Something in Common
by Pastor Mike Mercurio
What do the Olympics, the World Cup and the Church of Jesus Christ have in common? All three have the potential to bring the world together. The Olympics and the World Cup bring the world together through athletic competition and the spirit of sportsmanship. The church, however, brings people together in the name of Jesus, and the Spirit of God.
The church was born this way and the church will spend eternity this way. The birth of the church was described in the book of Acts:
“Now there were staying in Jerusalem, God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. Utterly amazed, they asked: “Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs–we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” - Acts 2:5-11
The description of the church in eternity is found in the book of Revelation:
“I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.” - Revelation 7:9
When the church gathers together, in all of its wonderful diversity, it does so to worship, serve and glorify God. We love each other because he first loved us. This means that we care for each other and pray for each other. But that’s not all.
Annual Interchurch Sports Competition
While we do all of the things just described, in Jesus’ name, we can also play together. This Saturday, August 1, from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., various teams from First Alliance Church will compete against Bread of Life Bible Fellowship in soccer, basketball, volleyball, pickleball, arm wrestling, tug of war, egg spoon race, frog jump race and sack race. If you are already on one of our teams, good luck. If not, come on out some time during the day and cheer us on! It will certainly be a lot of fun and our heavenly Father will be pleased.
It may not be the Olympics or the World Cup, but it represents our unity in Christ and the hope of the World. Write something here...