Welcome to CA inFocus newsfeed – the home of inspiring stories, updates from our projects, and opportunities to get involved.
Share this page
My Favourite Bible Verse…
Rachael Rook-Williams
Supporter Engagement Officer
āHow beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, āYour God reigns!āā Isaiah 52:7
āI havenāt worked for Church Army for very long, but the main thing that attracted me to this charity is that while striving to serve those most in need in practical ways, Church Army does not shrink back from proclaiming the good news of Jesus.Ā Ā Ā Evangelism is at the heart of who we are.Ā Ā And rightly so.Ā Ā
We live in a time when need is all around us, and increasing daily as the financial crisis deepens.Ā Ā Church Army serves, amongst others, those who are homeless, lonely or impoverished, and it would be easy to feel overwhelmed by these practical needs.
But Isaiah wrote this passage to a then future Israel which would be experiencing terrible hardship: exiled under the Babylonian empire, they were kingless, homeless and had lost everything.Ā Ā Ā Yet the feet of those who brought them news that their God had not forgotten them and would soon free them from their captivity, and give them peace, were beautiful.Ā
In my experience feet are not often beautiful things, but the Bible describes the feet of those who bring the good news of Jesusā salvation as āfitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peaceā.Ā Ā Peace: a quality which in a world of turmoil,Ā is indeed beautiful. Who doesnāt want the promise of peace, of goodness, of salvation, a reminder that God reigns and can reign in their life?Ā Ā
Serving the poor in practical ways is a powerful demonstration of Godās love, but the greatest gift we can give is the news of Jesusā salvation.Ā Ā Letās pray as we go into Autumn, that all our evangelists and partners, and indeed all of us, are bold in proclaiming the good news to those we meet.ā
DAVID DUCKITT
Services Manager
āFor I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of god that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.ā Romans 1:16
“Recently, weāve been watching the latest series of Race Across the World, with teams racing across Canada with limited resources. Itās been heart-warming to witness the kindness of strangers who offered free food, shelter and transport. All the travellers needed to do to accept these generous offers was say āYesā.
Who would say āNoā in their shoes? Their joy was a delight to behold. Romans 1:16 is in some ways a summary of Paulās letter to the Romans. The Good News he is proclaiming is that salvation (with the fullness of all that means) is available to everyone who says āYesā.
While I am eternally grateful for Godās amazing offer of salvation, there are a couple of uncomfortable challenges in this verse, too. Firstly, do I act as though Iām ashamed of the gospel? In a culture that often says I should be ashamed; do I take every opportunity to tell others the Good News? Paul knew the risks of sharing the gospel. But he felt compelled to because of his desire for others to know Jesus. He says there is no reason to be ashamed of such universal Good News.
Secondly, do I limit those who might benefit from Godās grace? What about those who are not like me or who I just donāt like? Those who donāt behave like me? Those who hold different views to me? Paul was writing to the almost exclusively gentile Christians in Rome (Claudius had banned Jews from Rome until shortly before this letter was written). The āApostle to the Gentilesā was at pains to point out that salvation was still on offer to the Jews, too. Itās available to everyone ā we are all the same in Christ. We aspire to be generous and unconditional. Am I? Are you?”
Andy Rushworth
Pathways Officer
āChrist Jesus who died – more than that, who was raised to life – is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for usā Romans 8:34
“Knowing that Jesus is talking to the Father about me is a source of great inspiration. There He is, the Son of God, Saviour of the world, talking to God about me – asking Him to look after me, provide for me and guide me into a life of purpose. I couldn’t have anyone better talking to the Father about me.
During this Easter time, remember there is always a death before a resurrection. We may experience the end of a job or a ministry program we run, but where there is an end, there is the opportunity for a new beginning – resurrection!”
