September 18, 2026, 6:00 PM
Hello again, and I am praying you've enjoyed a good week and a fabulous Friday!
This coming Sunday (09.20.26) is "Back to Church Sunday." 16 years ago, a group of Christians began using the third Sunday in September to extend an open invitation to those who’ve never attended or have been away from church services.
What keeps people away from attending church services regularly? There are many reasons. They range from feelings of disconnection from the church community, time pressures, and a general decline in belief in religious teachings.
I pray, however, that we who call ourselves "Christians" are never any part of what keeps people from church and Jesus!
By that, I mean people see us identifying with Christ but living in a way that doesn't represent Him.
Sometimes, it's not even the things people say and do. I often wonder what kind of "signals" we are sending without saying a word.
You can indeed tell a lot by looking at people's faces and eyes.
I recently picked up a very interesting little book about learning how to "read" people by their body language. People's faces reveal much about them and what's going on inside them.
There is no doubt that Christians should be the most joyful people on the face of the earth. However, as I interact with many Christians each week, I've come to think that if Christians are happy, many of them have forgotten to remind their faces!
Remember the song you probably sang as a child, "If you're happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it"?
This doesn't mean we don't have problems. We do. However, true disciples have Jesus and the Holy Spirit living inside them. That makes ALL the difference!
Remember when Moses received the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments from God on Mount Sinai?
The Message version of 2 Corinthians 3:7 says: "Moses' face as he delivered the tablets was so bright that day (even though it would fade soon enough) that the people of Israel could no more look right at him than stare into the sun."
In the same way, we, too, are transformed to look more and more like Jesus as we spend more and more time with Him.
The Apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 3:18, "And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."
I pray that we can reflect the glory of the Lord as we are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory.
I also wonder what kind of presence Christians leave behind.
Allow me to explain. In my opinion, the sense of smell is our most "underrated" sense. Unlike most senses, smell has strong connections with brain regions involved in memory and emotion.
That's one reason that we go to great lengths and expense to ensure that our homes, businesses, etc., have a pleasant, pleasing odor.
It's all about the presence it presents.
For example: You can't see a smell, but you can experience its presence -- and it can affect an entire room. In a similar way, a Christian's influence may not be visible, but the character of Christ can be sensed by the people around us.
The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 2:15: "For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing." If that's the case, we must ask ourselves, "What kind of fragrance does my life leave behind?"
This coming Sunday (09.20.26), I will wrap up our "Head for the Hills" sermons as we look at Calvary/Golgotha and what Jesus did there.
BTW: This sermon would be a GREAT message for someone to hear who has been away from church for a while.
With that in mind, I pray that we would all think and pray about it and invite someone who is not currently attending church.
I also pray you have a great weekend and that we may see you at FCC this coming Sunday. If not, then, Lord willing, we'll see you again soon. May God bless!
Your friend,
Greg Herriford
