Monday, November 26, 2007

Weekly Schedule 11/25

Tuesday November 27th- Friends Women Fellowship meeting at the parsonage at 9:30 am.
NO Dig Into the Sermon Group! Go see the parade!

Wednesday November 28th- Kid's Club! 5:30-7:00pm

Sunday December 2nd- Sunday School 9:30 am
Fellowship Time10:30;
Morning Worship 10:45;
Area Christmas Dinner at Hesper Friends, 5:30 pm
We will carpool and leave our church at 3:30 pm.
Bring a dessert to share!

This week's sermon: Worship

Romans 12.
We have covered Thanksgiving and Praise, and many would say that in doing so, we have covered all the necessary aspects of worship. But worship is more than just recognizing who God is and what He has done on our behalf. Worship requires a change. Worship begins with an attitude change.

Humility is the beginning of worship. When we recognize who God is, when we see Him at work, we get a clear picture of who we are in relation to Him. He is so much greater than we are, and yet He loves us. In view of that, our appropriate response is to recognize Him as Lord. That is why Paul tells us our spiritual act of worship is presenting our lives as a living sacrifice. When our hearts are humble before God, it is the attitude of worship.

From humility comes a desire to serve our Lord. Paul moves on to talk briefly about spiritual gifts and our responsibility to use them in proportion to our faith. If we recognize Jesus as Lord and God, we will offer ourselves in service to Him. When we serve God, it is an act of worship.

Along with humility and service, comes a new view of love. Paul tells us when we serve our brothers and sisters in Christ, when we mourn with those who mourn; rejoice with those who rejoice; surround those in our fellowship who are struggling it is an act of worship.

The greatest change that God can bring about in our hearts is that we can bless those who curse us, and feed and clothe our enemies. When we lay down our self-lordship and allow God to work in us, He will bring about such an attitude of humility that we will care more about serving Him, and loving others in His name, than we will care about being right and winning. When we trust God to get the victory, we can be obedient to His commands and trust Him to act. When we bless our enemies, it is an act of worship.

This week's sermon: Walking in Thanksgiving

Psalm 107.
This psalm begins with a command for the redeemed of the Lord to "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, His love endures forever." The psalmist gives us four examples of people who were in dire circumstances for different reasons. Some were simply lost. Some were rebellious and fell into bondage. Some lost their minds because of their pursuit of their own pleasure. Some found themselves in danger because of natural disasters. All of these people, when they had no other help, cried to the Lord. And He Heard Them! He answered their cry for help!

At the end of the psalm, we are given a brief picture of God disciplining those who are rebellious, while still caring for those who are poor and downtrodden. Remember that the previous stories told of those who had trials because of their own rebellion and bad choices, and when they called, God answered them as well as those who came on hard times through no fault of their own. God may bring about hard times in our lives in order to get our attention. He may allow us to suffer the natural consequences of our actions. But when we call to Him, He forgives and will answer our cry for help.

Closing the psalm, the psalmist tells us to consider the way that God's love works out in our lives. He says those who are in good standing with God will rejoice to see Him at work. And those who are not in good standing with God will shut their mouths. We, then, have a choice. We can be wise and ponder God's acts on our behalf, which leads to rejoicing. Or we can choose to set aside thoughts of God at work, and find ourselves with nothing to say.

Monday, November 12, 2007

Weekly Schedule 11/11

Tuesday November 12th- Elder's Meeting 6:30 pm.

Wednesday November 13th- Kid's Club! 5:30-7:00pm
Game Night for all ages 7:00pm

Saturday November 17th-Frazier/Macias Wedding 2:00pm.

Sunday November 18th- Sunday School 9:30 am
Fellowship Time10:30;
Morning Worship 10:45;
Thanksgiving Dinner at Noon;
Iglesia Amigos Evangelicos 3:00 pm;

This week's sermon: Living a Life of Praise

Psalm 145.
This is David's Psalm of Praise. It is the only psalm with that name, and it is the ultimate example of giving praise to our God. Praise is different from thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is gratitude for what God has done that affects us personally. When we praise God, we recognize who He is in His unchanging nature. We recognize His great works as demonstrations of His attributes. We recognize His greatness, goodness, righteousness, faithfulness, and love. We recognize His position as the great King over all things, for all time.

Three segments of people are important when it comes to praise: God, God's people, and God's person. God is the object of our praise. We respond to who He is with our praise. God's people, the congregation of the saints, is responsible to pass on the knowledge of His greatness from generation to generation; to proclaim His mighty deeds; to celebrate together His goodness; to make known the glorious splendor of His majesty. God's person, the individual, is responsible to meditate--keep always in mind--on His wonderful works; proclaim His great deeds; commit to give praise to God at all times, for all time.

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Weekly Shcedule 11/4

Tuesday November 6th-Dig Into the Sermon 6:30 pm in Pastor's Study.

Wednesday November 7th- Kid's Club! 5:30-7:00pm

Saturday November 10th- Iglesia Amigos Special services 2:00pm.
Frazier/Macias Wedding Rehearsal 6:00pm.

Sunday November 11th- Sunday School 9:30 am
Fellowship Time10:30;
Morning Worship 10:45;
Iglesia Amigos Evangelicos 3:00 pm;

This week's sermon: Stepping Out in Faith--Following His Mission

Our God is a Missionary God.
When we think of "Missionaries," we think of people who go to other countries to share the Gospel message. But a Missionary is more than that. When we think about a person we would call a "visionary" we think of one who has a specific vision of the future, and takes steps to make that vision a reality. When we think of a person as a "missionary," we need to see them as one who has a specific mission, and takes steps to carry it out. God is a Missionary God. It is His Mission to bring people into right relationship with Himself. God is constantly reaching out to and seeking a relationship with mankind.

He was a Missionary God in the Old Testament.
Gen 3:8,15. Acts 17:27.

When God created the earth, and placed mankind in the Garden, He fellowshipped with man. God walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden so often, that when they had sinned they recognized that He was coming when they heard His footsteps. Even when God was pronouncing the curse, He gave a hint as to His plan for redeeming mankind and bringing them back into relationship with Himself. All through the Old Testament, God reaches down to man. He comes to Abram, Isaac, Moses, and the prophets. And in establishing the Tabernacle and Temple sacrificial system, He opened the door for mankind to seek Him.

He was a Missionary God in the New Testament.
Luke 19:10. Mark 2:17. John 8:1-11.

God reached out to mankind in an unprecedented way when He took on flesh and came to live on the earth. Throughout the life, ministry, and teaching of Jesus we see God at work, reaching out to those who were far away and bringing them near. Jesus said that He came to seek and save the lost; that He had come for the sick, not the healthy. When He was preaching and teaching and healing, Jesus accepted, forgave, and offered hope to those who were out of touch with God. At the end of His time on earth, Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice in taking on the sin of the world and paying the penalty for all sin, for all time. He raised from the dead to conquer death and offer everyone who would believe the hope of eternal life.

He calls us to join Him in His Mission to reach the lost.
Matthew 28:18-20. Acts 1:8. 2Corinthians 5:18-20.

When He ascended, Jesus gave His followers the instruction to go and make disciples as they were going. He told them they were to be His witnesses starting where they lived and moving out to the world. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:18-20, that we are God's ambassadors calling people to reconciliation in their relationship with God. We have a mission, and God wants us to become Missionaries by taking steps to fulfill the Mission He has given us. The Mission to seek the lost, make disciples, and be a testifier to His Love, Grace, and Mercy in Christ Jesus.