My Xpression - John T Graham

I first became part of the Xpression family ten years ago in 2008. As a young Christain attending Portadown College it was the summer activity you got involved with. In recent I years have had the privilege of serving on the committee and heading up the team in Killicomaine.

When I was asked to write a few words about what Xpression means to me I automatically thought about Ephesians 2:1-10. In this passage we have the gospel and the whole history of humanity included. It tells us how we were once dead in our trespasses and sins, how we as mankind are in a fallen state because of original sin, but then we have the glorious news of verse 4, ‘But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved’. This passage provides my motivation for doing Xpression.

Being a Portadown man born and raised, I love my home town. I love the place but more importantly I love the people. Being part of Xpression provides me with the opportunity in some small way to bring the good news of the gospel to our town. This is my motivation for being part of the committee and why we as a group set about organising the week of outreach every year. Our hearts break for all those in our town that do not know Jesus.

We want to bring the hope of Ephesians 2:1-10 into the darkness of our town. There is much need across our community, much heartbreak, suffering, and brokenness. In the midst of these situations, in the middle of despair and apparent hopelessness, we want to come with the message of the Bible and bring people to the one who brings spiritual peace, healing, mercy, grace and hope, our Lord Jesus. He is the one who doesn’t promise prosperity but promises eternal life, he doesn’t promise an easy life but an eternal dwelling place with him in the new heavens and the earth. It is this message of hope that motivates me during the dark winter nights when we as a committee meet for three hours trying to make plans for our week, it is this that motivates me on the Thursday of our week when you really want to just spend that extra hour in bed. The people of our town are heading to a lost eternity without knowing Jesus as Lord and Saviour and if that is not enough to motivate the Christian to service then I do not know what is.

When you look around the room of volunteers throughout the week, and watch them worship God and then divide into their groups and flow out the doors into the various districts across Portadown, it lifts your heart. Messengers of the good news, going out into the fray, bringing the light of Christ into darkness. Xpression is a fantastic way to serve the Lord in our town, it provides an amazing opportunity for people from various Christian Churches to come together for the sake of the gospel and in some small way we help to serve the local churches and encourage them as they seek to reach our town for Christ. This is our aim as a committee that Portadown needs Jesus Christ, and we are thankful that so many others share that vision for our town.

To be part of Xpression is an honour and privilege, it is one small way to serve Christ in our town and I trust it will continue in Portadown for many years.