Pastor's Message

October 2018

Be the “OF”...
Have you ever wondered what makes the Body of Christ

the body of Christ? Throughout the New Testament that phrase The Body of Christ occurs frequently and it is used most often by the Apostle Paul. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul states that we are all a part of the body of Christ. Not just some but ALL. That means that if you claim Christ as your Savior, no matter where you live, the color of your skin, the family you come from, who you marry or don’t, we are all a part of the body of Christ. The other pretty awesome and radical thing to think about is that every single person has been endowed with spiritual gifts. Every gift is valuable and necessary for the work of God. Some of us are great teachers, some have the gift of generosity, some have incredible gifts for prayer, some are gifted musically, some have the gift of mercy. I could go on and on with all the different gifts that are found in the body but the point is that we are all different yet we are all an integral part of the Body of Christ.

We live into that reality here at Oak Forest, at work, at home, and as we raise our kids and grandkids. There is no place we can go and simply step out of the truth that we are part of something so much larger than ourselves. I don’t know about you but that gives me incredible hope. Our lives are lived for a purpose, God’s purposes. We are part of God’s plan for the redemption of the world! Pretty cool isn’t it?

The Evangelism committee is excited to kick off an incredible challenge and sermon series called BE THE OF during the month of October. We are Oak Forest, we are the OF! We are the Body OF Christ and each one of us is a unique, gifted, beloved part OF the church called Oak Forest. We want to know how you live your faith in the day to day. Here is your Challenge:

We want you to Pay it Forward and then tell us about it.

Paying it Forward is a concept that Jesus instilled in his disciples where you doing something for someone else without expecting anything in return. And I know we all do this from time to time and don’t tell a soul. How many times have you been at the cash register and someone is a dollar short? How about a time when someone dropped their credit card on the floor and did not notice? Did you give it back to them? You may have a neighbor who is lonely and would love to chat over a cup of coffee? What about at work when you see someone struggling with a task that you find simple? Did you help them out?

When we pay it forward, we spread kindness through our world. And I believe we can all agree that our world could use enormous doses of kindness. We are “THE OF,” We are Oak Forest. And that is something to be proud of!

During the month of October, we are going to have a billboard up where you can share your experience of helping someone else in their time of need. You can share your experience anonymously but at the end of the month we want to see how many experiences of paying it forward we can do. My hope is that the FLC and Sanctuary will be full of cards and stories of spreading kindness. When you see someone Being the OF report it!! Don’t be shy! At the end of the month we want to be able to see how we have impacted our community in a positive, Christian way. BE the OF and pour out God’s grace that has been poured out on you. And let’s see what kind of impact we can have in our little corner of the world.

Peace of Christ,

Pastor Julie