GBC Community Update: Fruitful Christian living includes the fruit of good works

Good morning!  There’s been lots going on recently. Thanks to all who came out to help Saturday at the Property Team spring cleanup. Also, thank you to the youth who served through Surge helping the Junction Neighborhood Group open their community garden.   These are just a few of the ways we’re letting our lights shine!
 
 
Oasis@Midweek is tomorrow
Our next Oasis@Midweek is tomorrow night.  This event is for kids JK to grade 6 who are invited to join us from 6:30pm to 8pm for an Oasis Camp themed evening of music, games, life lesson and this week our Kid’s Church leads which means a new craft.  O@M is not just for those who went to camp but for all who would like to remember how MONUMENTAL God is and celebrate his awesomeness.
 
 
Baptism opportunity
Baptism through immersion is not only a key element of our growth as believers of Jesus but a great blessing for the church.  So, we are looking to hold our next baptism service in the next month or so. If you are interested in taking this step of obedience, or would like to learn more about baptism at GBC please let me know.
 
 
June calendar is here
The June calendar has been distributed and is available on the info table in the auditorium. As always, this is a way to stay informed on what’s going on at GBC and also can be useful to know how to pray for what’s happening
 
 
Thought for the Day:  What is the fruitful Christian life? The fruit of Good Works
We’ve been thinking about living a life that bears fruit lately. This really is the by-product though of discipleship and being engaged in your faith journey.  Here’s another way to look at it.
The good works that the believer does can also be counted as fruits. We’ve been talking about this lately Sunday’s in our ‘Firm Foundations’ series. So, what might that look like?  When you show even the simplest acts of kindness to Christians and non-Christian alike that you come into contact with, extend a helping hand to those in need or share your time and talent (or money) in support of our church ministry, you are bearing the fruit of good works.
However, I want to emphasize a key biblical truth that good works do not have any bearing on our salvation. We have been saved by grace through faith alone in Jesus and this is not from ourselves. Salvation is the gift of God, not by our works so that none of us can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).  Our works, therefore, flow out of God being in us through the act of salvation and through the Holy Spirit.
The good works we do are fruits, then, of our salvation. In other words, they are evidence of our genuine faith, they show to us that we have received God’s gift of salvation. This is actually what James is pointing out when he said, “Faith without works is dead.” 
We don’t have to prove to God that our faith is genuine; He knows because He sees our hearts. But our good works will prove to others that we are truly saved and we belong to Jesus.  I hope that distinction is clear and the call on our lives to do something with the gift of salvation is even clearer. Time to bear some fruit!
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris