Having an Eternal Perspective

-By Jacklyn McQuarrie

This past weekend I volunteered at a young adults event in Somers Point.  A well-known speaker was sharing that night and there were 300 people, mostly young adults, in attendance.  I was touched to see that many people gathered together praising the Lord, all from different churches, all from different walks of life.

Lately God has been pressing on me the value of having an eternal perspective and how that is given us in worship.  I wanted to share with my Sojourn family what the Lord has been speaking to me.

I know some of you share my love for Christian rap and hip-hop.  The song "Hero" by Trip Lee, which I recently discovered, speaks about having an eternal perspective.  In an age of Spiderman and Batman movies, where everyone seems to be looking to something or someone else to fill them, this song lifts Jesus up as our true Hero and reminds us of His promise to return again and "rescue" us.  This song made me contemplate the greater Eternal reality that we have as Christians.

As Christians, we believe that Jesus is going to return one day and take the Church to be with Him forever.  He is going to destroy our enemy, Satan, and "wipe every tear" from our eyes (Revelation 7:17).  What strikes me about myself is how I can so quickly forget the Eternal reality that God has given us in Christ.  How many of us look to other people, or our jobs, or education, to fulfill us here on earth?  To "save" us?  Even as believers, we are often guilty of taking our eyes off of the Throne and putting them on other people, on ourselves.

So why does God desire us to have an eternal perspective?

1. When we have an eternal perspective, we view God in His rightful place, as the Lord Who holds ALL things in His hands, and has already guaranteed us a home in Heaven with Him. When we realize that He has accomplished it all, we are able to relax and release any feelings of false guilt or condemnation that we may have because He has finished the work for us.  We live in light of His return and make the "most of every opportunity" (Colossians 4:5).

2.  When we have an eternal perspective, we view ourselves and the world in their rightful place.  We realize that Jesus is the only One Who can truly fulfill all our needs.  This allows us to truly enjoy the world He has given us in the way He intended it to work - He is first, then all else falls into place.  We do not expect other people or things to fill the need that God is already filling in our hearts, and that only He can meet.

3.  When we live with Eternity in mind, we treat our fellow brothers and sisters in light of the fact that we have the same eternal Home, share the same Father and are part of the same Family.

4.  When we live in light of our eternal Home, we share our faith with those around us because we want them to know and live forever with Him too.

5.  And finally, having an eternal perspective enables us to "cast all our burdens on Him" because we know that in the end, He will make all things right (Rev. 21:4).  When we have an eternal perspective, we live in the truth that He holds all things in His hands and is sovereign to work all things out for our good (Romans 8:28).  And we are able to rest, "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6).

I think that's what God intends worship to be for - to give us a picture of what our Heavenly Home will be like.  To give us just a taste of the satisfaction and fulfillment that we will experience in completion when we are in His presence.  To get our perspective on Him and off of us.  To give us His point of view over our own.

I hope this post brought you just a little bit closer to our Eternal reality as followers of Jesus.

Reframing Communication

By Sean Griffith
"Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Willis?" A phrase made famous by the late Gary Coleman in his role as Arnold Jackson in the 80‘s TV hit Different Strokes.  Little Arnold would say this phrase every time he didn’t understand what his older 

brother Willis was trying to communicate.  Willis would then have to reframe his communication in order to be more clear.  Recently, I’ve had some of you give me the Arnold look and say, “Whatchu talking about Pastor Sean?” when I presented the “picture frame challenge”.  In case you missed this presentation, I placed on tables 50 picture frames with silhouettes in them and a question mark at the center.  They were designed to be a physical reminder that we have all been called to be missionaries to someone.  The question mark was meant to cause us to ask, “Who has God called me to reach?”

Jesus said, "Peace be with you. As the father has sent Me, I am sending you."

Missionary means “sent one”. A wonderful reality to all of us who follow Christ. The focus on being missionaries in our communities is a challenge for all of us to look at the harvest and ask God how He would use us.  This does not mean that we are just trying to fill seats at Sojourn.  Rather, it means we are simply fulfilling the Great Commission by living among those who do not know the Lord, listening to their stories and loving them while we share our story.  This is not a race or a quota, rather it is a lifestyle of being “intentional” about how we live our lives.  We need to create space to invite those outside the church to be part of our world.  Jesus was a friend of sinners and many of us have come to Christ because someone else was willing to be our friend and share the good news of Jesus Christ in a way we could understand it and see it.  

Why the Challenge?  

As we continue to grow, it can be natural to focus on ourselves.  We enjoy being with each other, encouraging and loving one another.   This is one of the things that makes Sojourn so wonderful; however, it should always be balanced with the mission of God to go into the world with the redeeming message of Jesus! 

If you are already doing this, praise God. Keep it up! Let us know what you are learning and how you see God at work!  For the rest of us, I encourage us to pray and ask God for wisdom on how we can make space, or invite others into our space for the sake of the gospel.  FYI, you don’t have to move in with your neighbors, but maybe a first step is to meet your neighbor if you haven’t already. 

This Is Your Home

By: Thom Perkins

Some folks are coming to your home this week for a visit!   How will you treat them?   Will you welcome them, let them know you are glad they came by, offer them a drink or perhaps something to eat (especially if you are Italian!), ask them how they are doing?


Or, will you pretend that you do not notice they are there, yet somehow hope they will return again for another visit?

To most of us, Sojourn is our HOME.    When someone new comes into our gathering, do we make them feel welcome in our home?

Jesus said that in the last days "the love of many will grow cold." (Matt 24:12)   I pray this could never be said of Sojourn as a body! Rather, that we would be the hands and feet of Jesus, and all who God brings into our midst would sense the genuine love of Jesus through each one of us!

I would like to offer you a challenge--Each Sunday, reach out to ONE person you have not talked to before and see if God does not use you to BLESS that person...and you will receive a blessing as well!

Remember, THIS IS YOUR HOME (these will be our code words on Sundays)!

People Ready to Be Redeemed

By: Sean Griffith


Dear fellow Sojourners,

As you may have noticed, there is a renewed energy in our church community for reaching people ready to be redeemed.  I like that title as it speaks of such hope and victory!  I know that if we are willing, there are many people in our communities ready to be redeemed by Jesus Christ! Below I’ve listed some possibilities. 

THREE OPPORTUNITIES 

First, my prayer is that most people would come to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ through our natural relationships.  These are people we naturally come into contact with in our daily lives.  We’ve already established a friendly relationship and who better to share the gospel with them than us! Let us open our eyes to the harvest.

Second, we will be taking a special collection each week for three more weeks.  These funds will be used directly for evangelistic purposes in order to help people begin their relationship with Jesus Christ (B2).  We have $56 thus far from last week.  Next, we are asking you to come up with some unique ideas for sharing Jesus with others. Think out of the box!  We will use these funds to help support the different ministry ideas that spring up over the next month. 

Third, soon after I return I will be creating a B2 ministry team.  The B2 team will create meaningful ways of helping people begin their walk with Jesus in our upcoming musical production, The Music Man (show details forthcoming).  This may come through a variety of ways and opportunities.  I am very excited about this team!!  NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY! I am looking at having our first meeting on Tuesday, February 21st at 7pm. This will be held either at my home or at the Bethel school campus where we will be having rehearsals. 

If the Lord is stirring any of you in these areas please let me know by emailing me at called2go@gmail.com (I’ll check email while I’m traveling), or touch base with me as soon as I return on February 11th.  Actually, wait until the 12th due to jet lag (smile).  

Serving Together,

Sean Griffith