Glorifying God & Dignifying Our Neighbors + This Sunday At Immanuel
Good morning Immanuel. The grace of Christ creates a community that is both humanizing and deeply committed to God's glory.
"When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am a man.” (Acts 10:25-26)
The type of community the grace of Christ creates is both humanizing and deeply committed to God's glory. The gospel message humbles us all and reminds us that we belong in the family of God by grace alone, and not by anything we have brought to the table. A community built on gospel grace is both humanizing and committed to God's glory.
We see this in Peter's encounter with Cornelius. The gospel broke down the walls of hostility between Jews and Gentiles, and so God sent Peter to the house of Cornelius, a Gentile military officer. When Cornelius fell down to worship Peter, Peter refused to accept it, so as to say, "I am not God. Only God is worthy of worship." The grace of Christ creates a posture in our hearts that rejoices in God's glory alone. This same grace also creates a posture of heart that seeks to dignify our fellow image-bearing neighbors. Notice how Peter lifted Cornelius up with a gentle response, "Stand up; I too am a man." Peter is basically saying, "You are not less than me. I am no greater than you. We are equals." The grace of Christ evens the playing field, reminding us that we are all made in the image of God and in need of grace. And through the blood of Christ, we both have the same access to God. We are both on the inside!
The grace of Christ creates a community that restores our worship of God (vertical) and beautifies our relationships with others (horizontal). May we continue to be a church that embraces both of these realities.
February 12, 2023 - This Sunday At Immanuel
Sunday Morning
SERMON - This Sunday, Pastor Barnabas will continue our sermon series in Ephesians 3.
SUNDAY Q&R - This upcoming Sunday, we will host a Q&R in the cafe between the 9 am and 10:45 am services. This Q&R will be an opportunity to encourage Vince and ask questions about his call to pastoral ministry.
Seminars
9 am: Studying the Bible Together led by Dr. Tom Cox in the Staff Lounge (ongoing)
9 am: First Word Seminar led by Dr. Russell Moore in the Cafe
9 am: Student Seminar led by Vince Greenwald in the gymnasium (ongoing for grades 5-12)
10:45 am: Next Steps 2, led by Tom Cox in the Staff Lounge (ongoing)
Discover Luncheon immediately following the 10:45 am service in the Cafe.
Engage
WOMEN’S RETREAT - There’s still time to register for the Immanuel Women’s retreat! The retreat is from March 3rd to 4th at Deer Run Camps & Retreats. The cost is $85 per person. You can learn more and register here.
ONLINE PRAYER MEETINGS - Every week, Jenn Ross, an Immanuel Discipleship Group leader, facilitates two online prayer meetings that everyone is welcome to join. The Zoom meeting times and links are below:
Every Thursday afternoon from 12:00-12:45 pm
Every Sunday morning from 7:30-8:00 am
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