Sunday Reflections
Dear church family,
Good morning!
May our hearts and lives bow before our Creator and Savior in great adoration and praise this Lord’s Day morning. For He alone is worthy.
Pastor Steve
~~~
“God is the Lord, And He has given us light; You are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, I will exalt You. Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” Psalm 118:27, 28-29
Song
The Power of the Cross
Prayer
Scripture Reading
1John 4: 7-19
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us.
Ministering Truth
Gathering together is wonderful and we hope to very soon, but that is a very small part of our weekly time and lives. The majority of our time is spent at work and functioning around our homes and neighborhoods. Certainly we want to meet soon and we will.
Our Sunday gatherings are purposed supremely for giving honor and thanksgiving to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We come together with repentant and confessing hearts to worship. We gather not to “worship” worship or feel good about ourselves or gain merit to try to appease God, but to adore Him and humbly honor Him with like minded believers.
Our worship does have an object and motive. That object and motive is not ourselves, other people, personal gain, finding a spouse, or being thought well of by our peers. We gather to give, not necessarily to receive. The object of our worship is the Lord Jesus Christ and our motive is to praise His holy name.
As we sing His truth, we honor Him.
As we pray, we recognize our dependence on Him as our Protector and Provider.
As we sit under the teaching and preaching of God’s Word the Bible we worship Him, we desire to more fully know, love and serve Him.
As we come to the communion table, the Lord’s Supper, we are blessed and worship our Savior as we remember His death as the payment for our sin. We remember His great mercy and grace upon our sinful lives and giving us a new life and relationship with Him. We remember His resurrection declaring His victory over death and His glorious Second Coming.
Connected with all this, and not a part of the previous truths, is the godly connection and fellowship we have with fellow believers. The fellowship we share is in a real sense a ministering of the supernatural. God the Holy Spirit indwells believers.
1 Corinthians 3:16 Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
Ephesians 1:13 Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise.
God, upon salvation gives gifts, abilities to each believer to use for the building up of one another.
1Peter 4:10 As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
*See Romans 12; 1 Corinthians 12; Ephesians 4. Do note, God gave temporary sign gifts during the apostolic age until the Bible was completed and permanent edifying gifts for the duration of His church.
So in a real sense as we minister to one another, God is working in and through us. God has determined in a certain capacity to do His work among us and through us by His grace.
You are a very important part of God’s plan as the body of Christ. Allow God to use you in the church and in the world. You are desperately needed. In fact, that is why you are still alive. As soon as you trusted Christ as Lord and Savior He could have swooped you right into heaven. But he did not. You are still living on His blue planet to extend His love and His saving gospel message to the lost. We say quite often, this person needs God. They need His help, encouragement, kindness and teaching. Well look no further, God desires to work through you and use you to meet those needs.
Remember we are different people with different personalities, and as believers have different God given spiritual gifts. Please use them in the church and outside of the church. God’s people and the world need to see the love and heart of God. Allow God to be seen through you. / Pastor Steve
Video
Surely we side with God’s Word regarding sin and sinful lifestyles, but do not confuse that with different personalities, interests, occupations, and giftedness. As true believers we must try to understand one another and collectively use our giftedness for the good of one another and God’s ultimate glory. This video depicts that challenge.
~~~
Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.
Ephesians 3:20-21
~~~
Here are some good resources for the week.
Below is a list of verses that encourage us to surely focus on God and then on others for their good and God’s glory. Take time to go through the list of one anothers and be that “one” to that “other” displaying the goodness of the Lord.
The “One Another” Passages
The phrase "one another" is derived from the Greek word allelon which means "one another, each other; mutually, reciprocally." It occurs 100 times in the New Testament. Approximately 59 of those occurrences are specific commands teaching us how (and how not) to relate to one another. Obedience to those commands is imperative. It forms the basis for all true Christian community, and has a direct impact on our witness to the world (John 13:35). In addition to allelon, the Bible uses other words and phrases to instruct us how to relate to others. With that in mind, the following list is not exhaustive, and primarily focuses on the use of allelon.
POSITIVE COMMANDS
Love one another (John 13:34 - This command occurs at least 16 times)
Be devoted to one another (Romans 12:10)
Honor one another above yourselves (Romans 12:10)
Live in harmony with one another (Romans 12:16)
Build up one another (Romans 14:19; 1 Thessalonians 5:11)
Be likeminded towards one another (Romans 15:5)
Accept one another (Romans 15:7)
Admonish one another (Romans 15:14; Colossians 3:16) Greet one another (Romans 16:16) Care for one another (1 Corinthians 12:25)
Serve one another (Galatians 5:13)
Bear one another's burdens (Galatians 6:2)
Forgive one another (Ephesians 4:2, 32; Colossians 3:13)
Be patient with one another (Ephesians 4:2; Colossians 3:13)
Speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15, 25)
Be kind and compassionate to one another (Ephesians 4:32)
Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs (Ephesians 5:19)
Submit to one another (Ephesians 5:21, 1 Peter 5:5)
Consider others better than yourselves (Philippians 2:3)
Look to the interests of one another (Philippians 2:4)
Bear with one another (Colossians 3:13)
Teach one another (Colossians 3:16)
Comfort one another (1 Thessalonians 4:18)
Encourage one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
Exhort one another (Hebrews 3:13)
Stir up [provoke, stimulate] one another to love and good works (Hebrews 10:24)
Show hospitality to one another (1 Peter 4:9)
Employ the gifts that God has given us for the benefit of one another (1 Peter 4:10)
Clothe yourselves with humility towards one another (1 Peter 5:5)
Pray for one another (James 5:16)
Confess your faults to one another (James 5:16)
NEGATIVE COMMANDS (how not to treat one another)
Do not lie to one another (Colossians 3:9) Stop passing judgment on one another (Romans 14:13) If you keep on biting and devouring each other...you'll be destroyed by each other (Galatians 5:15) Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other (Galatians 5:26) Do not slander one another (James 4:11) Don't grumble against each other (James 5:9)
We do all this because we are in a real sense “members of one another” (Romans 12:5; Ephesians 4:25). (Selected article)
~~
Here is a website you will find informative and encouraging.