This message was preached at Word Of Grace Church on October 15th 2023  by Kavitha Emmanuel. For the audio & video please click here.  For the worship please click here.

Write Your Story

¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. – John 10:10

Zoe

What is Zoe? It is an eternal life, purpose-filled, fruitful and divine life. It also means life yet to be created. The uncreated life with full potential.

¹⁰ Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” – John 4:10

What happens when living waters flow? It just flows. If you put a box there, it will flow into the box and then overflow. As a church today, that is the kind of church we are supposed to be.

Imagine you are writing a story. If you check on Google how to write a story, it may show you 5 steps or 7 steps. But here are 3 major steps to write a story –

1.     Write a compelling beginning.

2.     Create a powerful ending.

3.     Write the middle.

Stephen Covey says, “Begin with the end in mind.” We know our destiny. We must live with the end in mind. Our own lives are uncreated but with full potential.

Robert Clinton says, “Leadership is about recognizing and responding to God’s providential shaping in your life.”

Life – an art of God. It is unique, an expression of their inner potential, new and beautiful. God created us with passion. Passion is to bring something to life. When you see a piece of art, it speaks volumes without any words written on it. But it is still a static piece of art.

1.     We are God’s work of art.

Our life is an art of God. When God breathes into us, Zoe started rolling. This life is not just for us but for the outside world.

You are beautiful. Culture may say you must fit into the box. But Zoe doesn’t fit inside a box. The scripture reminds us that God designed us intricately inside out. Everything is unique about us.

You are original and unique but not a photocopy. God loves you and wants you to be powerful.

¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. – Ephesians 2:10

We are God’s masterpiece, and we bear His image. Many think that they may have to give up their talents when they come to Jesus. No! He is the one who has put all the talents in you. He motivates you to do His will with all your talents. He inspires you. That’s your beginning. You are co-creating your life with God.

2.     We are God’s ambassadors of love to all the people.

An artist hangs the artwork on a wall for everyone to see. God wants to do the same with us too. Our primary ministry is not just what we do but who we are. It is to demonstrate God to the world. In his book, “Thank God it’s Monday”, Mark Greene writes how we could be ready to let God work through us so that the world can see God.

Wake up and be a blessing!

Wherever you work, music, film making, adventure, anything, your ministry is to show others that they too can have Zoe.

¹⁴ For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. ¹⁵ And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. ¹⁶ So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:^[a] The old has gone, the new is here! ¹⁸ All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹ that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰ We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. – 2 Corinthians 5:14-20

Our ministry is reconciliation. God has committed to us and given us the message of reconciliation. God is appealing. Don’t forget that. It is about carrying the message of reconciliation but not creating our own kingdom.

3.     We are God’s disruptive ammunition.

¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. – Ephesians 2:10

Salvation is disruptive. It disrupts us. It changes us. If you are the same after hearing the gospel then you are not really saved.

If you really allow God to enter your life, he disrupts. Sometimes it is messy and painful. But that discipline is needed because he loves us. We know the beginning and also the ending. In between, we will be edited and modified.

We must find creative ways to do church and deal with real problems. You may have a unique call.

In India, we need to disrupt culture. Toxic culture needs disruption. Jesus did that. We must be both salt and light. Salt is invisible but still disrupts. Light is seen. The wisdom of God tells us when to be salt and when to be light.

Salt also kills. If you dig up the soil under a plant and put a lot of salt on and around the roots, cover it with soil and start watering the plant everyday, the roots absorb the salt and the plant dies a slow death.

We must be like that. We must uproot and throw the toxic cultural deeds.

Our lives are spiritual weapons. Integrity, authenticity, grace, forgiveness – this is what we are. We must stand out as a powerful weapon. We have the power to redeem and give back what God has created.

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English-speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.