This Week:
Tue Zoom Huddle at 10. All welcome
Wed 10-12 Bread Ministry and 6-7:30 Dinner Huddle (all welcome)
Sarah update below
Good Morning Redeemed, Repentant, Refined, Righteous-Ones of Christ! Amen! Continue to meditate upon all that Jesus' sacrifice and overcoming means to you, us and all who will come. We are called the righteousness of Christ because we have repented, accepted God's redemption and are allowing Him to transform us into Christ's image. God looks at us and sees Jesus and His righteousness if we have repented, are willing to repent and have received Him as our Lord and Savior. And he wants to continue to mold us and work all things together for His plans and our good. Are you willing to allow that? Are you earnestly pursuing Christ and His righteous ways? Do you have some partners to help with that? We can grow into our created Christlikeness and God's purposes for us. Humble yourself today and dwell in Him, His Word, His love and His righteousness and then put on your custom made easy yoke and walk with Jesus to His perfect plans for you. What joy we can know as we do so!
I'm stopping here to allow you time to connect with God with open Bibles and the devos below. he sure spoke to me this morning and I'm praying to He will for you too. What's he saying? What will you do about that? he does have great and loving plans for you, His child! Step from the old to His new for you today! I'm praying for you and Jesus is knocking at the door of your heart and calling you by name. PTL!! There are a lot because there is a thread through them all from God' heart to yours. he is speaking! Turn off the noise and sit a spell in His love and wisdom!
TWFYT
ODB
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On a frigid November day, our church hoped to fill two hundred backpacks for the homeless. Preparing to help fill them, I sorted through the items donated, praying to find new gloves, hats, socks, blankets. Bowls of chili and sandwiches would also be shared with those who were to receive the gifts. Then I noticed an item that surprised me: washcloths. I’d been focusing on helping people stay warm and fed. Someone had remembered to help our recipients feel clean.
The Bible speaks about another kind of “clean”—cleanliness of heart and spirit. Jesus pointed this out as He decried the hypocrisy of the teachers of the law and the Pharisees. They kept the smallest requirements of the law but “neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness” (Matthew 23:23). Christ told them, “You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean” (vv. 25-26).
Acting as if we are spiritually spotless is just a show if we don’t seek the cleansing found in Christ. “What can wash away my sin?” asks an old gospel song. “Nothing but the blood of Jesus.” A new washcloth can be a gift to wash us on the outside. Jesus cleans us on the inside, washing away even the worst of our sins.
By Patricia Raybon
REFLECT & PRAY
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Where do you need spiritual deep-cleaning? How can you pray for Christ to cleanse you today?
Please clean me spiritually on the inside, dear Jesus.
Learn more about having a personal relationship with God.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Matthew 23:13-29 records seven “woes” as Jesus confronts the teachers of the law and the Pharisees for their ritualistic piety and hypocrisy. Woe means “how dreadful or terrible.” It’s a severe condemnation (see Isaiah 3:11; Matthew 11:21-22) in stark contrast to the description “blessed” in the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12). The teachers of the law, or scribes, were the scholars of the day, professionally trained in Old Testament law. The majority of these scribes were themselves Pharisees (Mark 2:16). The Pharisees—the “separated ones”—were self-appointed guardians and enforcers of the Mosaic law. They considered the “tradition of the elders”—interpretations and regulations handed down by tradition—to be more authoritative than the Scriptures (7:3-5, 8-9). In six of the seven denunciations, Jesus called them “hypocrites” (Matthew 23:13, 15, 23, 25, 27, 29), “for they do not practice what they preach” (v. 3), and “everything they do is done for people to see” (v. 5). Instead, Christ is concerned with what’s inside—our hearts. He alone can clean us from the inside out (v. 26).
K.T. Sim |
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UR: Clean hearts
Jesus said, “You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you.” - John 15:3-4 (NIV)
My house looks clean. The furniture is nicely arranged and looks presentable; the rooms are ventilated and display a sunny appearance. However, when I sweep the floors and do my weekly cleaning with a dusting cloth, I am surprised by the amount of dust and dirt all around, even though everything looks neat and clean.
I think this is parallel to the way we think about ourselves, or how we want to present ourselves to the world. We believe we are doing right and try to act accordingly, but we are imperfect and often fall short. God knows our innermost thoughts and knows exactly what is in our hearts. In the face of this reality, we would do well to recognize and accept God’s sovereignty and mercy incarnate in God’s Son, Jesus Christ, who offers us forgiveness. Jesus reminds us, “You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.” And God rejoices in our clean hearts and spirits. Thanks be to God!
Today's Prayer
God of all, we are grateful for your Son, Jesus Christ, who has wiped away our sins. Come dwell in our hearts and create in us a clean spirit. May your Holy Spirit continue to inspire us and guard our going out and coming in from this time forth. Amen.
I to We
Sarah Young
Joyce Meyer
Connection
April 21 - Reasons to Fast
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“O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water” (Psalm 63:1).
Hunger for God. Fasting has a way of helping us really to understand what it means for our souls and flesh to yearn for God (Ps. 63:1). Every time we feel a pang of hunger, we can direct it into a craving for deeper intimacy with the Lord.
Repentance and humility. The only regular fast God required of His people under the Old Covenant was on the Day of Atonement. That day— essentially a prayer retreat on a grand corporate scale—was a day of fasting, repentance, and deep humility. We, too, can benefit when we humble [our souls] with fasting (Ps. 35:13).
Power over temptation. Jesus fortified Himself against temptation with a 40-day fast in the wilderness. Most of us won’t be called to fast for that long (and if we are, we should consult a doctor first); however, fasting is a great way to subject our bodies to our spirits. People who struggle with sins of the flesh may especially benefit from a time of extended prayer combined with fasting.
In Crisis. There are many occasions of crisis in Scripture when people were called to extended prayer combined with fasting (see 2 Chron. 20:1-4; Neh. 1:4; Est. 4:15-16; Dan. 9:3; Jon. 3:6-9).
For wisdom. When Daniel sought to understand a perplexing vision he fasted (Daniel 10). Similarly, when the church in Antioch needed to know who to send out as missionaries, and later who to appoint as elders in the missionary churches, they met together for prayer, worshipping, and fasting (Acts. 13:1-2, 14:23).
Father, there are so many reasons why people in the Bible fasted and prayed, and yet, I can’t seem to “subject my body to my spirit.” Strengthen me to be able to do without physical food in order to gain a deeper intimacy with You. Help me to desire to fast instead of being afraid of doing without the comfort food provides. I know that fasting can give me power over temptation, peace in the midst of crisis, and wisdom when I need understanding. May I long to learn this discipline that Jesus demonstrated in the desert so that Your power might be more fully evident in my life.
--Adapted from Giving Ourselves to Prayer: An Acts 6:4 Primer for Ministry (Chapter 28, Personal Prayer Retreats by Cynthia Bezek). This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount.
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- Praise the sovereign Lord who cares for his sheep (Ezek. 34:11).
- Thank the Lord for shepherding you, caring for you in his rich pasture (34:14).
- Confess times of wandering away from the side of the Good Shepherd.
- Commit yourself to rejoicing in the bounty he provides for you.
- Ask God to help you be a blessing with the blessings you’ve been given.
- Pray that your church’s care-giving and fellowship efforts will be led by faithful shepherds who care for the flock (34:1-10). Ask God to give them compassionate diligence to strengthen the weak, heal the sick, and bind up the injured (34:4).
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Prayer Points taken from Patterns for Prayer by Alvin VanderGriend. This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount.
Connection (Devotions for Everyday Life) © 2025 is a free devotional published daily by OneCry Prayer. Find more resources at www.onecry.com |
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Sarah Update (Note: Sarah shared word that Joan Fenstemaker stepped into Jesus' arms yesterday. She is now fully healed and we can rejoice. I will be contacting the family soon to plan things and will keep you informed)
Good evening church family,
Hope that you and your family/friends had a nice weekend. It was great seeing so many of you in worship today.
Christ has RISEN...He is RISEN INDEED.......and as we were reminded of this today, want to know a secret? Our Savior
is RISEN every day! He walks with us and talks with us......
Here are some praises and prayer needs:
Brook Lacise (Mike Lacise's daughter) is asking for prayer as she has applied for dual enrollment. If she receives this, they will pay for
up to 30 credits.
Lisa Wenner praised God that she was able to spend time with her family, see her Great Grand Nephew and her Nephew and his wife that
are expecting twins. All are doing well!
Losie C is asking for prayer for her daughter Lauren, who we have been praying for, to find a job. Lauren has possibly two job offers
hopefully this week. Prayers for Wisdom for Lauren to choose wisely.
Hey everyone, don't this coming week's outreach opportunities: Tuesday Zoom - 10:00am - same zoom meeting as worship.
Wednesday - Bread Ministry 10 - 12pm; and Wednesday evening - FM/Adult gathering - meal and study.
Next Sunday - our monthly BRUNCH - if you were in worship today, on the back of your bulletin you received and invitation to come
and you can pass that invitation on to someone you want to invite!
Praying you all have a great week!
Thank you for praying for Pastor Don and myself. If you need anything or have a prayer request do not hesitate to reach out to
either of us!
Blessings all,
Sarah
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