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Monthly Newsletter for May 2002 The
Pastor’s Pen
The
victory of Calvary leads to the joyous celebration of Pentecost. Last month we observed the Lord’s Passover / Holy Communion
service as a memorial of our Passover Lamb’s loving sacrifice that
defeated sin and death! 1
Cor 15:55-57 55
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56
The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the
law. 57
But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through
our Lord Jesus Christ. (KJV) With
the gift of grace comes the Holy Spirit and we shall be gathered
together May 19th, just as Jesus’ believers did the first
Pentecost after our savior’s sacrifice, death on the cross, 3 days
and nights in the tomb and His triumphant resurrection. Acts 1:3-9 3 To these He also presented Himself alive, after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days, and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. 4
And gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave
Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, "Which,"
He said, "you heard of from Me; 5
for John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with
the Holy Spirit not many days from now." 6
And so together, they were asking Him, saying, "Lord,
is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?" 7
He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or
epochs which the Father when they had come has fixed by His own
authority; 8 but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." 9
And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while
they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.
(NAS) Luke
describes this momentous Pentecost that Jesus told His disciples
to wait for, as the advent of the Holy Spirit, and the birth of
the Christ’s New Testament Church in Acts chapter two. Acts
2:1-4 1
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in
one place. 2
Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came
from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.
3
They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated
and came to rest on each of them. 4
All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to
speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
(NIV) This
was the fulfillment of Christ’s promise before His departure. John
14:26
But
the Comforter, (even) the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send
in my name, it shall teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance
all that I said unto you. (ASV) Let
us all share in the joy and comfort of Pentecost as partakers of
grace and vessels of the Holy Spirit!
For we are not blessed for ourselves only, but rather that
we may be a blessing to others! Are you here? Church attendance, a subject worthy of many sermons,
yet those who need to hear are not there, and those who hear are
already believers. The
topic is not new; even Moses felt it necessary to address the subject:
De.12:5
"But you shall seek the
Lord at the place which the Lord your God shall choose from
all your tribes, to establish His name there for His dwelling, and
there you shall come. There are almost as many views regarding church attendance,
as there are Christians. Some
think it is not necessary at all, and refer to themselves as couch
potato Christians. Others
who are faithful in attendance often think attendance completes
all requirements of Christianity.
Some view attendance as conscience salve, only going often
enough to prevent guilt from overwhelming them. So I pose a question, why is church attendance important?
Yes, Moses instructed the Israelites to assemble.
And Jesus was in the habit: Lu.4:16 And He came to Nazareth,
where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered
the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. Biblical example of attendance is only the beginning.
A greater reason to attend is to worship our wonderful God.
Ps.29:2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due
to His name; Worship the Lord in holy array. Ps.95:6 Come,
let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. I
find it very difficult to believe that individuals who are poised
in front of their TV with a bag of chips and the remote are worshiping
God. Let’s not kid
on another, worship demands effort and has some outward evidence.
True there may be occasions when we need to be at home on
the Sabbath, but under normal circumstances worship requires more
than the remote. Fellowship is also a very important
part of attendance. The
fact is we all need contact with one another. Ro.1:12 that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other's faith, both yours and mine. 1Jn.1:7 but if we walk in the light as He Himself is
in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood
of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. Of
the many reasons to attend one of the more important is fellowship.
It is at church that our faith is strengthened, that we draw
encouragement from one another.
Yes, the sermons are important, and the music is inspiring,
but fellowship is everyone’s opportunity to contribute to the worship
of God. Every
single Christian should be in church at every opportunity to fellowship
with the saints. I
am convinced that when we decide that worship of God is important
to us and we assemble together, we not only make each other happy,
we make God happy. Regular
church attendance provides us with learning opportunities, with
fellow Christians to help us carry our burden.
Regular church attendance helps every one of us maintain
our attitude and focus, providing encouragement and inspiration.
So
I urge you, don’t fail to capitalize on this wonderful opportunity
to assemble together in worship, encouraging one another.
Heb.10:25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of
some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see
the day drawing near. Church
is one place we need to be seen in worship, in fellowship, in service
to one another, will you be here? Joe Kirkpatrick |
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