Our vision is to see the Gospel transform everything – ourselves as individuals, our church, our city, and the world.
By 2020, we desire to see that vision expressed in our church as a body of thousands of people, gathering in locations throughout the Louisville area, and planting churches all over the world that draw many more un-churched people into a relationship with God.
He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”
—Revelation 21:5
One of the most exciting ways the gospel has challenged and changed me is in the arena of caring for “the least of these.” As I was reading through the sheep and goats passage in Matthew 25 (“whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me”) I was convinced that I needed to sacrifice more because of the ultimate sacrifice on the cross. This means diving head first into the messiness of marriages in crisis, giving sacrificially of my time and resources, and caring for the destitute and orphan.
One of the ways this is worked out in my life is with my car. About six months after we bought our 2003 Corolla, the paint on the hood began to peel. The previous owner had been in an accident, and the used car dealer had done a cover-up paint job. Every time I am tempted to get it fixed, God brings to mind a hundred kingdom things to do with that $500.
Now as I drive around town and see other cars that don’t look like they have a disease, three things happen: (1) I am humbled (2) I am reminded of what is really important and (3) I get to talk with others about the gospel. You would be surprised how many meaningful conversations start with “why does your car look like that?”
Reading through the Old Testament, God repeatedly calls us to care for the alien, the fatherless and the widow. James 1:27 tells us that “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress”. Through SEED, Sojourn Counseling and the growing Adoption Ministry, Sojourn has seen many orphans adopted, widows provided for, and the hurting embraced. Praise God!
None of these situations are easy to step into, but God continuously confronts me with the cross. I am called to a radical love because I have been radically loved by our God. Life is not about my comfort, or getting the next thing. I am called to care for those without fathers, because I was once an orphan but now have been adopted as a joint heir with Christ through the cross (Romans 7)!
Mandy and I first adopted a child four years ago when we brought Miles home from Ethiopia, and we are in the process of adopting again. There have been many trials along the way – financial, relational and spiritual – but through it all God has been faithful. Miles has been such a joy and a continuous reminder to us and others of our own adoption through Christ. What a beautiful picture of the gospel at work.
My prayer for myself, my family and Sojourn is that God would continue to grow us to see life in light of the cross. When that happens we will love better, forgive easier and bring more glory to the God we serve.