue in Nazareth, his boyhood home. He has come to declare his ministry in his hometown. He describes that ministry–both his call from God, and his challenge to Jesus followers in every generation to come–as being and brining good news to the poor, the captive, the blind, and the oppressed. He declares provision, freedom, and healing over those nearest in and furthest out from God. As you read these verses, consider praying them and inviting God to help you see how or where he wants you to make a difference as you follow Jesus this week, month, or year.
What were Jesus’ followers expecting him to do as he moved about in the world? What are we (you and I) expecting him to do in our world today? Our call to action is in verse 8. Based on this specific instruction from Jesus, how would you rate your ability to witness before others to the impact Jesus has on you? Are you aware of the presence of God’s spirit in your words and actions? If not, how might you grow in awareness of the presence of that Spirit, and allow it to prompt your words and actions to the people around you?
Read these verses and consider what it means to be salt and light in our world today. How might you share your "saltiness" and shine your light further onto the people Jesus places in your path? How might these actions help others see Jesus more clearly?
You are God’s masterpiece! How cool is that? You didn’t earn it, I certainly don’t deserve it…and yet he created each of us, and every other human being in the world as a reflection of him. A masterpiece. How are you doing at honoring the masterpiece in every person Jesus places in your path? How can you increase your ability to see everyone as a masterpiece created with intention by God? How might this change your actions toward people who are different from you? Who don’t believe what you do, or act like you do? The thing about a masterpiece is not everyone sees it. Go to any museum and you will find pieces that you might shake your head and walk away from. The mastery and intention is in the mind and eye of the creator. How can we honor God more deeply by honoring one another more readily?
Today Dan talked about the call to make a difference in our world here, near and far. This passage is the origin of that call. Where are you investing time, prayer, effort or finances (here, near or far)? Is there anything from this passage or the message today that intrigues you to explore another way of making a difference? Take some time this week and pray over that intrigue. If you want to process your thoughts and bounce questions off someone,contact us. We will pair you with someone who can help you consider what you are hearing God nudge you toward.
{extra journey resources}
CLICK HERE to visit The Bible Project site and explore their super simple, super informative Bible videos (and other resources). You can also download The Bible Project App HERE.
CLICK HERE to get the Read Scripture App, from our friends at The Bible Project.
CLICK HERE for more on how to use the observe-reflect-apply approach to getting the most out of your Bible reading.
The Bible App Get the free YouVersion Bible for your phone, tablet, or computer. Experience the Bible anywhere, with options to highlight, save notes, and share what you are reading with others.
The Bible App For Kids YouVersion partnered with OneHope to develop the Bible App for Kids, designing it specifically to engage children with Bible stories on an age-appropriate level. The Bible App for Kids is a free app for Android, Apple, and Kindle devices, available in over 60 languages.
Bible Gateway Provides advanced Bible searching capabilities, which allow readers to find passages in scripture based on keywords, phrases, or scripture reference.
Please visit us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter and share what you are learning, questioning or experiencing. We love conversations!
