B.L.E.S.S

English Sermon (04/18/21) – B.L.E.S.S – Share Your Story (John 3:1-18) 

Thank you all for sticking around to the end of our B.L.E.S.S. series! All of the other letters we’ve been discussing have been leading up to the last letter ’S’ which stands for ‘Share Your Story’. While the first 4 letters (B, L, E, S) are essential, it is actually not enough for us to just live good Christ-like lives. To some people, your outward actions may tell them that you are a good person but those people may not necessarily make the connection that your actions are the result of having Christ in your life. The words we use to share our testimony are so important and powerful to communicate the Gospel but oftentimes we are too fearful to use them. We can learn how to better share our story through John 3 which describes the encounter of Jesus and Nicodemus. Jesus shared with Nicodemus briefly who he was, what he was going to do and how Nicodemus too could have eternal life.  Jesus shared a short story with someone who was spiritually interested and then turned a regular conversation into a spiritual one. Through this, Nicodemus’ life was completely changed!  We can learn from Jesus and prepare to share our story by creating a written testimony, practicing it, and lastly praying for open doors and open hearts for people to receive God into their lives so that they too can have eternal life once they hear the Good News.

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English Sermon (04/18/21) – B.L.E.S.S – Serve in Love (Mark 7:31-37) 

During his ministry, Jesus performed many miracles but he didn’t do so randomly – Jesus most often served those who were right in front of him. Although he could just speak the words and heal someone far away (think of the Centurion and his servant), he usually healed those within his proximity. In Mark 7:31-37, Jesus comes across a man who is both blind and mute. He takes the man aside, looks up to heaven and with a deep sigh, heals the man with God’s power. Jesus did not heal every sick person the same way but rather through understanding and having empathy of each person’s unique personal needs. So far we’ve learned how to ‘BEGIN with prayer’, ‘LISTEN with care’, ‘EAT together’, and now the next step is for us to SERVE in love. The first 3 letters help us to know someone on a deeper level so that we can serve them better and more accurately.  Jesus served those within his proximity with perceptiveness and on a personal level by using God’s power. Serving others in love starts by following Jesus’ example wherever we are in the place God has sovereignly put us in.

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English Sermon (04/11/21) – B.L.E.S.S – Eat Together (Matthew 9:9-13)

Today, we’ll talk about the letter ‘E’ which stands for “Eat Together”. Although eating may seem like a simple thing, it can become a very powerful way to bless other people. Jesus exemplified this in his life by eating for the glory of God. Not only did he eat with others but the food itself was also central to many of his miracles (i.e- water to wine, feeding five thousand, last supper, communion). In Matthew 9, Jesus called Matthew, a tax collector hated by many, to follow him and immediately after that they shared a meal together (for context, eating with someone in those days was a sign of approval and association). To add to that, many other tax collectors and ‘sinners’ also came to sit and eat with Jesus at that meal. Through eating, Jesus brought these people who were far away from God to become closer to God. Luke 7:34 says that Jesus was known as a FRIEND of tax collectors and sinners. How does this apply to us? In both secular and Christian contexts, eating together is a way of networking and connecting with people. Jesus was a missional eater, and as his followers, we also learn how to be missional eaters that work to bring the Gospel to others.

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English Sermon (03/28/21) – B.L.E.S.S – Begin with Prayer (Luke 18:35-42)

The next letter in our B.L.E.S.S series is ‘L’, which stands for “Listen with Care”. In Luke 18, a blind man hears the news that Jesus of Nazareth is passing by. When he hears this, he cries out to Jesus to have mercy on him and when those around him try to silence him, he cries out even more! Although this happened during the Passover season and the area was very crowded and very busy, Jesus hears the man and commands that he be brought to him. From there, Jesus asks a somewhat strange question, given the man’s seemingly obvious needs. He asks the blind man, “What do you want me to do for you?”. Even though Jesus knows all that we need before we ask, Jesus asks because he listens to people. How well do we listen to others – or rather, genuinely listen to others? How often do we assume others’ needs or think about how we will respond to someone before they even finish speaking? We can bless others just like Jesus did by learning to listen better to others so that we know what they are going through because when people are HEARD, then they feel KNOWN and ultimately they will feel LOVED.

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English Sermon (03/21/21) – B.L.E.S.S – Begin with Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) 

If a stranger comes to your house to try and sell you something, you may not be all that interested (even if they have a good deal to offer). But, if a friend approaches you to point out something that serves to benefit you and your interest, you may be inclined to listen (even if they are doing it to sell something). In the same way, there can be a big difference in the effectiveness of expanding God’s kingdom based on how we approach others. Rather than trying to “convert” others to know Christ (no matter how strategically we try to do it), a better approach is to do so by BLESSING others, just as Jesus did. Pastor Dave Ferguson created the acronym B.L.E.S.S to help us remember how to bless others in our lives practically. 

Today, we will focus on the first letter of B.L.E.S.S. which is ‘B’ – Begin with Prayer. Prayer is extremely important not only because Jesus himself did so before his ministry, but also because we must remember that we ourselves do not have the power to change and transform people’s hearts – only Jesus can reveal his Kingdom in other’s lives! So how do we pray? Jesus teaches his disciples how to pray in Matthew 6:9-13 which is more commonly known as the ‘Lord’s Prayer’. Jesus teaches us to pray for: 1) God to rule and reign in people’s lives and 2) for God to make us available for his mission. 

When we start praying for those who are far away from God, that leads us to be more available and more perceptive of those around us who are in need of Jesus. Therefore, ask God to reveal himself to those around you – who is he calling you to reach today?

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