Rev. Stuart Redcay

Sometimes it is helpful to step back and have a big picture view of what is going on. When we see things from a 50,000 foot view, it can sometimes make a lot more sense of where we are at on ground level. With that in mind, let’s take a 50,000 foot view of God’s work and mission in this world. God’s mission has always been to establish a relationship between Himself and mankind through revelation (the revealing of Himself) for His glory.

From the very beginning, in Genesis and the Garden of Eden, God intended to have a special relationship with mankind. We are made “in his image,” yet this image was fractured when mankind chose to do evil and sin. Mankind rejected God and who He was with devastating consequences. The relationships between God, men, women and the world would now be broken. Yet God, in His love, chose to not leave us in our brokenness. He promises a savior to come.

In the generations that followed, evil would expand and multiply, seen through Cain’s killing of his brother or the widespread rebellion of the Tower of Babel. Yet, God does not abandon humanity. He chooses a nation, Israel, to be a blessing to the nations. They were given God’s Law (the Old Testament) as guidance so that they could build a society that would show the wisdom of God and draw the rest of the world towards Him. Israel failed however, using and abusing God’s blessings for their own ends rather than for the glorifying of God, leading to their own destruction. Even a materially rich society cannot build what God intends, therefore He would have to do it Himself.

In our mess and sin, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ. Through Jesus, God has been revealed. Rather than falling into sin like Adam or neglecting His responsibilities like Israel, Jesus does both perfectly. Jesus succeeds at the mission where mankind has failed! He is triumphant, where we have fallen on our face! It is through Jesus’s life, death and resurrection that we have hope of a renewed relationship with God once again!

Now, we live in the time of the Church. The Church is not an individual building, but rather all Christians. The Church is called to tell others of what Jesus has done and how God wants to have a relationship with you! Sin, the wrongs and evil that we have done, is not insurmountable to Jesus. We can have our debt washed away, so that we can be reunited with God for eternity.

This is the joyful invitation of the Church to all of mankind. Come and be reunited with God who offers what cannot be found elsewhere in the distractions of this world! Come to a God who desires to “wipe away every tear from their eyes and death shall be no more” for those who have repented and have faith in Jesus.

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Finding Faith is written by area pastors. This week’s column comes from Stuart Redcay, associate pastor of family ministries at Big Woods Bible Church in Lock Haven.