Romans 5:1-8, Luis Cruz, GCF Durham
God gave the church the Holy Spirit from whom all the wondrous blessings flow. And since the church is the spiritual body of Christ, the Holy Spirit resides in every member of the church to enable each one to connect with God, grow in Him, serve Him and share Him to others.
“5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” Romans 5:5
There are three wondrous blessings of God that the Holy gave to His church. And the first is…
1. The blessing of connecting to the heart of God: Jesus.
“8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8.
Peace with God
Enjoying God – fellowship, prayer, provision and direction.
Growth in knowing God, life transformation.
2. The blessing of serving God: Victory over struggles.
“because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.” Romans 5:3b
Suffer for doing what is right and good before God.
Trust God and count our blessings.
Encouragement: examples of perseverance from others gives hope to overcome.
Volunteers: long-term and short-term ministries.
Our labour for the Lord is not in vain.
3. The blessing of sharing the gospel to our community: The Kingdom of God.
“6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly… Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6,8b.
At present, the kingdom of God refers to the rule and reign of God in the heart of people.
In the future, the kingdom of God refers to the physical rule and reign of Christ on earth.
The gospel in full circle: Go and share; making disciples who will go and make other disciples.
Gospel partnership: cross culture; cross-denomination.
Winter drive: Gate 3:16, Oshawa community.
The challenges:
Renew your connection with God. You may have been struggling to keep some of our Christian disciplines and now is the time to renew that commitment.
Pray and plan to serve God. Life is short. Serve while you still can, serve while you still have the energy and the physical strength.
Commit to share the gospel through words and deeds. Do something good to a neighbor or a friend. Be consistent.