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Worship November 2017

Psalm 100 says,
1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his [a]; We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.

With this Psalm in mind, and as we approach a season of thankfulness, I want to point us to the most important element of our worship – Thanksgiving. In Psalm 100, it is written to enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. When we worship, we give thanks. But why do we give thanks? What are you thankful for in your life? Are you thankful for your family? Your friends? Your job?

The reality is that we have so much to be thankful for. But it’s important to remember to whom we owe our thankfulness. James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above.” It’s important for us to remember than everything we have in this life comes from our Father in Heaven. Our families, our jobs, our money, our things – every good thing is from the Father. We only have Him to thank for the good things in our lives.

But our thankfulness stretches far beyond our material possessions. As children of God, we have eternal life. God calls us Sons and Daughters. Jesus died in our place, for our sins, so that we could live with the Father forever. For this – we are to be eternally thankful, and constantly filled with thankfulness and praise.

So as we approach our time in worship, we reflect on everything we are thankful for – realizing that every thing we have on this earth has been given to us by God.  But ultimately, we approach our time with worship filled with thankfulness because we see what God has done for us through his son Jesus. We realize that without the cross, we could not be thankful. We could not have peace. We could not have hope. But thanks be to God, that we can have   eternal peace, hope, and righteousness based on what Jesus did for us on the Cross. So as you reflect on what you are thankful for in this season of Thanksgiving, remember the cross. Remember Jesus. Let’s not wait until Christmas to set our hearts on Christ, and what He has done for us. And for what He has done, we are eternally thankful, and our hearts are filled with constant praise!

In Christ,
Jared

Women on Mission November 2017

International Mission Study
 The mention of Russia may conjure up images of Romanov royalty, cultural icons such as Mikhail Baryshnikov and Dostoyevsky, or maybe a parade of dictators like Stalin, Lenin, or Khrushchev.  What probably doesn’t come to mind is Muslims.

However, Muslims are actually one of the indigenous peoples of Russia, their roots lying deep in the isolated villages of the Caucasus region, the mountain range separating Europe and Asia.

But besides those indigenous people, there has been a rebirth of Muslim influence in Russian cities in the past 25 years, as the crumbling of the Berlin Wall changed the relationship between Russia and the Central Asian republics.  Now migrant workers from the south come in unprecedented numbers to work in the large cities.  In fact, Moscow’s Muslim population has grown from 1 million to 2.5 million in the last few years, making it the largest Muslim city in Europe.

The transitory life of the migrant has proven to be fertile soil for the hope of the gospel. Making this time in history a remarkable opportunity to share Christ.  Christian workers are developing methods to come alongside the Muslims of Russia to give them a hope and a future.

Learn how God is at work bringing Muslims to Himself in the International Mission Study 2017.  Peek into life behind the veil of Islam in Europe and be challenged to develop your own strategies to share Christ with the Muslims around you.

Women on Mission will meet Monday, Nov 13 at 6:00 pm at the church.  All our ladies are invited to be with us.

Our study is Wednesday, Nov. 29 at 12:00 pm following our noon lunch in the fellowship hall.