The Cost of Mission

What are you willing to spend money on? Most people, I find, have one or two things that they can easily spend money on, even when they don't really need anything new at all. For me, it's books and computers. I don't tempt fate by browsing through a book store unless I'm prepared to buy a book, because I'll almost always find something I think is worthwhile to buy. For some people it's clothes, or shoes, or tools, or music, or sporting equipment, or... (fill in your own blank here).

And why do we do this?

"Because we're mindless consumers who, no matter what we actually say, seem to believe that money can buy us some amount of happiness?"

Well, yes, that too, but that's not what I was going to say. It's because we see the value of the things we buy. Unfortunately, all too often the value we find in this "stuff" is dubious at best -- no, that new pair of shoes is NOT going to transform your life. It can even be downright harmful -- "Hmmm... healthy groceries for my family? Or a down payment on a killer 60 inch flat screen TV?"

But what are the really valuable things in life? What are the things worth suffering for? What, if all else fell away, would we continue to continue to fight for, no matter the cost?

This Sunday, as we continue in our series "Paul: A Man With a Mission," we'll look at what Paul thought was worth suffering for. It's not that God asks us to go looking for trouble or suffering. But we need to ask ourselves if we are ready and willing to suffer for the sake of Jesus, if need be. If you're curious about what Paul says, here's a clue for you: ⁷ Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. ⁸ More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ.

Please join us Sunday at 10 am, or find us on the web at www.nassagaweya.com. We hope to see you soon!