EC Week 43-Making Disciples-Justice

Ever Closer Episode 253: Beyond the Ordinary

The final week of this unit focuses on seeking God’s kingdom first as the foundation for reaching the unreached with justice and righteousness. We will explore how prioritizing God’s extraordinary purposes moves us beyond ordinary living into a life that builds bridges across differences and unites people under His lordship. Through reflection on welcoming strangers, listening to God’s voice directing our words and actions, and choosing inclusive love over division, believers will consider practical ways to demonstrate Christ’s compassion while sharing the gospel.

Here is today’s song:

Beyond the Ordinary
By faith move beyond the ordinary and discover an extraordinary God in order to unite with him in saving others.

(Verse 1)
We claim his name but live halfway,
Keep Jesus safe, tucked far away,
A Sunday thought, insurance paid,
While others die who might be saved.

(Chorus)
Rise up, rise up, there’s more for you!
Discover how God is ever new.
He calls us daily to his side—
To die to self, then rise and abide.
Join in his redemption journey
Far beyond what’s ordinary.

(Verse 2)
What holds you back from following close?
What comfort matters to you most?
He asks for all, not just a part—
Your days, your ways, your thoughts and heart.

(Chorus)
Rise up, rise up, there’s more for you!
Discover how God is ever new.
He calls us daily to his side—
To die to self, then rise and abide.
Join in his redemption journey
Far beyond what’s ordinary.

(Verse 3)
Seek first his kingdom, walk his way,
Not pleasure, safety, or delay.
Find what he died for, stand as he fights—
Humbly discern how to live right.

(Bridge)
Forgive us, Lord, for being small
While knowing you who conquered all.
Your Spirit stirs with love and peace,
With joy and power to reach the least.

(Verse 4)
Walk justly through this broken land,
Extend your mercy, take a hand,
Bear kindness, faithfulness, and grace—
Reflect the glory of God’s face.

(Verse 5)
Pour out the gifts God placed in you,
Help wandering souls find what is true,
Guide them to Jesus, show the way—
That they might walk with him each day.

(Chorus)
Rise up, rise up, there’s more to do!
Discover how God is ever new.
He calls us daily to his side—
To die to self, then rise and abide.
Join in his redemption journey
Far beyond what’s ordinary.

Ever Closer Episode 254: Choose What’s Right

“He has shown you, O man, what is good. What does Yahweh require of you, but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8).

(Verse 1)
Lord, I want to love and live for you.
Put me where you will and show me what to do.
To follow you I must die to me.
Break sin’s chain, so in you, I’m free.

(Chorus)
When I have a choice,
May I listen to your voice.
When your Spirit speaks,
May your will I seek.
Your will I seek.

(Verse 2)
When I’m tempted to disobey,
May I choose your better way.
When people cause harm and attack
Help me to forgive, to love back.

(Chorus)
When I have a choice,
May I listen to your voice.
When your Spirit speaks,
May your will I seek.
Your will I seek.
Your will I seek.
 
(Bridge)
Lord, I want to love and live for you.
Put me where you will and show me what to do.
Thank you, Lord, for your power
Guiding, forging, each day, each hour.

(Chorus)
When I have a choice,
May I listen to your voice.
When your Spirit speaks,
May your will I seek.
Your will I seek.
Your will I seek.
Your will I seek.

Ever Closer Episode 255: Build Bridges

Look for what unites us as people made in God’s image, rather than focusing on what divides us.

(Verse 1)
We draw our battle lines in sand
Race and wealth keep us apart.
Culture, age, and schooling divide,
While pride closes down our hearts.

(Verse 2)
Your victory’s not my defeat,
There’s room enough to thrive.
The sun that warms your morning face
Is the same that keeps me alive.

(Chorus)
Let’s tear down walls and build bridges,
Span the chasms between our hearts.
Pour out God’s love that first found us,
By his grace let unity embark.

(Verse 3)
It’s easy to judge from our towers,
Or covet what others possess.
These paths lead to futile kingdoms
Built on envy and bitterness.

(Verse 4)
The harder road calls us higher,
To see the good in different eyes.
To celebrate gifts not our own,
And beauty in diverse disguise.

(Bridge)
Each soul shares equal sacred worth,
Though wrapped in different skin.
Your tears fall just as wet as mine,
Let’s join with God to heal our land.

(Chorus)
Let’s tear down walls and build bridges,
Span the chasms between our hearts.
Pour out God’s love that first found us,
By his grace let unity embark.

(Outro)
By faith we bear our Maker’s image,
Loved by him to live as one.
As we draw near to God as Father,
We help each other find our way home.

Ever Closer Episode 256: The Pink Collar

A friendship forms between a young boy and girl who are different, but are brought together in trying to help an injured, stray dog.

(Verse 1)
She reads under trees that sway,
Her room is neat and well composed.
He runs and plays throughout the day,
Seeking adventure each place he goes.

(Verse 2)
Their houses near yet worlds apart,
Her father scowls, his father sneers.
Old grudges keep them both apart,
A fence of anger built from years.

(Verse 3)
She excels at every test,
While he chases clouds and streams.
School to her is a welcome quest,
For him, just recess and daydreams.

(Chorus)
Look beyond what separates,
Find a bridge that connects us all.
With others, when you offer grace
Even walls are bound to fall.

(Verse 4)
One summer day in Willow Park,
She spots a dog with matted fur.
Its eyes hold pain, its whimper stark,
It limps away when she comes near.

(Verse 5)
Across the pond, stones skipping wide,
The boy she’s told to never greet.
She waves him over to her side,
Necessity makes strangers meet.

(Verse 6)
From his pocket, a biscuit worn,
He kneels and offers with a smile.
Together they find cause for harm—
A thorn embedded deep inside.

(Chorus)
Look beyond what separates,
Find a bridge that connects us all.
With others, when you offer grace
Even walls are bound to fall.

(Bridge)
Four hands lift up the trembling frame,
To his front porch they slowly tread.
His brother removes what caused the pain,
The dog curls up on blankets spread.
At dusk she walks the pathway home,
Her heart now lighter than before.
The morning brings her back to roam,
A pink collar clutched, nothing more.

(Verse 7)
He grimaces at the girlish hue,
But helps to place it ’round the dog.
Some battles aren’t worth fighting through,
If in the fray, friendship’s lost.

(Chorus)
Look beyond what separates,
Find a bridge that connects us all.
With others, when you offer grace
Even walls are bound to fall.

(Outro)
Down dirt roads wide, beneath blue skies,
Two children walk in joyful peace.
Behind them trots a new ally,
Friendship blooms with each kind deed.

Ever Closer Episode 257: Our Court

Local youth gathering to play basketball on summer evenings must choose how to treat outsiders.

(Verse 1)
The asphalt bakes beneath their feet,
Old hoops with nets worn thin,
Where summer teens meet after work,
When evening games begin.

(Verse 2)
Watermelon slices passed around,
As players stretch and joke,
The crowd forms rings around the court,
Voices, laughter, kids young and old.

(Verse 3)
The ball alive in skillful hands,
A dance of swift cross-overs,
Sweet jump shots arcing through the air,
The perfect alley-oop soars.

(Verse 4)
They lift each other when they fall,
Pat backs for shots well-made,
“Shake it off” when passes fail,
Their bond won’t ever fade.

(Bridge)
One day some strangers claimed the court,
Unfamiliar faces there,
Tension thick as summer heat,
Territorial glares.
Then, “Come join us” changed the mood,
From stand-off to a truce,
Teams remixed with new and old,
The game resumed, renewed.

(Verse 5)
First minutes awkward, out of sync,
New styles to integrate,
But soon the rhythm found its way,
As skills they’d celebrate.

(Verse 6)
A crosstown kid showed footwork moves,
The locals unmasked their plays,
A court shared, their circle extends.
Strangers now becoming friends.

(Outro)
It’s easy to protect what’s yours,
To keep the circle tight,
But magic happens when we make room
For others in our court of life.

Ever Closer Episode 258: Reflection for Week 43

Our scripture focus this week is from Matthew 6:33, “But seek first God’s Kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things will be added to you.” Here Jesus instructs his followers not to worry about the things of this world, like what they will wear or how they will eat, but rather to focus on what is truly important which is the advancement of God’s saving grace in people’s hearts. As we do we can rest assured that our loving Father God will take care of our needs.

Here are three questions to consider:

1. Are you truly seeking God’s kingdom and righteousness first in your priorities, schedule, and resources—or are other pursuits taking precedence over His call to reach the unreached with the gospel?

2. What “bridges” is God calling you to build across racial, economic, cultural, or social divides in order to demonstrate Christ’s love and share His truth with those different from you?

3. Reflecting on the call in Micah 6:8 to “act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly,” what specific injustice or need in your community requires you to move beyond the ordinary and take extraordinary action with God’s help? Or on a smaller scale, how can you show hospitality to make outsiders feel genuinely welcome and valued, creating opportunities to share the hope of Christ?