Dear Saints of Valley Church,
On July 20, 1969, the whole world held its breath as it watched Neil Armstrong descend from the Lunar Module and take the first human steps on the surface of the Moon. His words became etched in history: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” While Armstrong was the voice heard around the world, the Apollo project team consisted of over 300,000 engineers, scientists, technicians, mathematicians, and support staff who made the moon landing possible. The pursuit of the space race was no solo mission, nor is the pursuit of seeing the gospel advance in the church and her mission.
This Sunday, as we study Colossians 4:7-18, we’ll see that Paul closes his letter by giving a long list of names. Paul’s ministry would not be possible without the likes of Tychicus, Onesimus, Aristarchus, Mark, Epaphras, Luke, and Demas. Furthermore, as the Colossian church struggled under the attacks from false teachers, their survival would depend on more than Paul’s letter. Their church would need relationships with people like the exemplary names Paul listed in these closing verses to help them hold fast to following Jesus as the all-sufficient Savior. Because for the Colossian Church in the first century, as well as for Valley Church today, gospel ministry grows in the seedbed of gospel relationships.
I look forward to seeing you on Sunday as we gather together to follow Jesus. Our gathering is a reminder that we are not astronauts on a solo mission in space but part of a larger family that we need in order to accomplish the mission and ministry for which God has commissioned us. Come ready to greet one another, encourage each other, and sing to one another (two of the songs we will be singing are Set Free and How Deep the Father’s Love for Us) as we hear from God’s Word and seek to follow Jesus together.
By His strength and for His glory,
Craig Shigyo