Sunday on the Coast

This is tonight's sunset. The sun shines brightly through the ruins of a destroyed home on Beach Boulevard. Out here, hope remains. We had 103 in worship this morning, with many community visitors. There really is such a spirit of thanksgiving here. So many offering up praise to God for the help that has come our way from people all over the country. Today I spoke from Acts 3, the healing of the crippled beggar by the gate called Beautiful. I think one of the most amazing things that I have seen since August 29th is the beautiful spirit of service among Christian people. This is not just storm relief, though, it is the essence of Kingdom living. We are in the business of imitating our teacher, Jesus Christ - a servant of others. Matthew 20:28 “Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” From the story in Acts 3 I see three principles of service. Give What You Have (Acts 3:1-10). We all have something that we can offer to someone else. It may not be silver and gold, but it can be worth much more to the person who is in need. God has gifted us with the ability to reach out to others in a variety of ways (Romans 12:4-8). Look for ways to use your talents to bless other people - and in this you will be the one blessed. Relief workers often say, “It is been a blessing to us.” That is a powerful testimony to the double blessing of serving others. Give God The Glory (Acts 3:11-13). Peter deflects the credit and praise to the Father, and so should we. I have heard people say, "If it weren't for the Central Church of Christ, we wouldn't have made it!" That is nice, but ultimately we want them to say, "Without God we wouldn't have made it!". 1 Peter 4:11 says, “If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, she should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.” In the limelight of our good works, we call upon people to honor God with thanks, not us (Matthew 5:16). Give Grace An Opportunity (Acts 3:19-20). When we serve others, we help them physically. When God ministers to the spirit, there are times of refreshing that come. The message of grace comes through as we call people to abandon wickedness and turn to the purity and loveliness of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:37-38). “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices, God is pleased” (Hebrews 13:16). It is our calling to serve God first. It is our calling to serve our fellow man second. On a personal note, the gas is back on and we have hot water. The heater/ac unit is in place, but not quite fully hooked up yet (maybe tomorrow!). Marvin Phillips arrives tomorrow to begin three nights of preaching. Several crews are coming in and will begin working Tuesday morning. I'll try to keep you abreast of these developments! Also - thanks John Mark Hays. Your gift was received and we will make sure it is put to good use in someone's life. WE WILL CONTINUE TO NEED SHEETROCK AND SHINGLE DONATIONS! Below is a picture of some students from Mississippi State University. This group finished their project of handing out 200 fliers about Marvin Phillips' meeting with us. So on their own they headed across the street to some public property and started cleaning it up. Isn't that an awesome spirit of service? Maybe Tommy can leave their names in a comment ... I'm not that great with names since so many people come through our doors!