At Praise Church: E___________
At Praise Church We: PRAISE • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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At Praise Church: Everyone is welcome
At Praise Church: Everyone is welcome
At Praise Church We: Evangelize - we reach out to the Lost
At Praise Church We: Evangelize - we reach out to the Lost
Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
At Praise Church: Everyone MUST be Welcomed!
At Praise Church: Everyone MUST be Welcomed!
When one of those who reclined at the table with him heard these things, he said to him, “Blessed is the one who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!”
Then he told him, “A man was giving a large banquet and invited many. At the time of the banquet, he sent his servant to tell those who were invited, ‘Come, because everything is now ready.’
“But without exception they all began to make excuses. The first one said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. I ask you to excuse me.’
“Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m going to try them out. I ask you to excuse me.’
“And another said, ‘I just got married, and therefore I’m unable to come.’
“So the servant came back and reported these things to his master. Then in anger, the master of the house told his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the city, and bring in here the poor, maimed, blind, and lame.’
“ ‘Master,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, and there’s still room.’
“Then the master told the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges and make them come in, so that my house may be filled. For I tell you, not one of those people who were invited will enjoy my banquet.’ ”
Jesus uses the parable of the great banquet to illustrate that God’s invitation extends far beyond expected societal boundaries.
When those who were initially invited declined the invitation, the master directed his servants to go out and invite anyone willing to come—no care regarding race, nationality, societal division, or any other cultural standard or hyphen that we may hold in our mind.
Reflecting Christ’s love means extending an invitation to everyone and actively breaking our own barriers that separate us from others, mirroring the open and welcoming nature of God's Kingdom.
There is urgency and persistence of God’s invitation.
Notice the words in Verse 21
“Go out QUICKLY”
The master insists that his house must be filled, revealing that no one should be left out in experiencing God’s hospitality.
Once the first wave was invited as commanded, the Master commands a NEW wave.
This persistence in the invitation serves as a lesson for how we should strive to make our community a place where all are welcomed and cherished,
This reflects the urgency and the fullness of God’s love in action.
We are called to be a Christian - a little Christ - a reflection of God’s love, desire, zealousness for His creation.
This Parable teaches us that the heart of God's Kingdom is relentless and inclusive.
At Praise Church We: Encourage the Unchurched to return to the body.
At Praise Church We: Encourage the Unchurched to return to the body.
Rest for the Weary
“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
I want to point out the warm invitation of Jesus in a cold world: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
Jesus offers rest to every individual in need, inviting us to lay down burdens without judgment.
One of my favorite Bible encounters comes to mind:
Elijah - Snack and a nap
but he went on a day’s journey into the wilderness. He sat down under a broom tree and prayed that he might die. He said, “I have had enough! Lord, take my life, for I’m no better than my ancestors.” Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree.
Suddenly, an angel touched him. The angel told him, “Get up and eat.” Then he looked, and there at his head was a loaf of bread baked over hot stones, and a jug of water. So he ate and drank and lay down again. Then the angel of the Lord returned for a second time and touched him. He said, “Get up and eat, or the journey will be too much for you.” So he got up, ate, and drank. Then on the strength from that food, he walked forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God.
God doesn’t give judgment. God doesn’t slam Elijah with reminders of what Elijah has been through already, what God has brought Elijah through, despite all the odds. There is ZERO judgment - only grace.
Elijah is freaking out - mentally, physically and spiritually exhausted, he journeys into the wilderness, and God provides a tree!
Elijah takes a nap.
Then God sends an angel - here is a meal, you need to eat.
What is it? Bread and water! Carbs and H2O!
Eat up and then back to sleep.
Then the Angel wakes him again - you need to eat some more.
The nap alone wasn’t enough.
The food alone wasn’t all Elijah needed.
He needed to give the body time to Rejuvinate from what he had been through, with the food God had provided.
But that still wasn’t enough.
See God was looking out for what Elijah had been through, and looking ahead to where God was desiring Elijah to go.
So Elijah got to nap, have a snack, finish his nap, then get some more food.
THEN he was ready for the next thing God had in store for him.
God didn’t judge Elijah based on his current emotional status, He had compassion on Elijah and allowed him to rest and served him in that moment.
Let me tell you something, as followers of Christ we will all go through seasons of highs and lows, seasons of triumph, and YES seasons of valleys! We are to be there for each other, AND to be God’s compassion on our brothers and sisters when they find themselves in those periods.
We must have the same offer: Come to Jesus and you will find rest.
As followers of Christ, we should embody and express this invitation in our communities, demonstrating that the Church is a sanctuary for the weary and a place of rest and healing.
Church hurt is the worst hurt. So we must remember that.
Let Christ’s love, which knows no limits, permeate every interaction, making everyone feel welcome and valued.
So we reach the lost, and we love the unchurched.
