At the final judgment when the Son of Man comes in his glory with his angels, he will sit on his glorious throne and judge the nations, separating them as it were, sheep from the goats, with some receiving eternal life and others eternal punishment. The final disposition of the judgment will be determined on how we treated the least of these; how we treated them, so did we treat him. This shows that the Church is the very presence of Christ in the world, showing the kindness and grace of our God to the world. As disciples of Jesus Christ and members of his body, we are charged with the duty to apply his kingdom ethic of doing justice and loving mercy. Each local congregation is an outpost of God’s Kingdom, called to demonstrate freedom, wholeness, and justice in its engagement with the world, responding in love, obeying the leading of its head, the Lord Jesus Christ.

There will be a final accounting that we give to our Lord for everything we do or do not do in this life. It is easy to live as if this is not true because we don’t see it at a day-to-day level. But we ignore this fact to our own peril – a great judgment is coming.

God our Father, prepare us by your Holy Spirit for the day when we will give an account to your Son, whom you appointed judge of all things.

It is to those who are poor that the gospel comes as especially good news. And care for the poor was to be a distinguishing mark of the holiness of the covenant community.

~ Uche Anizor and Hank Voss, Representing Christ. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2016. p. 141.

Let God Arise! Seasonal Focus
Live as Ambassadors, John 13.12-20

Book Reading
Anizor and Voss, Representing Christ

Our Corporate Disciplines
Day Retreat: Friday, August 26, 2022