Pastor Stew spoke about the path of the believer being the path of Jesus Christ. Unlike Jonah who fled at God's command, Jesus embraced the painful work before Him. We are called to be ambassadors for Christ in a world that hates God. Many followers throughout the ages have paid for their faith with their lives.
This is the message from Sunday Dec 24th in the morning. The message is a continuation of the theme of being reconciled with one another before we can be truly reconciled to God. Rev Stew spoke about the meaning of Christmas as a time of forgiveness. It is a time when family get togethers may bring back memories of hurts that need to be addressed rather than buried. It is a time to make things right whether we have been wronged or we have wronged a loved one. Unaddressed hurts only fester to cause hurt/anger to grow. Jon Bauer spoke on his experiences with Compassion Canada. His music and his message spoke deeply to the congregation.
Compassion is more than sponsoring a child.... it's about releasing entire families from poverty in Jesus' name. Blessings, Arnold Pastor Stew spoke today about making peace through being people of confession. Being in Christ we need to own our sins and seek forgiveness; when we have been hurt or offended, we are called by Christ to forgive. We need to forgive not 7 times as Peter suggested, but 70 x 7 (A Hebraism meaning you don't keep count.) Colossians 3:13 New International Version Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Pastor Stew spoke on the necessity of facing up to our issues instead of denying them. By facing our issues, we admit our brokenness and then find true community. Do we have issues with gossip, grumbling, falsehoods, slander, backbiting, judging motives, fear or doubt? Let us under the leadership of the Holy Spirit address our issues and grow in spiritual maturity. Pastor Stew delivered a message outlining how important it is to clear up any relational obstacles between believers. We need to keep short accounts with one another and with God. Sin crouches at the door to master us, but we need to master it. With Christ's help we can do just that.
Elsie Lewandowski has been an NAB missionary in Cameroon for the past 22 years. In her message today, she shared about the situation in Cameroon today. She also shared her challenge to change her work in Cameroon. Instead of working with students, the Lord has called her to work with the teachers. She is using this illustration to challenge us to accept new challenges which God has set before us. Pastor Stew pointed out that just as the Father had sent Jesus, so Jesus is sending us into the world. John 20:21 We are to live missional lives pointing others to Christ by how we live and by our invitation to our colleagues at work, school, community to come to Jesus for salvation. |
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