Gateway Church Monroe

09/07/2026

Day 1: Open Your Eyes

Devotional: It is easy to move through a busy week on autopilot, passing the same people, the same places, and the same faces without ever really seeing them. But caring like Jesus starts long before any action is taken. It starts with paying attention. Jesus was never in too much of a hurry to notice people. He saw the widow, the l***r, the outcast. He did not just glance in their direction. He truly saw them, and that seeing moved Him to compassion every single time. You do not have to travel far or do something dramatic to begin. Start with what is already in front of you. The coworker who seems a little quieter lately. The neighbor who never quite makes eye contact. The person sitting alone at church. They are already in your path. The question is whether you are willing to slow down long enough to notice. Seeing people the way Jesus sees them is a spiritual discipline. It takes practice. It takes intentionality. But it is the first and most important step toward becoming someone who genuinely cares for others the way God calls us to. You were seen by God before you ever sought Him. That same grace can flow through you to someone who desperately needs to be noticed today.

Bible Verse: 'Share with the Lord's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.'
- Romans 12:13

Reflection Question: Is there someone you pass regularly whose pain you have been too busy or too distracted to notice?

Quote: Choose one place you pass the same day every week and actually see that this week. See the pain, see the suffering, see the hurt.

Prayer: Lord, open my eyes to the people You have already placed in my path. Give me the courage to slow down and truly see them the way You do. Amen.

09/06/2026

09/06/2026

Message Essential Qualities Compassion

09/06/2026

Check out what's happening at Gateway Church Monroe — week of September 6th!

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6
• 9:00 AM Morning Worship — Communion, children's ministry available
• Following worship — Lunch & Connect at Legends in Newton (Party Room reserved) — a fun way to get to know each other
• 5:30 PM Evening Worship (coffeehouse style)

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8
• 6:00 PM — Women's Bible Study begins: The Armor of God with Caren Knight

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9
• 6:00 PM dinner, 6:30 PM Small Group begins a new study: The Familiar Stranger — rediscovering who the Holy Spirit is

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10
• 6:00 PM — Alpha begins

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12
• Church Work Day — painting, kitchen clean-up, organizing the storage unit

LOOKING AHEAD
• Tuesday, Sept 15 — Men's Group begins with Andy Algreen
• Thursday, Sept 17 — Free Family Drive-In Movie at the Valle Drive-In in Newton
• Sunday, Sept 20 — Back in Genesis: "Walking by Faith"

Read or download the full newsletter at gateway-church-ia.cls.co

09/04/2026

Day 5: Everything You Need, You Already Have

Devotional: By now, you have seen that being a witness is not about becoming someone different. It is about stepping into who you already are. You have been called. You have been sent. You have the Holy Spirit living in you. You have a story no one else can tell. And you have people already around you who need to hear it. So what is left? Just one thing. The step of faith. God is not holding out on you, waiting until you are more polished or more prepared. He has already given you everything you need. The question is simply whether you will trust Him enough to take that next step, to pray for someone by name, to start a conversation, to share one honest piece of your story. Jesus did not send His disciples out with a detailed program. He sent them with a promise and a presence. The same is true for you. He goes with you. His Spirit is in you. His story is on your lips. And the people He wants to reach are already in your life. You are not waiting for permission. You already have it. Walk into today knowing that God has placed you exactly where He wants you, and that He is more than enough to work through you.

Bible Verse: "Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’" - John 20:21

Reflection Question: What is one specific, small step of faith you can take this week to act on the calling God has already placed on your life?

Quote: "Everything you need, God has given you. The question is, will we take that step of faith and trust God?"

Prayer: Jesus, I trust that You have given me everything I need. Help me to stop waiting and start walking in the calling You have already placed on my life. Amen.

09/03/2026

Day 4: The Story You Already Have

Devotional: You might think your story is not interesting enough to share. Maybe you did not hit rock bottom before coming to faith. Maybe there was no dramatic turning point. But here is the truth: your story does not need to be dramatic to be powerful. It just needs to be real. In John 9, a man who had been blind his whole life was healed by Jesus. When the religious leaders pushed back and questioned everything, he did not have a theological argument ready. He simply said, "One thing I do know. I was blind, but now I see." That was enough. No one could argue with what had changed in his own life. You have that same kind of story. It has three simple parts. What life looked like before you knew Christ. How you came to trust Him. And how your life has been different since. You do not need a seminary degree to tell it. You just need to be honest. Your story is not just yours. It is evidence of what God does in a human life. And the people around you need to hear that kind of evidence, told in a voice they already trust, from someone they already know.

Bible Verse: "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!" - John 9:25

Reflection Question: If you had to describe your own faith story in three sentences, what would you say, and what is one part of it you have never shared with anyone?

Quote: "Every believer has two stories worth telling. One of them is what Jesus has done for us. The other one is what Jesus has done for the world."

Prayer: Lord, help me to see my own story as something worth telling. Give me the courage to share it simply and honestly with someone who needs to hear it. Amen.

09/03/2026

Sunday, what moves you to actually care? We're digging into it together.

This week's message is "What Moves You" from our Seven Essential Qualities series. We're looking at what it means to love people the way Jesus did, not just feeling something for the hurting, but actually doing something about it.

Join us at 9:00 AM or 5:30 PM. Our 5:30 service is Coffee and Conversation. Grab a cup, come as you are, and stay after for real conversation in a smaller, slower setting. Same message, different pace.

Kids ministry runs at the 9:00 AM service, birth through 3rd grade.

We'd love to have you.

gateway-church-ia.cls.co

09/02/2026

Day 3: You Are an Ambassador, Not a Salesperson

Devotional: There is a big difference between a salesperson and an ambassador. A salesperson is trying to close a deal. An ambassador represents someone far greater than themselves. They do not speak on their own authority. They carry the message of the one who sent them. Paul used exactly that word to describe every follower of Jesus. We are Christ's ambassadors. God is making His appeal to the world through us. That is not a small thing. It means that when you love your neighbor well, when you listen without judgment, when you speak truth with kindness, you are not just being a good person. You are representing the King of the universe. This reframes everything about how we think of sharing faith. It is not about performing or persuading. It is about representing. You are not responsible for changing someone's heart. That is God's work. You are simply called to be a faithful representative of the One who sent you. That takes a lot of pressure off. You do not have to have all the answers. You do not have to win every conversation. You just have to show up as someone who belongs to Jesus and let Him work through you. That is what an ambassador does.

Bible Verse: "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God."
- 2 Corinthians 5:20

Reflection Question: In what area of your life do you feel the most pressure to perform when it comes to sharing your faith, and how does the idea of being an ambassador rather than a salesperson change that?

Quote: "Every person who has a relationship with Christ can hear these words of Jesus, as I have been sent, so I am sending you."

Prayer: Father, remind me that I represent You, not myself. Take the pressure off my shoulders and replace it with a quiet confidence that You are working through me. Amen.

09/01/2026

🚗 Let us do the cooking — you just drive up! 🍽️
Join us September 15th for our drive-thru Frankie's BBQ fundraiser — no cooking, no dishes, just pull up and pick up! See the flyer for all the details. 👇

09/01/2026

Day 2: Sent to the People Already Around You

Devotional: It is easy to imagine that sharing your faith requires a plane ticket or a street corner and a megaphone. But Jesus had a different picture in mind. In Mark 5, after healing a man who had been through unimaginable darkness, Jesus gave Him a simple and personal assignment. Go home. Go to your own people. Tell them what God has done for you. No mission trip. No training program. Just go back to the people who already know your name. That is still how it works. The people God is calling you to love and share with are likely already in your life. They are in your phone's contact list. They sit across from you at lunch. They wave at you from the driveway next door. God has placed you among them intentionally. One practical step you can take today is to write down one to three people in your life who do not yet have a relationship with Christ. Then pray for them by name. Not a big program. Not a rehearsed speech. Just a name and a prayer, and a willingness to be present in the relationship you already have. God does not need you to go far. He needs you to be faithful to the people who are already close.

Bible Verse: "Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how He has had mercy on you." - Mark 5:19

Reflection Question: Who are one or two people already in your life that you could begin praying for by name this week?

Quote: "Sharing starts with the relationship right in front of us, and then it grows outward and expands our reach, not the other way around."

Prayer: Jesus, open my eyes to the people You have already placed around me. Give me a heart that sees them the way You do and the courage to be present in their lives. Amen.