Blessed to Be a Blessing (Gen 12:2) – Faith & Formation (and Evangelization)

I am sure we have all heard the often-quoted scripture – “Blessed to be a Blessing” from Genisis 12:2. God calls Abram out of his Father’s house and says He will cause Abram to be blessed, and He will bless many through him. God’s call to Abram to go out, echos the central call and mission of the Gospel. The last words Jesus spoke to us before he ascended into heaven have a similar theme “Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel” (Mark 16:15). Part of our commissioned identity as faithful followers of Jesus is to ‘go out’. Like Abram, we are blessed to be a blessing.

Jesus doesn’t call us to comfort and convenience. He calls us to know, understand, and be filled with the blessing of His presence and saving power, and to go out to bless others with what we have. As part of the Faith and Formation team I am challenged to think about what this means for Formation. How are we equipping people to invite their friends, family, work colleagues into the blessing that we are already experiencing?  How do we offer constant opportunities to discover and re-discover the glory wonder and transformative power of what Jesus did in his life on earth, his death on the cross and his resurrection and accension into heaven. There is no end to the joy and hope we have to offer.  Part and parcel of our formation process should be casting our eyes outward, casting out on the unfished side of the boat to bring in a catch. (John 21:6)

Our upcoming Alpha season in October offers us all an opportunity to cast our eyes and hearts outward to those on the fringes of our worshipping communities and beyond, to those who need Jesus but do not know him.  The course is not only for those who are brand new, but for those who are further down the road in their journey and are looking to focus again on what keeps them on the path of faith.

So let this be your first invitation. If you have never done Alpha before, if you’re looking to discover the Kerygma again, or you have a tug on your heart to invite someone, we would love you to join us.   I encourage you to ask the Holy Spirit to show you who you can invite and accompany for this season of Alpha.  Remember, you’ll never walk on water if you stay in the boat.

Alpha groups in Caloundra & Maleny are starting in October. You can register your interest via Linktree

Beth Davies – Mission Coordinator