Simply ChurchExemple

Encounter – Everyone Can Experience God Devotion: The church does not exist to just have a healthy culture. It has a mission. A purpose. A reason for existing. When Jesus started out, He invited the disciples to join Him for an adventure when He said “Come, follow Me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” (Matthew 4:19) Come: > You are welcome. Everyone is invited; there is access for all. I want My house to be full. A place of ENCOUNTER \- where everyone can experience God. Follow Me: > I have something to share with you; I am the great  teacher. I am going somewhere; walk with Me, to GATHER \- because together is always better. I will show you how: > I will set the example; I won’t just talk about it, but I will demonstrate so that you can have a go yourself and GROW \- because no one is finished yet. Fish for People: > It is not just about you. I have a bigger mission that is  for others that will reach across the world. You have INFLUENCE \- because every person can create change. Over the next few days, we will explore these keys to the mission of the church. ENCOUNTER – everyone can experience God In our first reading for today, we have the story of the Prodigal Son. This famous parable in which Jesus was making it clear that whatever you have done, whatever your story, whatever your past, whatever your disappointments, Father God wants to encounter His children. But this is not how it might feel like for people who are attending church for the first time. They can feel like aliens and unsure how to behave or what to say. Which is why we must make sure each person that comes into our churches online or in person is made to feel welcome. It’s one of the keys to encountering God; understanding that everyone is welcome. Our planet is not divided into worldly people and churchy people. There are simply people. As far as God is concerned, we are all His people and really matter to Him. Paul wrote to the church in Galatia and reminded them that ‘There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.’ (Galatians 3:28) The church is meant to be accessible for ALL PEOPLE. When Jesus turned over the tables in the Temple, this was the point He was making. The temple had been designed around segregation, and that did not fit the model that Jesus had in mind when He referred to Isaiah 56:7 that His ‘Temple would be called a house of prayer for ALL nations’. A place of encounter, where EVERYONE can experience God.