Good morning! I’m glad to welcome you to worship today at Hillcrest Baptist Church. 

Hillcrest is a missional church. We believe in missions. We give to missions. We practice missions—by praying, going, and doing. At this time each year we focus on special prayer and giving to send missionaries all around the world. Our special giving goal this year for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering is $120,000.00. Every dollar, yes, every cent, goes to the sending and support of missionaries globally. I trust you will ask our Lord how much He will lead you to give purposefully for missions this year. Let’s all do our part. Let’s be generous. Make it a faith-filled gift!

When considering missions, we most often think about praying and giving, perhaps even going. All of these are critical elements in our obedience to the Great Commission. And we certainly do not wish to fail at any point. May the Lord find us faithful at performing all three.

Today, however, I want to call our attention to an often-neglected feature of what our Lord calls for in His children, His church. I trust you will listen attentively, focus on the Scriptures intently, and consider personally this important matter. If we do, we will become far more effective in Capturing Our World For Christ.

1 Peter 2:9 is our launch point. “You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”