Live a Great Story

Live For Something Worth Dying For

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.

Jesus knew His mission and what it required of Him. He dedicated His life to that mission and eventually sacrificed His life for the mission - so that others may have life.

None of us can make the ultimate sacrifice Jesus made by dying for our sins, and the good news is we don’t have to. His sacrifice was enough, but it was just the beginning of the worldwide mission that will not stop until all people around the world hear about what Jesus has done.

And, Jesus expects His followers to actually follow in His footsteps and continue His mission with the same dedication and, if need be, sacrifice. These words were not easy for His first disciples to receive, because Jesus wasn’t speaking figuratively. He was foreshadowing His actual death, while also preparing them for the sacrifices they would need to make. History tells us that most of the twelve disciples did in fact die for Jesus’s mission.

Surprising? Not if you understand the power of someone sacrificing for you first. Jesus died for them first. Of course, they would die for others.

Here is the secret to living a great story - live for something worth dying for.

There is no greater story you can be a part of than the grand narrative of Scriptures describing God’s mission to redeem humanity.
There is no greater example of true greatness than Jesus who gave His life for others.
There is no greater cause you can give your life to, than to follow Him and join His mission.

Jesus lived for something worth dying for. Those who follow Him will do the same.

Outreach Team

by The Outreach Team

Living a Great Story Requires Humble Service

A few years ago, I was watching a high school volleyball match and the starting lineup was a bit different this time as an underclassman was starting over a seasoned Senior because he missed some practices and therefore had to sit out a couple of games. The competitive young player held his own and then it came time for him to be pulled from the action. I watched his countenance and wondered what he was thinking. What was his attitude going to be after getting a taste of the high-action play and then being moved to the bench? The third game was incredibly intense. I looked over to see how the benched boy was handling it and saw him running out of the gym. Then I saw him running back with a bunch of paper towels. He went over next to the bench and began to mop the floor where another player had spilled Gatorade. So while his teammates and the entire crowd were intensely focusing on the game, this young man was focusing on preventing his teammates from slipping on the gym floor. He was still contributing to this great team win, just in a much less glamorous way.

How often does our faith ask us to do things much like this? Rather than self-promote, we are called to do things that go unnoticed and are often underappreciated. Jesus asks us to serve rather than strive for the glory moment. He asks us to follow His example on living out a great story through serving others.

There’s a beautiful passage of Scripture out of Philippians 2 that shares Jesus’ example to us of this humble service and surrendered life. Let’s take some time to reflect on it today:

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

Outreach Team

by The Outreach Team

It’s Not Service if it’s Not a Sacrifice

A friend of mine made that statement to a group of us when I was nineteen years old, and it has always stuck with me.

Sometimes service is easy or requires less effort than other times, but there is always some sacrifice. Time, material possessions, and personal preferences are all examples of sacrifices made in service.

What about greatness? Does that involve sacrifice? Often when we think of being great we think of excellence in skills or wealth or professional success.

The apostle Paul had a different take according to Romans 15:1-2 (MSG) - “Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, ‘How can I help?’”

Strength is for service, not status.

So maybe skills are for service, not status. Success is for service, not status. Wealth, health, talent, knowledge…the list can go on and on! Everything is for His service, His purpose, and His glory!

We have to ask ourselves then, is greatness found in those who have more to sacrifice? Look no further than to the widow who gave two mites—which was everything she had—to answer that question. Greatness is found in obedience. What are you willing to sacrifice for the sake of the Kingdom?

Spend some time today asking the Lord where He wants you to sacrifice. Is it your time, talents, resources, finances, or personal comfort? Something else?

Asking Him can be scary. What if He responds with something you don’t want to give up? Reflect on His character to be assured He loves you and has a plan. He sees the bigger picture. What He asks of you might seem huge right now, but if you step out in faith you will be able to look back at this moment as part of your story and part of His faithfulness and goodness in your life. He’s inviting you into His story. Will you join Him?

Outreach Team

by The Outreach Team

What is Greatness?

What is greatness? Who defines it? Are we measured by our greatness? By what we accomplish? By how we stand out?

The world tells us to work faster, be better, and push harder.
Jesus tells us to love. (Mark 12)

The world tells us to look out for number one (ourselves).
Jesus tells us to feed the hungry and clothe the poor. (Matthew 25)

The world tells us that appearances matter.
The Bible tells us to look at the heart. (I Sam 16)

I think sometimes we complicate it. Looking at these scriptures it seems so simple. Mark 10:43-44 “Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.”

Living a great story can be part of an ordinary, everyday life because it’s not about being flashy or drawing attention. It’s about living out the life Jesus calls us to, following the example He set. It starts with our heart posture. When our hearts are focused on the Lord, we see things through His eyes. When we see people the way the Lord sees them, we realize how valued and cherished each individual is, and it shapes the way we treat people. When we recognize that everything we have is the Lord’s, we loosen our grip and are freed to be more generous.

Living a great story—being great for eternal purposes—often involves doing the next right thing, taking that next step to partner with the Father in His work. You don’t need a blueprint and a twelve-step plan. When you feel the Lord nudging you, take the step. Sometimes the step is small, like letting someone in front of you in line at the store because you can see that he is in a hurry. Sometimes the step is huge like moving across the world to share the gospel with the unreached. Sometimes the step is texting a friend you know is struggling and inviting her out for coffee.

Spend some time today in prayer asking the Lord to show you the next step He has for you, and then take it. Each day ask Him how He wants you to move, and then do it. Ask Him to reveal opportunities to show His love, and then be aware as you go throughout your day. Consider writing in a prayer journal or the notes app on your phone what He tells you to do, and note the blessings as you walk in obedience and live the great story He has for your life.

Outreach Team

by The Outreach Team

Live a Great Story

James and John, two of Jesus’ first disciples, witnessed Jesus’ miracle-working power, and it dawned on them that they bet on the right Teacher to follow. This Kingdom of God project seemed to be going somewhere, and they were on the ground floor and in the coveted inner circle. Visions of grandeur quickly followed, and it seemed like the right time to secure key positions in the new administration. This was their opportunity of a lifetime, their shot at greatness.

Well, they made fools of themselves with their request, didn’t they? They missed the way of Jesus and the heart of Jesus by a mile! What they asked for was in glaring opposition to what Jesus taught leading up to this moment, and in doing so they provided the Rabbi with another teachable moment.

We might enjoy watching them fail, but let’s not be too quick to judge. Wouldn’t we think similar things if we were in their shoes? Don’t we all desire our own moment to shine, our own break in life, to be great or at least be a part of something great?

Live a Great Story - the title of Sunday's message and our theme for this week - touches on that deep desire in each one of us. We recognize true greatness when we see it. We are attracted to it. We aspire to it. But how can it be attained? Everyone is living a story, but how do we live a GREAT story?

James and John thought they could achieve greatness through connections (a very culturally appropriate way in their world). The typical American way is to strive for greatness with every fiber of our being, but, contrary to the cultural narratives, our best effort isn’t always enough. In our search for greatness, we are often misled to chase inferior substitutes that promise greatness but can’t deliver on that promise. Some people try to fake greatness. Some give up on the possibility of greatness altogether.

Jesus redefines greatness and demonstrates a different path to greatness with his own life. His path might look to be “upside down” to the world around us, but it is actually “right side up” if we understand that the world around us is actually broken and built on lies. His way and His heart seem counterintuitive to us, but they lead to true greatness and glory that won’t fade.

As we begin a new year, this story is a good reminder for us all to pause and consider what greatness is and how we might go about pursuing it in 2025.

Outreach Team

by The Outreach Team