Preparing for Worship on October 18, 2015

As we prepare for worship tomorrow my heart is filled with anticipation of a moving of the Holy Spirit in our midst as we begin a new teaching series.  I have been praying and studying as I have covered this teaching series in prayer for several months. 

As I bring the first message of this series - I am praying God will bring those who need to hear the message of what it means to Be Ready for Christ Return.  

I have shared the last three weeks that the  Return of Jesus is imminent. The word imminent means “likely to happen at any moment; impending.” When we speak of the imminence of Christ’s return, we mean that He could come back at any moment. There is nothing more in biblical prophecy that needs to happen before Jesus returns

Here is the order of worship we have prepared for out time together tomorrow morning:

After a warm welcome we stand and sing our praise to the Lord:

We go before the Lord in prayer and lift our hearts in thanks and appreciation to our great God!

Now we bring our tithes and offering unto God to acknowledge He has first place in our life and we acknowledge His provision for our life.

God is so good.  Giving - is God's idea.  He is pleased when we give to Him and His Church!

We sing our praise as we give to the Lord:

The church in 2 Thessalonians was confused over the belief of the second coming of Christ. They responded with panic and lawlessness. Some were shaken and alarmed by the things they heard, while others were caught up in rebellion against God. Paul taught the church to respond with faithfulness and preparation. We should respond the same way as we get ready for His return.

Friday Funnies

Thought I would bring you a few Friday Funnies that I have recently come across.  Enjoy:

At a recent meeting of the church membership Pastor Rick
 asked for some recommendations.

A preview for this coming Sunday - Coming Soon!

A “COMING SOON!” announcement often precedes future events in entertainment and sports, or the launch of the latest technology. The goal is to create anticipation and excitement for what is going to happen, even though it may be months away.

While reading the book of Revelation, I was impressed with the “coming soon” sense of immediacy permeating the entire book. Rather than saying, “Someday, in the far distant future, Jesus Christ is going to return to earth,” the text is filled with phrases like “things which must shortly take place” (1:1) and “the time is near” (v.3). Three times in the final chapter, the Lord says, “I am coming quickly” (Rev. 22:7,12,20). Other versions translate this phrase as, “I’m coming soon,” “I’m coming speedily,” and “I’m on My way!”

How can this be—since 2,000 years have elapsed since these words were written? “Quickly” doesn’t seem appropriate for our experience of time.

Rather than focusing on a date for His return, the Lord is urging us to set our hearts on His promise that will be fulfilled. We are called to live for Him in this present age “looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).

Live as if Christ is coming back today.

Why is Prayer Important?

By Shari Abbott at Reasons for Hope

Just as the Bible is important for teaching us about who Jesus is, what He has done for us and who we are in Him, so also is prayer a key part of building a deeper and abiding relationship with God. When we read the Bible, God speaks to us. When we pray, we speak to God. We know that we can pray directly to God and that He hears us. We long to hear God’s voice. But do we also remember that God desires to hear our voices? The God of the universe, the omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent God of all creation invites us into His presence to speak to Him and share with Him all that is on our hearts.

The Westminster Shorter Catechism answers the question, “What is the chief end of man?” with “To glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” Prayer is one way in which we can do both.

It’s sometimes easy to fall into the trap of thinking, God knows my every thought and all my needs. He loves me and has promised to care for me. So why do I need to pray? If God is immutable (without changing) and is eternal, knowing the beginning from the end, then why should I ask for something He might not be willing to give me? Why should I tell Him of my cares, if He already knows?

These are reasonable questions. They exhibit an understanding of the sovereignty of God over all creation and His goodness and kindness, mercy and love, as demonstrated by His gifts of abundant grace that He gives us every day. So why should we pray? The reasons for praying are both biblical and personal.

Biblical Reasons to Pray

The first mention of prayer is found in Genesis 4:

“And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD” (Genesis 4:26).

Seth was the son of Adam and Eve who had enjoyed perfect communion with God in the Garden prior to their disobedient sin. Once sin entered the world, man found it necessary to seek God, “to call upon His name,” to guide and direct them and to discern His will for their lives. We too must call upon His name for guidance and direction. With each passing generation man becomes further removed from God and His ways, and follows more and more the secular culture and is overcome by worldly influences.

[Read the rest of the article at Reasons for Hope.]

Spiritual Maturity is Never an End in Itself

“Your attitude must be like my own, for I, the Messiah, did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give my life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28 TLB)

We are commanded to serve God. Jesus was unmistakable: “Your attitude must be like my own, for I, the Messiah, did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give my life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28 TLB).

For Christians, service is not something to be tacked onto our schedules if we can spare the time. It is the heart of the Christian life. Jesus came “to serve” and “to give” — and those two verbs should define your life on Earth, too.

Jesus taught that spiritual maturity is never an end in itself. Maturity is for ministry! We grow up in order to give out. It is not enough to keep learning more and more. We must act on what we know and practice what we claim to believe. Impression without expression causes depression. Study without service leads to spiritual stagnation.

The old comparison between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea is still true. Galilee is a lake full of life because it takes in water but also gives it out. In contrast, nothing lives in the Dead Sea because, with no outflow, the lake has stagnated.

The last thing many believers need is to go to another Bible study. They already know far more than they are putting into practice. What they need is serving experiences in which they can exercise their spiritual muscles.

Serving is the opposite of our natural inclination. Most of the time we’re more interested in “serve us” than service. We say, “I’m looking for a church that meets my needs and blesses me,” not “I’m looking for a place to serve and be a blessing.” We expect others to serve us, not vice versa.

But as we mature in Christ, the focus of our lives should increasingly shift to living a life of service. The mature follower of Jesus stops asking, “Who’s going to meet my needs?” and starts asking, “Whose needs can I meet?”

Source:   Rick Warren

Happy Columbus Day - 2015

Columbus Day is a U.S. holiday that commemorates the landing of Christopher Columbus in the New World on October 12, 1492. It was unofficially celebrated in a number of cities and states as early as the 18th century but did not become a federal holiday until the 1937. 

For many, the holiday is a way of both honoring Columbus’ achievements and celebrating Italian-American heritage. Throughout its history, Columbus Day and the man who inspired it have generated controversy, and many alternatives to the holiday have appeared in recent years.

ORIGINS OF COLUMBUS DAY

A U.S. national holiday since 1937, Columbus Day commemorates the arrival ofChristopher Columbus in the New World on October 12, 1492. The Italian-born explorer had set sail two months earlier, backed by the Spanish monarchs King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. He intended to chart a western sea route to China, India and the fabled gold and spice islands of Asia; instead, he landed in the Bahamas, becoming the first European to explore the Americas since the Vikingsset up colonies in Greenland and Newfoundland during the 10th century.

Did You Know?

Contrary to popular belief, most educated Europeans in Columbus' day understood that the world was round, but they did not yet know that the Pacific Ocean existed. As a result, Columbus and his contemporaries assumed that only the Atlantic lay between Europe and the riches of the East Indies.

Later that month, Columbus sighted Cuba and believed it was mainland China; in December the expedition found Hispaniola, which he though might be Japan. There, he established Spain’s first colony in the Americas with 39 of his men. In March 1493, the explorer returned to Spain in triumph, bearing gold, spices and “Indian” captives. He crossed the Atlantic several more times before his death in 1506; by his third journey, he realized that he hadn’t reached Asia but instead had stumbled upon a continent previously unknown to Europeans.

COLUMBUS DAY IN THE UNITED STATES

The first Columbus Day celebration took place in 1792, when New York’s Columbian Order–better known as Tammany Hall–held an event to commemorate the historic landing’s 300th anniversary. Taking pride in Columbus’ birthplace and faith, Italian and Catholic communities in various parts of the country began organizing annual religious ceremonies and parades in his honor. In 1892, President Benjamin Harrison issued a proclamation encouraging Americans to mark the 400th anniversary of Columbus’ voyage with patriotic festivities, writing, “On that day let the people, so far as possible, cease from toil and devote themselves to such exercises as may best express honor to the discoverer and their appreciation of the great achievements of the four completed centuries of American life.”

In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed Columbus Day a national holiday, largely as a result of intense lobbying by the Knights of Columbus, an influential Catholic fraternal benefits organization. Originally observed every October 12, it was fixed to the second Monday in October in 1971.

COLUMBUS DAY ALTERNATIVES

Opposition to Columbus Day dates back to the 19th century, when anti-immigrant groups in the United States rejected the holiday because of its association with Catholicism. In recent decades, Native Americans and other groups have protested the celebration of an event that indirectly resulted in the colonization of the Americas and the death of millions: European settlers brought a host of infectious diseases, including smallpox and influenza, that decimated indigenous populations; warfare between Native Americans and the colonists claimed many lives as well. The image of Christopher Columbus as an intrepid hero has also been called into question. Upon arriving in the Bahamas, the explorer and his men forced the native peoples they found there into slavery; later, while serving as the governor of Hispaniola, he allegedly imposed barbaric forms of punishment, including torture.

In many Latin American nations, the anniversary of Columbus’ landing has traditionally been observed as the Dìa de la Raza (“Day of the Race”), a celebration of Hispanic culture’s diverse roots. In 2002, Venezuela renamed the holiday Dìa de la Resistencia Indìgena (“Day of Indigenous Resistance”) to recognize native peoples and their experience. Several U.S. cities and states have replaced Columbus Day with alternative days of remembrance; examples include Berkeley’s Indigenous Peoples Day, South Dakota’s Native American Day and Hawaii’s Discoverer’s Day, which commemorates the arrival of Polynesian settlers.

COLUMBUS DAY TRADITIONS

In many parts of the United States, Columbus Day has evolved into a celebration of Italian-American heritage. Local groups host parades and street fairs featuring colorful costumes, music and Italian food. In cities and towns that use the day to honor indigenous peoples, activities include pow-wows, traditional dance and lessons about Native American culture.



ALSO:
    

HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY! to all my family and friends in Canada today!







Thanksgiving Day in Canada has been a holiday on the second Monday of October since 1957. It is a chance for people to give thanks for a good harvest and other fortunes in the past year. (All except New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island)

The message today at NRN - Show a little kindness

SHOW A LITTLE KINDNESS

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.                                Galatians 5:22-23

What Is Kindness?

Kindness does not necessarily mean being nice. One can be kind and not nice. Nice is defined by dictionary.com as being agreeable. In contrast, kindness is acting for the good of people regardless of what they do, kindness that is also service.

Kindness is goodness in action, gentleness in dealing with others, benevolence.  The word describes the ability to act for the welfare of those taxing your patience. The Holy Spirit removes abrasive qualities from the character of one under His control. The word kindness comes from the Greek word chrestotes (khray-stot-ace), which means to be friendly to others; display moral goodness and integrity. Anyone who demonstrated this quality of chrestotes was considered to be compassionate, considerate, sympathetic, humane, kind, or gentle. The apostle Paul uses this word to depict God's incomprehensible kindness for people who are unsaved:

 Think about how kind God is! Also think about how firm he is! He was hard on those who stopped following him. But he is kind to you. So you must continue to live in his kindness.                                                                            Romans 11:22

God raised us up with Christ. He has seated us with him in his heavenly kingdom. That’s because we belong to Christ Jesus.  He has done it to show the riches of his grace for all time to come. His grace can’t be compared with anything else. He has shown it by being kind to us. He was kind to us because of what Christ Jesus has done.  God’s grace has saved you because of your faith in Christ. Your salvation doesn’t come from anything you do. It is God’s gift.         Ephesians 2:6-8   

One scholar has noted that when the word KIND is applied to interpersonal relationships, it conveys the idea of being adaptable to others. Rather than harshly require everyone else to adapt to his own needs and desires, when KINDNESS is working in a believer, he seeks to become adaptable to the needs of those who are around him. 

ILL. I heard a story about a woman who was standing at a bus stop. She had just cashed her tax refund check, so she was carrying more money than usual & was a little bit nervous about that. She glanced around & noticed a shabbily dressed man standing nearby. And as she watched, she saw a man walk up to him, hand him some money, & whisper something in his ear.
She was so touched by that act of kindness that she decided to do the same. In a burst of generosity, she reached into her purse, took out $10, handed it to the man, & whispered to him, "Never despair, never despair."
The next day when she came to the bus stop, there he was again. But this time he walked up to her & handed her $110. Dumbfounded, she asked, "What’s this?" He said, "You won, lady. Never Despair paid 10 to 1."

Now I can’t promise that every act of kindness will pay 10 to 1. At times kindness may even cost you something, & require sacrifices on your part.

1. Kindness begins with ACTION

Your care for others is the measure of your greatness.

                                                                  Luke 9:48 LB

ILL: In his book: CONSPIRACY OF KINDNESS, Steve Sjogren tells the true story of Joe Delaney and his eight-year-old son, Jared, who were playing catch in their backyard.
“Jared asked, ‘Dad, is there a God?’
“Joe replied that he went to church only a few times when he was a kid; he really had no idea.
“Jared ran into the house. ‘I’ll be right back!’ he yelled.
“Moments later he returned with a helium balloon from the circus, a pen, and an index card. ‘I’m going to send God an airmail message,’ Jared explained: ‘Dear God,’ wrote Jared, ‘if You are real, and You are there, send people who know you to Dad and me.’
“‘God, I hope You’re watching,’ Joe thought, as they watched the balloon and message sail away.
“Two days later, Joe and Jared pulled into a wash sponsored by Sjogren’s church. When Joe asked, ‘How much?’ Sjogren answered, ‘It’s free. No strings attached. We just want to show God’s love in a practical way.’
“‘Are you guys Christians, the kind of Christians who believe in God?’ Joe asked.
“Sjogren said, ‘Yes, we’re that kind of Christians.’ From that encounter, Steve led Joe to faith in Christ. Many people may be only one act of kindness from meeting a true Christian”

2. Kindness begins with DEVOTION

My child, never forget the things I have taught you. Store my commands in your heart. If you do this, you will live many years, and your life will be satisfying.  Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Then you will find favor with both God and people and you will earn a good reputation.                 Proverbs 3:1-4 NLT

3. Kindness begins with INVITATION

Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.  Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.  Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.                        

                                                                        Colossians 3:12-17

Closing ILL:  A true story - One day, a young man was out selling goods from door to door to pay his way through college.  As he was beginning college, he was very poor and he was hungry. He hadn’t sold anything, and finally he was down to one thin dime, and he realized that he had a crisis. And so he knocked on the door and was determined that he would ask them for a meal, instead of trying to sell something. A really nice lady came to the door and he said, “Ma’am, could you give me a drink of water?” And she came back with a full glass of milk. She said, “You look hungry. Here’s a cold glass of milk.” As he drank the glass of cold milk, they talked and he said, "How much do I owe you for the milk?" She said, "Well, You don't owe me anything. Mother taught us never to accept money for kindness." And he said, "Well, then I thank you from the bottom of my heart."

As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger because of the milk, but he felt just encouraged to go on. And he did go on, and he finished college. Years later, that nice lady became critically ill. Local doctors told her, “We don’t understand what’s wrong with you. We’re going to send you to the big city hospital.” And they sent her there. And there at that hospital it was discovered that she had a rare disease.

And Dr. Howard Kelly was called for the consultation. And he heard the name of the lady and he thought, “I recognize that name. She’s from my home town, where I went to college.” And so he went in with his doctor's uniform and everything, and immediately recognized her as the woman who gave him the glass of milk. And he determined that he would do his very best to help her because she had helped him.  And so they struggled, and after a long struggle, the battle was won. Dr. Kelly requested the business office would send him the bill, and he wrote on the edge of the bill "PAID IN FULL BY ONE GLASS OF MILK.” And when she got the bill, tears came to her eyes. You never know what kindness will do.

The Greatest Act of kindness ever shown:

But here is how God has shown his love for us. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.                                                                                                                                     Romans 5:8