This blog began as documentation of my journey into formal ministry. Now that I have received a call it will continue to function as a place for me to address concerns, celebrations and anything else that might catch my fancy. Please remember to "Be A Blessing To Someone Today"! God Bless, Roy
Last Thursday Night was our first night after changing the time from 7 pm to 6 pm, which was done for just the winter months. Our turn-out was a bit off and I suspect several people forgot that we were moving up an hour. Also, as the weather has continued to get colder, I have noticed more and more folks watching the 'Livestream' on Facebook that were coming to the service when the weather was a bit more favorable. This really is not a concern, the important part is that folks are taking in the service, no matter which route they take they are still being reached... Praise God. The sermon covered the fact that in our lives we will never know peace if we are expecting that peace to come to us from the world... The only place we can find peace in this life is if we focus upon God and find comfort and reassurance in His love, grace, and peace. Be a blessing to someone today! In God's peace, Roy
Philippians 1:1-11 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) Salutation 1 Paul and Timothy, servants[a] of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops[b] and deacons:[c] 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul’s Prayer for the Philippians 3 I thank my God every time I remember you, 4 constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, 5 because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. 7 It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart,[d] for all of you share in God’s grace[e] with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. 9 And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight 10 to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, 11 having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God. Footnotes: a) Philippians 1:1 Gk slaves b) Philippians 1:1 Or overseers c) Philippians 1:1 Or overseers and helpers d) Philippians 1:7 Or because I hold you in my heart e) Philippians 1:7 Gk in grace
The sermon that I gave on December 10th for the 2nd Sunday of Advent covered the "Peace Candle". The crutch of the sermon (which I had to edit greatly on the fly due to the service running long early on) was that we need to find peace in ourselves in order to take that peace the "Peace of God" out to the world. We need to steel our minds such that we are instruments of God's Peace to all we encounter. The sermon hit on some "life application" practices to allow us to be that advocate of peace. I apologize for being so late in getting this sermon video up and on the blog. It's been a bit of a hectic season as it is for all of us. Let each of us not allow this hectic time to interfer with our calling to be God's ministers of peace to a wanting world. God's Peace with you all, Roy (I've posted the scripture that I used in the sermon below, along with the scripture that I intended to also use that I had to trim out in order to keep the worship service from running way over.)
Romans 8:14-16 NRSV 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
Ephesians 4:29 “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
Philippians 4:4-9 4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you. Mark 4:36-40 36 And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. 37 A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39 He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” John 14:27 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. 1 John 3New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) 3 1 See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. 3 And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. Psalm 139:13-16 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) 13 For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes beheld my unformed substance. In your book were written all the days that were formed for me, when none of them as yet existed. Romans 12:3 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) 3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. Hebrews 10:24:25 NCV24 Let us think about each other and help each other to show love and do good deeds. 25 You should not stay away from the church meetings, as some are doing, but you should meet together and encourage each other. Do this even more as you see the day coming.
