In worship on recent Sundays, we have been reading through the book of Acts, which describes the acts of faith carried out by the earliest members of the body of Christ. These believers were so inspired by, and so grateful for, what God had done for them in Jesus Christ that they responded with incredible faithfulness, fearlessness, and generosity. They understood that everything they had, including life itself, was a gift of grace from the God who had been revealed to them in and through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. As a result, they put their trust in God so deeply that they became willing vessels of God’s love and largesse to everyone around them, especially the other members of their new family.
It was partly because of the generous and selfless acts of faith of those first believers that the early church grew by leaps and bounds. Their joy and gratitude were highly contagious as God used them as his enthusiastic instruments to bring more people into the family. Those attributes are still contagious today. And like those early Christians, we, too, are called to respond to what God has done for us, and is still doing among us, with joy and gratitude so that we might extend Christ’s body and love to more people.
At the 11 am service on Sunday, Oct. 22, we welcomed seventeen new members into our church family, which is both a testament to the work of the Holy Spirit in our midst and a cause for great rejoicing. And I can’t think of a better way to respond to this good news than to do what the early church did: give generously as an act of faith so that we might grow more and serve more and rejoice more.
I hope that you have been paying attention to what God has been doing in your life and in our church. There are few things we can do as acts of faith that demonstrate our faith, gratitude, and commitment to Jesus Christ like being generous stewards of what God has entrusted to us.
I hope that you will join me in joyfully filling out a pledge card to help make 2024 the best year we have ever had as the family of faith known as Independent Presbyterian Church, remembering, as Jesus said, that it is more blessed to give than to receive. After all, our God is a competitive giver. And through your generosity, I am certain that you will discover the incredible blessing that you just can’t out-give God.
Questions about Pledging?
IPC contact:
Patricia Harper, IPC Development Manager
pharper@ipc-usa.org
205-933-3715
