This past Sunday we explored another reason "Why Jesus Matters." We looked at what Jesus has to say about worry and anxiety. We constantly face the temptation to worry. Will God provide? Will my work be recognized? What will I do after I graduate? Will my kids be healthy? In his sermon, Jon taught us that David Powlison calls worry "anxious greed." We want something we are not certain will be ours. We are diving deeper into this topic during our Community Groups as we discuss and seek to apply the truths from Matthew 6:25-34.

The temptation to worry is very real for those starting a new church. It's easy to replace our responsibility to pray hard, work hard, and trust God, with anxious thoughts that question God's faithfulness to build his church. Anxious thoughts surface like these:

Will anyone show up at our first service? If they do, will they come back?
Will people in our community accept us and understand what we're about?
Will God raise up leaders within our church to push the mission forward?
Will our Community Groups grow and multiply?
Will we ever be self-sustaining? (i.e. We will ever be financially independent?)

By God's grace, Redemption Hill is off to a beautiful start, but that doesn't mean that we are exempt from worry. Being involved in starting a church is incredibly exciting. It also exposes the degree to which we worry or trust God. Jesus calls his followers to "seek first his kingdom" (Mt. 6:33) and "cast our anxieties on him because he cares for us" (1 Pet. 5:8). He calls us to trust him and exercise the fruit of faith. What is the power of Christian hope? "You can be freed from a life of worry through unwavering trust in the gracious provision of the caring heavenly Father.” Let's trust in the gracious provision of God no matter what the circumstance. Let's have "righteous greed" that wants and expects much from God and then trusts him to deliver on his promises.