Pastor Michael Forman, originally from the USA, found his spiritual calling at the age of 4 when he surrendered his life to Jesus. Despite initially pursuing a career in Fisheries and Wildlife Management, Michael experienced a profound recommitment to his faith a decade ago, leading him to enroll in Bible College.
In 2017, he relocated to Australia and currently serves as the Executive Pastor at Networx Church in Springwood, Queensland, seamlessly blending his background in environmental science with his theological training to guide and support the local community in their faith journey.
Recently, Michael shared a special 5-minute sermon with us during Sunday Morning Together, highlighting his passion for the Gospel and spreading God’s message of hope and redemption. Read Michael’s full message below:
‘I’ve actually titled my message Coming Home. My story is one of a prodigal son, and I think that story is so relatable to people. I left church with a bit of offence in my heart, and through that process and through my wandering, I knew that something needed to come back into my life. When I recommitted my life to Jesus, everything shifted for the better.
You can turn to Luke:15. The story goes from verse 11 through 32, but I want to just focus on 11 through 24, and we’ll read that here. This is Jesus speaking. He said, a certain man had two sons and the youngest of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me. So he divided to them his livelihood. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.
But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land and he began to be in want. Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into the fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.
How many of us are in that situation sometimes? You’ve spent all that you could, and you’re willing to settle for the things that only swine would eat. Verse 17. But when he came to himself, he said, How many of my father’s higher servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father and will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.
Here’s a point. Highlight this verse 20. And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. Let that sit for a moment. See that the father, even a great way off, had compassion and ran to his son.
And the son in verse 21 said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Verse 22 But the father said to his servants, Bring out the best robe and put it on him and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fattened calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again. He was lost and is now found. And they began to be merry.
For me, I realised as I came back and recommitted my life to Jesus that there was always an open door for me. There’s always, always an open door and open arms with Jesus Christ. You’re never too far gone for God to be even more close to you.
You may feel that you are a great way off, but there is always hope. There’s always an open place for you to come back and encounter the grace and the love of God for your life. There’s nothing you could do that would scare Him.
Today, I pray that this encourages you to come home. Come home if you’re a prodigal, if you’ve ever actually taken up offence in your life over situations with God. He is bigger than the problems that we all face in life. He has an open heart for you, and He loves you and wants to be connected to you because He wants to give you His best.
Know that He loves you. Maybe you just want to know who this Jesus is. You’ve been seeing it. You’ve heard about Him. I’d invite you to come into a relationship, even recommit your life to Him. You can simply say, Jesus, I repent of my sins. Come back to my life. I make you my Lord and Saviour. I turn to You and I confess that you are my God, that you’re the Son of God.
He rose on that third day, victorious over death and hell.
Become my Lord and become my father. Amen.’
Listen to Michael’s full message on Sunday Morning Together below:
