{"id":78148,"date":"2018-09-09T15:32:46","date_gmt":"2018-09-09T19:32:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/staging.discover-grace.flywheelsites.com\/?p=78148"},"modified":"2018-09-09T15:32:46","modified_gmt":"2018-09-09T19:32:46","slug":"stewarding-the-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/discovergrace.com\/stewarding-the-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Stewarding the Story"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a post-Christian world, it’s an amazing thing when people who are far from God come to any<\/em> church anywhere. <\/em>
\nThey have other things to do. They have other places to go. They have other pursuits that fill them \u2014 a thousand choices in every direction they look.
\nSo, I want you to think about this for a moment: People who aren\u2019t “church” people \u2014 people who didn\u2019t grow up in a church, or who have never even thought about it, or who have actually resented or hated it \u2014 walk through the doors at Grace every week.
\nThey overcome their fear of church or of people they don\u2019t know or of a system they distrust or find foreign, and they bravely take the plunge, unsure of what to expect, or even if they\u2019ll\u00a0 be accepted.
\nIt\u2019s incredible. Truly. Maybe we\u2019ve forgotten what a big hurdle it is for them to just show up.<\/strong><\/em>
\nSo why do they do it? Why do they choose a church? Here are the top two reasons, from a major researcher:<\/p>\n

83%: Quality of sermons<\/p>\n

79%: Feeling welcomed<\/p>\n

Unchurched people are very concerned about what we teach and how we teach it.
\nBut almost the same number of people are motivated to attend again by feeling welcomed \u2014 known and cared for \u2014 by the people who attend.
\nIn other words, we matter to people\u2019s spiritual lives.<\/strong> How we treat them and whether 0r not they grow go hand in hand.<\/strong><\/em>
\nThe scriptures tell us that we can\u2019t just conform to the world around us. We have to be transformed by God\u2019s Word and his people:
\nDo not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind<\/em>\u00a0(Romans 12:2).
\nThe Apostle Paul continues later in this chapter:
\nLove must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord\u2019s people who are in need. Practice hospitality<\/em> (Romans 12:9-13).
\nAs Paul talks about not conforming to the world around us, he gives us a positive and practical picture of what that looks like. We are called to be loving, sincere, devoted, honoring, passionate, serving, joyful in hope, patient in suffering, faithful in prayer, not greedy, generous and people who practice hospitality.
\nI want to aspire to be this kind of Christian. I want to love others this way. What a beautiful picture of the world and of ourselves.
\nIn fact, as we love others this way, others will see that conforming to the world around us \u2014 a world that is harsh and judgmental \u2014 is a lesser option. What if we presented a picture that was more compelling to the world than the one they\u2019re living now? Would we see more people transformed by the grace of Jesus? I believe so.
\nThat\u2019s why this year at Grace, we are calling people to steward<\/span> the stories<\/span><\/strong><\/em> of the people around them. This includes our families, friends, neighbors and coworkers. God has placed these people into our lives for a great purpose.
\nWhat does “stewarding<\/span> the story”‘<\/span> mean? Two things. <\/strong>
\nFirst, it means that God is weaving the story<\/span> of the gospel through history. We don\u2019t own that story<\/span>. It\u2019s His. However, he has entrusted us with that story<\/span> for a season. That\u2019s what it means to be a steward<\/span>\u2014we are temporarily responsible for it.
\nSecond, it means we get to steward<\/span> the stories<\/span> of others around us. We get to enter into their story<\/span> for a season and help them understand the gospel message and it\u2019s transforming power.
\nThough our theme for 2018-19, we are elevating our awareness that everybody has a story<\/span>. Their story<\/span> matters to them, and therefore it should matter to us. We are being asked by people all around us to honor their story \u2014 to treasure it<\/span>\u00a0and to speak into it. It\u2019s a great privilege to be invited in.\u00a0This year we will be exploring how hospitality can help us in our church and in our lives to steward<\/span> the story<\/span> of people who need Jesus in their lives.
\nEach Sunday, we give people the opportunity to write their prayer needs and submit them to our team. Here are some prayer requests of people who have walked into our doors in just the last couple of months:<\/p>\n