If you were going to put a priceless treasure away for safe keeping, where would you put it?
It seems like a bank vault – one of those shiny behemoths with impenetrable walls and unbreakable encryption – would do it. Funny how priceless things end up getting locked away somewhere, secure but rarely enjoyed or put on display by their owner.
Not so with God.
“For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” (2 Corinthians 4:5–7)
Of all the places in the world he could have housed the light and life Jesus, he chose (with the greatest of delight) “jars of clay.” He fashioned us, fearfully and wonderfully (Psalm 139:14), then redeemed us from the ruin of our brokenness. But he didn’t stop there.
God went on to deposit his light and life in our fragile, cracked and scuffed up hearts for safe keeping. What better place – according to the Apostle Paul – “to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”
I suppose there may be nothing our Creator delights in more than putting his glory on display in and through us.
I hope that is what comes to your mind when you hear us talk about Fellowship Outward. We’re simply going across the street and around the world, sharing what we can of what we have come to know and experience in our relationship with Jesus.
Like last year, we’re asking everyone (yes, literally EVERYONE!) to participate in a Fellowship Outward Mission Trip in 2023. You can join a trip, or even create a trip. We are all about equipping you to take a next step of some kind toward more of the life on mission God has for you!
There are local, national and international options, each with ministry activities that connect our teams with the communities we’re striving to reach and serve. We’ll be glad to provide helpful information about locations that most interest you. Just fill out this form and we’ll connect you with a trip leader who can give you the details.
Thank you for prayerfully considering a step of faith further into the redemptive mission of God. May the treasure of Christ’s life in us shine brightly everywhere he takes us in the coming year.