Dear Church Family,
The word, ''relevance'' is a word that has been used quite a bit in the public square in recent years.  

Some political leaders have questioned the relevance of the United Nations.

Others have questioned the relevance of obviously bias news reporters and organizations…..And unfortunately, due to lack of witness/presence in a community people have questioned even the relevance of God's church.

What exactly does it mean to be relevant?

It means to be pertinent; to matter; to be helpfully engaged, to have a positive influence.

Therefore, to be irrelevant in the world is to be of little or no value; to not matter.

How tragic it would surely be for a local body of believers or the universal church to become irrelevant in the world.

Unfortunately, some churches are not relevant in our society today.

In fact, a common excuse people give for not being part of a church is that the church is not relevant.

Certainly the way some people live their ''Christian faith'' may be irrelevant to real life, but true Biblical Christianity IS and always WILL BE relevant!

Faithful Christians and churches make a difference in the world because their Christianity makes a difference in them!

We are relevant in the world when our faith is relevant to us!

Relevant Christianity is Christianity lived ''TODAY!''

It is Present-tense Christianity.

I believe there are at least three things we can do that will help us live out our Christian faith today.

One thing we can do to live our ''Christianity Today'' is this:

APPRECIATE OUR PAST

We all have a past.

If we are committed to God in Christ and Jesus lives in us, we have a ''pre-Christian'' past as well as a ''Christian'' past……If you are not ''in Christ'' then you simply have a past without God.

Some of our past may or may not be too embarrassing or too regretful, but regardless of our past, good, bad or in between, we can effectively live our ''Christianity Today'' by appreciating our past.

Another thing we can do to live our Christianity today is this:

ANTICIPATE OUR FUTURE

The people of Israel began their journey of faith looking forward to the Promised Land. They lived in anticipation of the blessings/promises of God!

God calls us to do the same…. Not live tomorrow, but to live ''today'' in light of and in anticipation of the blessings, rewards and heaven that is ahead.

A third thing we can do to help us live our Christianity today is this:

ACT ON OUR PRESENT

Carpe diem! - Seize the day! God calls us to seize the moment He has given us to live out our faith. Now is the time……Today is the day!

Today is our moment!… It is the only moment we have, yesterday is gone and tomorrow may never come,… ''Today'' is the day!

We either act on it or we miss our opportunity to bless, inspire, influence, encourage, lead, love, grow and be blessed!

When the generation of Israelites who were delivered from Egyptian bondage were on the edge of the Promised Land but would not enter and take it due to fear/lack of faith in God, they missed their moment.

They failed to act on the present and found themselves missing the blessing of the Promised Land.

God does not want that scenario to play out in our lives.

God wants us to live by faith in our today! He wants us to act on our present.

Is your faith relevant? Are your living your Christianity today?

Blessings,

Pastor Lee