March 5, 2021
Dear Cathedral Family,
I just love God’s Word, and I’m so grateful for the gift of the Bible! You may have heard the story of me having my picture taken standing on my Bible, back when I was much younger. Now, please understand that I was not being disrespectful at all. I chose that posture to remind me that I had set my heart and mind to live with the Word of God as the foundation of my life.
God’s Word is the source of truth that forms the foundation of my worldview. And it’s that biblical worldview that shapes the way I live my life – from how I treat my wife Dean and how we do marriage, parenting and grand-parenting; to how we steward our finances, time, resources and relationships. My worldview impacts everything!
As we wrapped up our ACTIVATE series last week, Pastor Dave referred to the story of Noah that we read about in chapters 6-9 of Genesis, the first book of the Bible. Why do I bring up Noah? Because stories like his, and so many others, are provided in the Bible for our benefit.
“The things that happened to those people are examples. They were written to be warnings for us. We live in the time that all those past histories were pointing to.” 1 Corinthians 10:11 (ERV)
Here’s what we read about Noah and his worldview: “But Noah found favor with the Lord. This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God.” Genesis 6:8-9 (NLT)
I think it’s safe to say that the way Noah lived reflected his audacious, deep-rooted, and unshakeable faith in God. But what was happening in the world at the time that made it important to chronicle Noah’s faith and favor with God? Let’s take a look:
“The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart…” Genesis 6:5-6,8 (NLT)
We, too, live in troubled times, that seem to echo the times of Noah – with our world and even our nation moving away from God and the truths of the Bible at an accelerated pace. I wonder how heartbroken God is with our world these days. How are we, the Church of Jesus Christ, to respond to our current state of affairs and be agents of change – salt & light – In our culture? These questions keep me awake at night, fervently seeking God.
Part of my divine assignment as your pastor is watching out for your spiritual welfare.
So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his own blood—over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as leaders. Acts 20:28 (NLT)
It’s a responsibility that your entire pastoral staff and I take quite seriously. That’s why we’re going to postpone starting our Why Easter? series for one week so we can talk about some vitally important issues facing us as Christians today, with serious implications for the future.
Would you join me in praying for this Sunday’s service? I believe that God is going to give us insights for how to move forward with bold faith, motivated by His love, and continuing to grow in grace and truth. I don’t want you to miss it! We’ll be worshipping together in-person at 9am and 11am and via Facebook live and Livestream at 11am.
See you Sunday,
Mike Lewis
Cathedral