Worship at 10 with communion. Bring some friends! Pray for Adam Roberts as he brings the Word and for all who join us to see and be drawn to Jesus and new life in Christ! Amen! He is risen--indeed! We will be collecting for Everlasting Life Ministries too.
: Clothing Closet 9-12
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Good Morning Waiting in Faith and Praying Expectantly Friends of God! In AD 33 this was the Sabbath. How could the masses that followed Jesus and especially His disciples and close friends be still and worship on this day? Their world came crashing down. Peter denied Jesus three times and ran crying. The other disciples scattered. Then they gathered and cowered in the Upper Room confused, broken, lost, grieving for their leader and their dashed hopes that he was the Messiah. There are times we can understand their disposition that day. We endure faith-shattering, dark, hopeless things that can cause us to lose faith and enter into grief. What you have done that dark Sabbath? Worship in faith and hope with expectant prayers or walked away-shattered, like the two on the road to Emmaus?
Who do you know that is going through some faith-shattering things? How can you come beside them and assure them that God knows, is with them and has a good plan we can't see yet. How can you pray with them with and expectancy? How can you help them to refocus? How can you refocus and remind yourself--BUT GOD! Remember how the saying rings true--"It is darkest before the dawn."? Be still and know and persevere in faith and continue to pray with and expectancy! God knows! He has a great plan we can't see yet that will require the next step of faith and trust. He knows, cares, is able and will bring about His perfect will and plans. Amen! Pray and plan expectantly that your stone will be rolled away by God and Good News will flood over you and your situation! And the greatest news is that we are forgiven and will know eternity with Jesus in heaven someday. There is no greater hope than this and until then with the help of the Holy Spirit and our friends we can rejoice and persevere in faith. Choose joy and hope . The dawn is coming and the revelation that the stone has been moved aside and resurrection has come! PTL! Worship and persevere in faith my friends! Deliverance is at hand and His kingdom has come and His will is being done! Amen! And know His perfect peace in all your storms. Shalom shalom! Amen! The dawn is at hand! Hosana!
Upper Room: A Moment of Faith
The disciples on the road to Emmaus said, “We had hoped that [Jesus] was the one who was going to redeem Israel.” - Luke 24:21 (NIV)
After months of applying for jobs, I finally had a great offer! Everything seemed to be falling into place. Then suddenly, the company changed their mind. I felt lost, confused, and sad. I wondered where God was in it all.
Slowly, I began to realize that this is how the disciples must have felt after Jesus’ crucifixion. They had believed that Jesus was the one who was going to redeem Israel. The events of his life on earth and the miracles he had performed confirmed their hopes that the long-awaited Messiah was finally here, fulfilling the promises of scripture. Then Jesus was crucified, and all hope seemed to be gone. The disciples must have felt incredibly lost, confused, and sad. It was in this moment that the disciples faced the ultimate test of their faith. Did they truly believe in God’s power and Jesus’ promises?
Although challenging situations may test us and cause us to question God, they can become defining moments of faith, ultimately strengthening our relationship with God. Even when we experience life’s twists and turns, God is faithful to us because of who God is — a promise keeper and a miracle worker.
's Prayer
Dear Father, thank you for your presence with us as we put our hope and trust in you. Help us to notice all the ways your resurrecting power is at work in our lives. Amen.
Our Daily Bread
Serving God Out of Love
Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven. Matthew 6:20
My dad was a hard worker on our farm and in the factory, but he wasn’t a handyman. Sometimes when our tractor or furnace or plumbing failed, a neighbor or friend would fix it. Dad offered to pay even though he knew he couldn’t afford as much as they deserved. But they wouldn’t accept anything; they just loved to help. “Thanks,” he’d say, “until you’re better paid.” I’m still not sure what he meant. Maybe he or someone else did something for them later.
Believers in Jesus who serve others because of their love for Him will one day be rewarded. Perhaps that’s a form of “until you’re better paid.” Jesus told His followers to “store up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:20). Doing good to others may be one way to store up some of those “treasures.” He said we shouldn’t announce it “with trumpets”; if we do, that’s all the reward we’ll get (v. 2). We can be confident He sees us. The book of Hebrews reinforces this idea: “God . . . will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them” (6:10).
We don’t serve for rewards but rather because Jesus loves us, and in response we express our love and praise for Him. What a blessing it will be to hear God say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:21, 23).
By Anne Cetas
REFLECT & PRAY
What treasures have you stored up? What gifts has God given you to share with others?
Dear Jesus, I long to help others the way You want me to. Please help me point them to You, and lead me to live for Your pleasure.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Helping those in need is one of the ways that we “store up for [ourselves] treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:20). We take what God has given us and share with those in need. The concepts of loving God and helping the needy come together in 1 John 3:14-18: “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. . . . This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” , as God helps us, we can look for ways to serve others because of our love for Christ.
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