Our memory verse this month is Philippians 4:8

Our Fall series is entitled "How To". Each week a topic will be added to make a complete statement. These topics will be looked at from God's perspective.
So far our topics have been, How To...Be a Friend, Pray, Deal with Difficult People, Forgive, Use the Bible, Live Like Jesus, and Practice Generosity.

This morning our final topic is How To...Look Forward.
Each of us, and the church as a whole, are another year closer to our meeting Jesus someday. At that time we will give an account of the stewardship He has entrusted to us.
Hebrews 4:13

Anniversaries are used to commemorate a variety of occasions. Such as marriage, work, organizational milestones, cultural events, and historic celebrations.
Today we give thanks and celebrate the 31st anniversary of Grace Church!

The celebration of any anniversary should cause the participants to look at the event through three different lenses:

First - The Lens of the PAST.
Philippians 3:13
Romans 5:3-4

Each of us has been on a journey. We've experienced our own mixture of good and bad...successes and failures.
The Apostle Paul wrote about forgetting the past in Philippians 3. This doesn't mean that we have no remembrance of people or events, it's just that we aren't to be defined, trapped, defeated, or puffed up by our experiences in life.
In Romans 5 Paul wrote that God uses these things to make us more like Jesus and much less like the person He died for.

LESSONS LEARNED

This week think of 2-3 past life events and encounters that have bruised you and another 2-3 that have blessed you. Are you a better person because of these?

Second - The Lens of the PRESENT.
Colossians 1:1-4

An anniversary is surely a time of celebration. It should cause us to look around at where we are in life and who we are sharing it with.
If we don't make an effort to slow down, open our eyes, notice, appreciate, and enjoy these gifts of God, we will miss out on so many of His blessings.
Anniversaries mark the passing of time. But also, we've seen people's lives fade into the distant past. Because organizations are comprised of people, they change in nature as people come and go, for whatever reason.
The Apostle Paul would often recognize people who had displayed affection for him, who worked alongside him in God's mission, and those he cared deeply about.

LIVES GATHERED

This week, focus on the lives around you and across your path. Express your appreciation to them and for them, just as Paul did.

Third - The Lens of POSSIBILITY.
James 4:13-16
Ephesians 3:20

Most people would use the word "future" here. But God wants us to remember that we have no guarantee or certainty that another day will be provided for us. We see a subtle warning in James regarding people who make arrogant and self-centered plans for their lives without acknowledging God's sovereignty and aligning our will with His.
God has given each of us and this church a tremendous opportunity to serve Him.
31 years ago, Ephesians 3:20 was imprinted upon the soul and injected into the DNA of Grace Church.

LANDS UNDISCOVERED

To find these undiscovered lands for our family and this church, we must pray, we must be passionately committed to accomplish God's will and not our own, and then by faith we must pursue in faith what the Lord has placed on our heart.