Repent & Believe
November 2, 2023
““And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you. Rescue me from my rebellion. Do not let fools mock me.” Psalm 39:7-8 (NLT)
Do you remember the story of Jonah in the Bible? God gave Jonah an invitation to be a vessel for God’s call to repentance for the people of Nineveh. Jonah was biased against the Ninevites, and so he “got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord.” (Jonah 1:3). The famous big fish swallowed up Jonah to give him time to think, and after the fish spat out Jonah, God once again invited him to go to Nineveh to preach. When he finally did, the people repented, but even in their repentance, Jonah hated them so much he was angry at God for relenting in his punishment.
The Bible is filled with stories of rebellion against God, some in obvious areas of moral sin. Others rebelled when God wanted to use them to advance the kingdom of heaven, and their rebellion kept them from being part of that movement.
Psalm 39:7-8 highlights our need to cry out to God with a declaration: All my hope is in God. It also showcases that we need to be rescued by God from our own rebellion, our sin, our having picked our will instead of God’s will.
The Gospel of Jesus is summarized in the two simple words: repent & believe. Repent of your sin and believe in Jesus to be freed from the consequences and bondage to sin. As followers of Jesus, we live that continually, searching our hearts for rebellion against God and repentance to realign with his will.
One Governance Board
Over the past couple of months, our current Leadership Council and I have studied and have now proposed the church transition to one governance board to incorporate the responsibilities traditionally held by committees of Finance, Trustees, Staff-Parish Relations, and Leadership. If approved by a majority of church members present and voting at our Church Charge Conference on November 12 at 4:00 p.m., it will set the number of members on committees to twelve, plus the pastor. It will streamline decisions into one board instead of multiple committee meetings, and, as a result, allow more church members to engage in significant ministry roles outside committee work.
In October, information meetings were held and nominations for one board members were received. Church members who were unable to attend can pick up an information packet from the church office, and if you have questions beyond what’s covered in those, you may contact Ross Freind (Chair of Leadership Council; gdaddy5642@gmail.com) or me (Chris@LeedsFirst.org).