For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, it is a gift of God not of works so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:8-10 (NIV)

Every year, I go before the Lord to determine where He would have us focus our minds and hearts, time and energy as His representatives on earth. What He gave me for 2008 is quite simple. He wants us to be clear about is what it means to be saved and why we are saved.

To be saved is to be rescued, to be delivered from the penalty and the power of sin in our lives. It is sin that interferes with our relationship with God, separating us from Him. In sin, we were destined to live a life without meaning and possibility. But, because of His great love for us, God sent Jesus into the world to die on the cross for our sins. When by faith, we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior; we are saved from sin to live life abundantly and eternally.

The benefits and blessings of living the saved life in Christ are amazing. The apostle Paul makes them clear to us in his letter to the saints in Ephesus (our theme scripture for the year). Paul also makes clear that we are Saved to Serve one another, serve our families, the people in the world and this present age to the end that all might be saved and united in Christ.

This is our focus! To focus is to bring all one’s attention, energies, etc to bear on one thing as opposed to many. As a church, we want to focus on being saved and serving.

Living in a world that is spinning out of control, where one can believe just about anything, as evidenced in the lives of so many, we need to be clear about what we believe and why. What difference does it make that we believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God in our lives and in the world in which we live?

Our programs and mission will be focused on this one thing to “Know Him and make Him known” to the end that we might “Impact and transform this present world into the Kingdom of God.”

Loving Him and you move and more each day!

Cynthia L. Hale
Senior Pastor