September 8, 2024| Church OnThe Block

Church On The Block

Welcome everyone to Strangers Rest “Church on the Block” service. We want you to know that your presence here is a blessing to us. I want to take a few minutes and share with you why we are having our church service outside of the four walls of our Church building this morning. The building that you see right there is just that, a building made by man where our Church meets. That building is a holy place because it was dedicated to God for the purpose of doing His work here on earth. But make no mistake – that building is not the Church. The people here this morning – we are the Church. You see, Strangers Rest is the people of the congregation who choose to worship in that defined space. The people you see around here in tee shirts similar to the one I am wearing – they are the actual Church.

Why is this important for you to know? God’s Church is made up of people seeking Him the best way they know how, just like some of you. The people who make up Strangers Rest are not perfect, and neither are the people who attend the other churches. All of us are flawed individuals united by the belief that Jesus Christ died for our sins so that, if we accept His gracious gift of salvation, we can spend an eternity with Him in heaven. Jesus did this because He and His Father love us. John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”    

The reason we need to believe in Jesus for everlasting life is because of what Adam and Eve did Genesis chapter three. They were created perfect and enjoyed a relationship with God like the one a child has with their and parent. However, that relationship was destroyed and could not be repaired when they chose to sin against Him by eating of the forbidden tree. Do you remember when God killed an animal to provide clothing for Adam and Eve to cover the fact that they had sinned against Him? From that moment forward, to receive God’s forgiveness for committing sin, man had to sacrifice an animal without blemish. However, that did not give humanity the opportunity to have everlasting life with Him. For that to happen, for God to reestablish a Father/Child relationship with humanity, He knew one perfect and final sacrifice must be made. Only one met the requirement – His only Son, Jesus. Jesus made the decision to leave His Father’s side, take on the form of man in the flesh, and become the final sacrifice for humanity’s sin, thus giving humanity the opportunity, if he accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior, to receive eternal life with God. All of this was done because God loved mankind more than we can ever imagine.

This is why we are having Strangers Rest Church on the block today. We wanted to bring the love of Jesus that we have flowing within us outside of those four walls. We wanted you to feel God’s love in a tangible way today. We wanted to meet you and let you know that we are here, and we invite you to come and worship God with us. As I said, we are not perfect, but we are striving to worship and serve God in spirit and in truth. We want this community to know that there is a Church near you where you are welcome to come and grow with us. Before I close, we want you to know that Jesus loves you and He wants you to spend an eternity with Him. If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then you can do that today.

Romans 10:9 says, “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” If this is your heart’s desire today, I want you to bow Your heads and repeat after me. I also ask that all of you who have already accepted Christ as Lord and Savior to likewise bow your heads and repeat this prayer in support of those doing so at this moment.

“Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner, and I know that I cannot spend an eternity in heaven without You. Jesus, thank you for loving me so much that you would die on a cross for my sins so that I could receive your gracious gift of salvation. God raised you from the dead so that I could have a chance to say “Yes” to you Jesus. I want you to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. So I invite You to come into my heart and my life. With my mouth, I say “Yes” to You Lord Jesus. With my heart, I say “Yes” to You Jesus. Amen”

If you genuinely believed what you just confessed, let me the first to welcome you to the family of God! Now, I encourage you to be baptized to show the world that you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Then, I encourage you to find a Church home where you can grow in your faith through the teaching and preaching of God’s word. All of that can be done here at Strangers Rest Baptist Church. We hope that you will visit us for one of our Sunday services and for Wednesday evening Bible studies.

Once again, for those you who accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, welcome to God’s family. Please find me or someone wearing a tee shirt like mine and share the good news with us. We would love to follow-up with you and support your new spiritual walk with Christ. For everyone present today, we hope that you have felt and will continue to feel God’s love from us today. We hope that you will enjoy the rest of your time here fellowshipping with us and meeting new friends. If you are able, please stand for our benediction.

Until next time, “The Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His countenance on you and give you peace.”  (Numbers 6:24-26)