I hope you have enjoyed these past two months as we’ve studied the “Last Things” recorded in the book of Daniel. Daniel’s visions can be tedious to study, but I also believe they are incredibly rewarding for any committed Bible student. As you dig into the depths of God’s Word, you find hope, comfort, and joy through the understanding of Biblical prophecy. I pray that God has grown you spiritually through this series, and I hope you now apply these truths into your life so you can stand strong like Daniel during our time of exile (1 Peter 2:11).
This Sunday we are moving away from Daniel’s visions to another. This weekend is “Vision Sunday,” and I believe it will be an important day in the life of our church. We are going to celebrate what God has done through ABC these past 14 years, but we’re also going to look forward to what God is going to do in the coming days. Jesus Christ cast a vision for His church in his famous sermon on the mount. Jesus told His followers, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so thatthey may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16).
Jesus paints a picture of the church as a city on a hill. He says we are designed to shine into places of darkness, so that, others may come to give glory to our Father in heaven. I do find it interesting that our church happens to be positioned literally on a hill. We are on this hill because years ago, faithful servants of Christ saw that God was calling them to go “up the mountain” to build a new church for Him. Through God’s faithfulness, ABC built a beautiful church home on this hill, and I believe we are now positioned to see God do amazing things through this family of faith for years to come. For the next 5 weeks, we’re going to look at ways we must be committed to shine from this hilltop through our new sermon series, “City on a Hill.”
This Sunday, I will start the series by featuring a 10-minute professional documentary that shares the story of how we got here. ABC’s story is saturated with God’s grace, and we are going to take some time to celebrate all that God has done to get us here. From there, we will examine Matthew 5 to see what He’s calling us to do next. This weekend, we will also unveil a brand-new church logo and a state of the art website. I’m excited to see how God will use our updated multi-media platforms to tell His story and expand the Kingdom here in Austin, Tx. We will also have a merchandise “store” open in our lobby during this sermon series. We will be selling brand-new shirts with the new logo at a low cost. We hope you plan to purchase a few items so you can wear them proudly in our community to tell your neighbors what God is doing at ABC.
I must also note that this Sunday will feature a celebration breakfast for all adults at 10AM in our Heritage Hall. Our Adult BFG classes will not meet this Sunday, but instead, we will come together for a church-wide party to commemorate the day. The delicious breakfast is free of charge, and our classes will be hosting a BFG Fair in the café area to showcase their individual classes. We have lots of folks that have not found a bible fellowship group to call their home, so this event should be the perfect opportunity for people to get acquainted with our dynamic small groups that meet on campus every weekend at 10:10am.
I hope you plan to join us this Sunday for an important time of fellowship, celebration, and worship. If you have been out for a while, this is the perfect time to come and get reconnected. I also encourage you to invite a neighbor or friend to come hear the vision of ABC and enjoy the fellowship of our people. Join me in praying for this weekend, and come expectant to meet with the Lord. I look forward to seeing you Sunday.
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