Our Resurrection Weekend services begin with our Good Friday Evening Gathering, March 29 at 7:00 pm, and conclude with our regular Sunday activities on Resurrection Sunday Morning, March 31!

Elder's Prayer

Please find below the notes from the Elder's Prayer this past Sunday.

One of the things our holy God has graciously done for us is to provide us a means in Christ that we are reconciled with Him. As His children who have been reconciled with Him through Christ, we are called to apply this gospel in every area of our lives.

Romans 12:1-2 begins with “Therefore I urge you”… Normally, whenever we come across this word “therefore”, at Summit Woods, we are trained to read the preceding verses to understand it’s context.

In the case of Romans 12:1, “therefore” points us to not just a few preceding verses in Romans 11 but all of the truths explained in chapters preceding - from Romans 1 through 11.

Because God according to in His infinite wisdom, knowledge, unsearchable judgments and unfathomable ways justified us by faith in Christ and now we can and ought to apply that gospel in every realm of our lives.

1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

Issac Watts captured the truth from that verse in his hymn “When I survey the wondrous cross.” He wrote:

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

We are commanded to apply the gospel in every area of our lives, or we are disobedient.
What does it mean to offer my body as a sacrifice?
Paul summarized his answer to that in verse 2 and expanded on that summary in the rest of the chapter. The summary in verse 2 says: 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

A couple of things that I needed to daily remind my “selective amnesia” mind is:

1. That it is a daily task, not a one-time task, or even a weekly task – I need to present my body as a living and holy sacrifice acceptable to God every day

2. And that it’s something that should flow out of my joy in the Lord rather than my natural outflow flavored by my bitter, nonconforming, and unwilling heart.

Let’s pray: Sovereign Lord, we exist because you have always existed. We breathe because you gave us life. We love you because you first loved us. We have passions, emotions, and preferences because you have made us in your image. Even though all that we are finds its genesis in you, we act like we are sovereigns. Please forgive us for that. Even though we are your children now, almost always, we act like we are still slaves to the flesh. Please forgive us. Our allegiance is to you now. Please help us to live by the Spirit by putting the deeds of the flesh to death. Please help each and every one of us to apply the gospel truth to every realm of our lives. This we pray in the name of our one and only Savior our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.