For those who were away for Summer vacation, we welcome you back to Seattle. For those of us who remained in Seattle all this while, we too welcome you - to the fall season where the days get darker earlier, wetter and colder. For the past two months we have been emphasizing on topics that pertains to God’s presence and we are thankful that His felt presence are more evident in our corporate gatherings, especially on Sundays.

With the dawning of the fall season comes opportunities. Every year, fall is a time of harvest for our church. Hundreds of new students arrive in Seattle from all over the world to pursue their higher education, thus presenting us many open doors to share Christ with them. Besides sharing the good news with others, we too must reestablish our faith in Him for after a busy Summer. Now that vacation is over, it’s time to roll up our sleeves and get to work. We dedicate this month to be a time of Knowing Him (in a deeper dimension) and Making Him Known.

KNOWING GOD
Our greatest responsibility as Jesus’ church on earth is both to know Him and to make Him known. Knowing Him will be unfulfilled fully unless we develop the following virtues that results from being in right standing with God and attainments received only through obedience.

LOVE.
Though faith is what’s required to please God (Heb 11:6), it is love that remains the greatest of all virtues (Cor. 13). Love never fails. Love never fails. It is perfect, totally unselfish to the point of the ultimate sacrifice. Jesus loved the world so much that He gave His life to save it. Faith, on the other hand, should work through love. So these two virtues remain the two absolutes that mark someone to be a true believer. We must grow in love and faith.

PURITY.
Christianity has been shaken by scandals committed by prominent ministers. Purity must be emphasized again if the church of Christ wants to win the respect of the world and make our voices heard. We can never hope to see God move in our midst without holiness (Heb 12:14). Holiness is the absolute evidence of the Gospel’s effect on a believer’s life. Without it, our good intentions collapse under the weight of God’s purposes. God shakes whatever that has faulty foundations.

Power.
It is difficult to represent God without power. Jesus is not an idea, a philosophy or creed. He is all-powerful God. And we have been selected as agents of His powers, to confront and destroy the works of darkness in the same way Jesus did. He promised that we will do greater works. So as we develop a closer walk with Him, let His power work through us even to a greater measure.

MAKING GOD KNOWN
In order to make Jesus known to a world crying out for Him, we must allow Him to be known and seen through each of us. Releasing Jesus’ presence, and thus the kingdom of God itself, is done through power evangelism. It is often effected through the laying on of hands – an intentional act for healing, blessing or impartation (Mark 16:18). We can make Him know also by making sharing our testimonies as to how Christ has changed our lives for the better. And finally do not forget to invite our friends and colleagues to church services or Care Group meetings. During those meetings, the presence of Jesus is heightened and many could get touched. Friendship evangelism has proven to be the most effective way to bring people to Christ.

Blessings,
Ps. Chris Chan

Comments are closed.