Before we knew him, God looked at us and called us his beloved. He reached out to us and adopted us, rescuing us from the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of light. He set us free from from the yoke of slavery and the curse of sin and death. He has made and continues to make us whole. This is our personal renewal in Christ Jesus!

Earlier this year, we engaged in local missions initiatives that caused our hearts to be stirred, our minds to be challenged and renewed for a healthy understanding of how to move from poverty to flourishing in our personal lives as well as for our city, and we have put our hands into action alongside our partners engaging with the sanctity of life and foster care.

Now we continue our conversations about the life cycle of renewal by beginning to engage what it means to be set free in Christ and seek the freedom of others.

God has rescued us out of our own sin by his merciful justice – while we were still sinners he died to save us from sin and death. Experiencing the conviction of our own sin causes us to have compassion for the brokenness of others, desiring them to know the freedom and forgiveness we have in Christ Jesus. Receiving the freedom Christ has given us stirs us to proclaim the truth of what he has to offer those who are under the same oppression we once were.

He meets us in our brokenness and calls us beloved. He meets us in our sin and shame and calls us sons and daughters. He meets us in our slavery and sets us free. And who the Son sets free is free indeed! He meets us in our lack and woundedness to heal us, provide for us, and build us up in his kingdom.

We love because Christ first loved us. We seek renewal because Christ first renewed us.

This month we’ll be hosting an event continuing the conversation on what it means to be set free and how we as the people of God are called to proclaim freedom to others. Pastor Jeremy Treat will be hosting a discussion panel on being set free, and Local Missions Director Sarah Frank will be teaching on the stewardship of power.