August/September 2025 Message From Pastor Mike “Focused on the Gospel of Grace”

We all get distracted sometimes. We let our focus drift from time to time away from what matters
most. Even faithful followers of Jesus like you and me sometimes let troubles and temptations cloud our
minds, distracting us from loving God and serving Jesus as fully as we should.

One of the great distractions of our age is the never-ending flow of information speaking and sparkling
at us from our many screens. TVs, cell phones, computers and tablets shine into our eyes and fill our
minds with more information than we could possibly remember or find meaningful. From news to movies
to ads to silly videos, we soak in all these sights and sounds without giving much thought to how they distract
us from doing good things of lasting value.

During August, I will preach from Galatians, a letter Paul wrote to call a local church back to the
essential truths of the Gospel. They had gotten distracted. They had fallen for some bad ideas that turned
their minds and hearts away from the grace of God offered by Jesus Christ.

Paul wrote to get them back on track. He begins with a startling comment: “I am astonished that
you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different
gospel – which is really no gospel at all” (Gal. 1:6-7). Even if an angel from heaven were to bring a
different message, Paul warns, don’t fall for it.

He spends much of the letter explaining how the gospel of grace is more true, more life-giving than
any other spiritual or worldly idea. His words called the Galatians – and now us – back to Jesus, reminding
us that we are saved through faith in His name. Paul wrote in a different letter about his single-minded
focus: “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians
2:2).

We often make faith and life more complicated that it needs to be. We get distracted by things that
seem important, things that feel good, things that other people say matter. Meanwhile, we take our focus
off the good news of Christ crucified.

Of course, Jesus calls us to be involved with the world around us and to love our neighbors. He
gave the church a mission that includes more than just preaching the Gospel. We care for the needs of others,
we worship and fellowship together, we pray and serve and seek to make this world a better place.
These good works, done to God’s glory, aren’t distractions so long as we do them for the sake of advancing
the gospel of grace in Jesus’ name.

And we return, again and again, day after day, to the central truth of the Gospel. Jesus died on the
cross to set us free from sin and death. He rose again to open the way for us to live with God forever. We
are saved by grace through faith.

The best remedy for the distractions of this world is time spent with God in His word and in prayer.
So, let me encourage you as we head into our fall ministry season, to make a commitment to open God’s
word more often either on your own or, even better, with other believers at Broadway.

Read scripture and pray every day. Listen to what God is saying to you. Fill your heart with Jesus’
story. If you are able, join one of our Bible studies that resume in September. Sunday School meets each
Sunday at 9:00 a.m. Women’s Fellowship gathers on Tuesdays at 9:30 a.m. I lead Pastor’s Bible Study
each Thursday at 10:30 a.m.