At the end of October, our church (The Austin Stone Community Church) did a three-week sermon series on adoption. At that time they also expressed their heart for Orphan Care Ministry and the launch of the Foster Care Initiative. Let's just say it was a pretty incredible time to be a part of what God is doing through the local church.
Before the sermon series kicked off, Matt Carter, Pastor of Preaching and Vision, wrote this letter to prepare the hearts of the church...
Dear Church,
I want to write a quick note to you about our upcoming sermon series “Adopted.” It’s a three-week sermon series where we are going to focus on our adoption as sons and daughters of our great King and the implication that adoption has on our everyday lives.
God laid it on the heart of our elders to preach on this subject in 2009, and after three years of preparation and prayer, we feel like it is time to move forward. Our hope through this series is two-fold.
Our first hope is that you as a Christian would walk away from our time understanding your salvation better than you ever have in your life. I know that in my preparation to preach, I have found myself in tears at the deep realization that I can call the King of kings and the Lord of lords “Daddy.” Our hope is that even if you have been a believer for years, tears would come to your eyes as you realize that you have been adopted by the greatest Father in the universe.
Our second hope is that in light of your adoption, you would be given a heart of compassion toward someone that God cares a great deal about: the orphan. Church, the call to engage in the plight of the orphan is crystal clear in scripture, and make no mistake, God has made this calling clear to us.
As I write this letter, there are over 7000 people actively attending the Austin Stone Community Church. Stop for just a second and dream about the impact we, along with our many partner churches, could have in Austin, the United States, and around the world with regard to the plight of the orphan. Are you dreaming big? I am.
Please join me in prayer about what God wants to do in and through us in the coming days. I’m so excited to be on this journey with you.
To Him Be The Glory,
Matt
Did that get you excited? It sure did for Steve and I! We would like to share those three sermons with you, and our hope is that you too would see and understand your own adoption into God's family as well as God's heart for the orphan and the call on the church!
Sermon 1. Adopted: Rescued by Love
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Sermon 2. Adopted: Rescued to Love
