St. Paul Lutheran Church

The believer in Jesus Christ is rich for his identity is not in external things but is in Christ Jesus! Ephesians 1:7 in Him we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.

The gospel transformed Lydia and her skill set into gifts used for expanding Christ’s kingdom from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth.

Tears. We hide them. We avoid things and people that cause them. And in general we just wish they would be gone. When John is given a vision of the return of Jesus one of the most beautiful scenes that unfolds is that of God himself wiping every tear from the eyes of those who have been welcomed into his presence through the work of Jesus Christ. The same Jesus who unites himself to us through baptism and making us his beautiful bride. When we cry tears in this world may those tears remind us of the promises that God has made to us in our baptism and the promise that a day is coming when those tears will be no more.

As we celebrate Confirmation we recognize that the stories of our faith happen in community with one another, your story of faith matters and can have an incredible impact on another person. Sometimes we see that impact right away and sometimes the Holy Spirit works through our testimony and witness over many years. Even Saul turned Paul was impacted by a man who is only mentioned in one chapter of the Bible, but the impact of Ananias witness was world changing by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus is sent, the disciples are sent, the church is sent, and the church sends! The message of Jesus and the Resurrection continues to be one that sends people out to share and to tell of the forgiveness and life that Jesus gives!

If you have the opportunity to meet someone who was dead and came back to life and the person who made that happen you would want to meet them! That's exactly what happened on Palm Sunday with Jesus and Lazarus. So many people were believing in Jesus because of Lazarus that he was deemed a threat to those who were against Jesus. Like Lazarus we continue to point people to Jesus with the stories of our lives wherever we are and wherever we go and when we share Jesus we are being used by Jesus to bring dead people back to life!

It is day 36 of the Red Letter Challenge and this week is all about Going! His Story is Our Story too!

Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also said Jesus. While we may trust Jesus with our salvation we have a harder time trusting him with our wallet and stuff and if we are not careful our stuff can rob us of our faith. Instead of holding tightly to our stuff we can be people of generosity because of the overwhelming generosity of Jesus towards us that we can help but to share knowing that living generously is not about what God wants from you but for you.

Giving Thanks during Red Letter Challenge Week 4 midweek message

Jesus invites his followers to be people who serve freely because they have been freely served by him. As a bonus in doing so we will find greater joy and purpose than in anything we can do for ourselves.

We serve not expecting anything in return because Christ serves us knowing there will never be anything in return. God doesnt need our Good works but our neighbor does!

Forgiveness. We don't do it naturally. We seek revenge, repayment, and retribution when we are hurt. Yet Jesus teaches us and shows us that he is in the forgiveness business and he doesn't just teach it he lives out in his life and in his death. What might change in your life if you really believe Jesus words of forgiveness to you and to those who have hurt you? Maybe his prayer on the cross, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do?" is exactly the place you need to go to hear his pardoning and transforming words and acts of forgiveness.

Before we can talk about doing as followers of Jesus we start with our being. Who we are because of what Christ Jesus has done for us. With our eyes fixed on Jesus we follow where he leads knowing that he will lead us to the finish line in victory.

We all worship something or someone whether we realize it or not. Watch the midweek message based on Day 8 of the Red Letter Challenge as Vicar Chad unpacks Jesus own worship temptation by Satan and in it a picture of our own worship temptations we face every day.

When Jesus finishes the most famous sermon ever preached, He ends it with a call to not just hear his words but to do them. We want to be wise and have a firm foundation to build our lives upon not just for our sake but for the sake of the people around us. Let's take the Red Letter Challenge and examine our foundation today to make sure what we are building doesn't just look good on the surface but will endure into eternity! #redletterchallenge

We are surrounded by voices every day shouting for our attention and wanting things from us. Yet in the midst of all the shouts another voice is calling, a voice who has your best interest at heart and will never let you down. Take up the offer extended by God the Father to Listen to Jesus. But don't be surprised if it completely changes your life for the better! It is time for the Red Letter Challenge!

The table is a simple piece of furniture in our homes and yet at the table incredibly powerful things happen. Even more so the Table that the Lord Jesus invites us too as the church provides a place where true transformation happens and lives are changed in time and for eternity. Watch as Vicar Chad shares more about the Table and the way that Table is going to be multiplied to reach more people in 2019 here in the RGV.

The story of Joseph in the book of Genesis is a powerful story of forgiveness. A type of forgiveness that we all long to receive and struggle to give. Watch as Pastor Franco unpacks this great and powerful gift of forgiveness!

When we realize our identity as part of the Body of Christ and live in that identity with love that Jesus has for us that he invites us to have for one another, a powerful force is unleashed that has the power to change eternity! Love as Jesus defines it and as Paul explains it has the power to transform our world!

One of the greatest forces in the world is the Church of Jesus Christ! Yet one of the biggest obstacles to the church accomplishing her mission is division and discord in the body of Christ. If we can learn to see one another the way that God through Christ Jesus sees us which is reflected then in the way we love one another and celebrate each other's gifts the possibilities are incredible!