Pastor's Point

....And there shall be no more curse; but the throne of God and the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve Him.  Revelation 22:3

Over seventeeen years ago, I received a letter from a lady named Elizabeth Thrower.  We were still living in Greensboro.  Though we had been called to pastor in Rockingham, we had not yet moved.

When I read Mrs. Thrower's letter, I thought this is an intelligent, thoughtful person.   I soon realized that we were about to experience the minstry of helps at a level I had never seen. 

You see Mrs. Thrower was not only a servant of Jesus, but she served according to the grace given her.  1 Corinthians 12:28 refers to the ministry of helps.  Her life was motivated by her gift.  She enjoys helping or serving.

Cards, flowers, visits, finances, cooking, child care, construction work, transportation, greeting, hosting, and prayer were some of the areas where she helped.  Her desirfe was to contribute in a positive way to others.  She had a daily "to do list" and stuck to it.

In one of her last acts of service, I saw how devoted she was to her husband.  I had taken...

We had a good meeting last Sunday night with those interested in beginning Care Groups.

We want to start in September, hopefully September 16.  We have six host homes and others who are willing to serve as group leaders.  The care groups are really going great.  If you aren't coming, you are really missing out.  Plan to attend in January 2008.

The foremost need we have at this time is volunteers to keep the children K-6th grade in the children's building.  Perhaps you would be willing to take one date.  It would be great to have the dates filled so that theparents would have the opportunity to focus on what's happening in their group.  The dates are September 16, October 21, November 18, January 20, February 17, March 16, April 20, and May 18.  We have sign up sheets available.

The church will provide a meal for the kids.  Games, videos, and other activities would be planned, too. 

Since the group meeting time is from 6:00 - 7:30 pm, we would need our Care Leaders for the children to be here at 5:30 and stay till the kids are picked up.

Is the Lord speaking to you to help...

In Romans 12:1, 2 Paul writes, "Therefore I urge you brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship.  Do not conform any tongue to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing, and perfect will."

 Romans is a great letter full of revelation.  God has a good, pleasing, and perfect will for us.  And we can test and approve what His will is.  How do you do this?

First, Romans 1-11 tell us of God's mercy.  We learn about righteousness, ruling with Christ over sin's dominion, and the power of the Spirit's indwelling presence in these chapters.  It's important that you grasp the doctrine of God's mercy as revealed in Romans. 

Next, just as Christ gave his life for us, we need to give our lives to Him as a living sacrifice.  When we hold back, then we never enter into His good, pleasingk, and perfect will.  Why do you think there's little interest in the things...

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast."  Ephesians 2:8, 9

What God has provided for us by grace, we can appropriate through faith, Jesus is our Saviour in every aspect of life.  Jesus is God's will for us.  In Jesus Christ, we have everything we need.  Nothing has been left out.  Nothing omitted.

The most important aspect of God's grace is righteousness.  Our sins stood betweenus and God.  At one time we were dead spiritually.  The life of God was not in us.  We may have exhibited life in other ways, but spiritually we were dead to Him.  We were not one with Him.  And we were not even able to go to heaven.

Yet, God has released grace toward us through Jesus Christ.  Paul writes "But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness"  Romans 8:10

You see, out of God's love for us, grace was give to us through Jesus Christ.  Righteousness is a gift from God.  You were given right standing with...

In high school there was a group of guys who formed a gang that was somewhat rough and mean.  The richest family in my home town had two of their sons in this gang. Some other popular students were in the gang, too.  The gang was dissolved as the boys grew older.  One of the members died this week.  He was 53.

I remember the lifestyle the gang advocated.  It was the typical stuff-booze, parties, drugs, sexual immorality, violence, and foolish pranks.  The fellow who just recently died embraced the lifestyle.  He became an alcoholic and was addicted to narcotics.  He was a chain smoker.

Sickness and disease took root in his body.  Earlier this year I saw him at a funeral.  The look of death was in his eyes.  My heart went out to him.

I was one of the speakers.  I hoped that he would stay for the service, but he didn't.  I never got a change to minister to him.

The scriptures read "Remember your creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say "I find no pleasure in them!" (Ecclesiastes 12:1)

You see now...

You know the Lord requires that we exercise patience.  Patience is an attribute of love.  In 1 Corinthians 13:4, we learn that love is patient.

There are two words in the Greek language translated by our word patience.  They are hypomone and makrothymia.  Hypomone means having endurance under trials.  It is used about one who bravely endures very difficult circumstances such as natural disasters, the breakdown of things, and unexpected changes in the conduct of animal life or climate.

Makrothymia is used in relation to our attitude with humans.  Slow to anger, longsuffering, and forbearance are other words to help describe the meaning of makrothymia.

We will face circumstances and people who will test our patience.  The key to activating patience is being slow to anger.   A quick tember is a symptom of impatience.

Our tongue is the most common way we went vent our anger or express patience.  I may feel impatience but I don't have to express it.  I don't have to say everything I feel.  Negative emotions such as impatience can be controlled by simply refusing to verbalize our feelings at that moment.  Also, other body language that portrays impatience can be controlled by doing exactly the opposite of what you...