Friday, August 01, 2008
Help with Sermon Series
This Sunday we are going to ask the congregation to consider 1 prayer that they would pray for our church what that would be. This is based on the idea of a sermon series called one prayer that many churches did this past summer. After hearing a podcast on my way to Romania from one of the Pastors who did this series, he suggested asking our congregation what their one prayer would be, so we are going to do that and then take these suggestions and put together a series for this fall. I cant wait to see what will happen in this series. So here is the question, if you could ask the Lord for one thing for CBC what would be? Submit here and i will put it in with the other suggestions. Later, gotta pack for our trip
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5 comments:
Pastor,
Not long ago, in a sermon of yours, you said something that I remember hearing at my very first women's retreat...so this would be my prayer for our church. That people from in and outside of our church community, as well as in and outside of the Ewing Twp. community, would truly and clearly see Central Baptist as a hospital for hurting people, not a country club for the elite, knowing without a doubt that they can come here and find help, healing and the sincere love of Christ.
Have a great trip and be blessed with wonderful weather,
Pam M.
Wow Pastor,only 1? How about 1 with subsections :)
I was one of the transportation drivers who was stretched - but mightily blessed - during VBS week. During last week's sermon you spoke about the lost souls you were able to connect with in Romania because you were sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading...the previous week Pastor Ray invited the congregation to reach to those in Japan...and so it hit me. Going across the world to reach lost souls is important, yet probably not feasible for most of us...but what about going across the street - or in the case of Homefront, around the corner?
My prayer for CBC is that it's people would pray. Pray that the Holy Spirit would reveal how each of us is being called to reach a lost world. Pray that we would fully understand the impact each one of us can make. That it's not something that should be left to "others who are more outgoing" to handle. Because it may not entail going across an ocean - it may be as simple but important as driving a van. Because transporting people to church could very well translate into transporting people to heaven. Driving a van is but one example - there are many ways to reach out to the dozens of lost souls we come into contact with each day...so my prayer is that we as a congregation pray - for our eyes to be opened and our spirits to be attuned to those who are lost and hurting around us.
We don't have to go very far or be very creative. There's a man who sells newspapers on a busy street in Trenton. I pass him every day. One day during the past heat wave I stopped long enough to hand him a cold bottle of water. Now he smiles and waves when he sees me. We chat briefly if the light is red. A connection has been made...a seed has been planted. That bottle of water could lead to a drink of Living Water - but only because I took a second of my time to reach out.
To be a Church that knows How to hear from God. As It stats in Ephesians 2:8-9 Salvation is a gift from God and unless we accept it we can not boast about It!! God Will give us the power and the strength we need to serve him. In doing a study this summer I realized that unless we are sensitive to what God tells us we will lose our sensitivity to What God is saying to us. We can even become burnt out trying to figure out what we want, if we don't listen to what he tells us, this I belive I found out when I was called to be at my Dad's Side in his final day's, God was already placing me to my works and I did not even realize it until I listened to what he was calling me to do. I pray we can be a church that can hear from God And unite as One Body of believers!
Pastor Gay--
What an excellent concept; but I must say I understand what "T", who left a comment, means by asking "only one??".
So, this was actually not a tough one except that you are allowing only one prayer request to be asked and answered; that's the tough part. Well here goes--
I am, have been and will continue to pray that we at CBC will be given the opportunity to come to learn the; who, what, where, when, how and why; the from "soup to nutz", and the from "A to Z" about...
THE DEVIL, THE EVIL ONE, THE ENEMY, DECEIVER, LUCIFER, FATHER OF ALL LIES, THE ACCUSER,THE TEMPTER, BEELZEBUB......SATAN!!!!
I feel that many of us at CBC live a life of defeat and confusion because they do not know who the enemy is and especially who the enemy WAS!!. They cannot understand the schemes of the devil because they DON'T KNOW this adversary, not even a little bit do they know him nor his power, territory, tricks, appearance(s), methods, resources, his false sense of peace 'within', and (I love this one)...his false and oh sooo "still small voice"; just...like...GOD'S.
So many regard Satan as having so much influence instead of as the defeated foe that he is...he was CAST DOWN by the Almighty! CAST DOWN!!
Can we even find the scripture verses that show his defeat, that name him for who he is, accuser, father of all lies etc so that we can meditate on them??
Can we find or do we know the verses that show The Christ as the victor over Satan? Why was Christ the victor? Victor over what, and how? Do we understand the blood? The sacrifice? Do… we… understand?
Which brings me to a last point ( really, I could talk on this prayer request for hours and hours but I will end it). If we do not understand the enemy, how can we truly, sincerely understand Calvary and live a life that honors the suffering and death our Lord Jesus; who is our victory? How can we understand this, if we don't know and aren’t taught the; who, what, where, when, how, and why about our Lord’s last words, “IT IS FINISHED”…what’s finished?? Hosea 4:6 says we are defeated because of a lack of knowledge.
So I pray that we will be strengthened as the church by a rich, rich sermon series and Bible study about the enemy, allowing to us to understand just how powerful God is and how much more we should love Him.
Libby Beasley
Pastor Gay--
What an excellent concept; but I must say I understand what "T", who left a comment, means by asking "only one??".
So, this was actually not a tough one except that you are allowing only one prayer request to be asked and answered; that's the tough part. Well here goes--
I am, have been and will continue to pray that we at CBC will be given the opportunity to learn the; who, what, where, when, how and why; the from "soup to nutz", and the from "A to Z" about...
THE DEVIL, THE EVIL ONE, THE ENEMY, DECEIVER, LUCIFER, FATHER OF ALL LIES, THE ACCUSER,THE TEMPTER, BEELZEBUB......SATAN!!!!
I feel that many of us at CBC live a life of defeat and confusion because they do not know who the enemy is and especially who the enemy WAS!!. They cannot understand the schemes of the devil because they DON'T KNOW this adversary, not even a little bit do they know about him nor his power, territory, tricks, appearance(s), methods, resources, his false sense of peace 'within', and (I love this one)...his false and oh sooo "still small voice"; just...like...GOD'S.
So many regard Satan as having so much influence instead of as the defeated foe that he is...he was CAST DOWN by the Almighty! CAST DOWN!!
Can we even find the scripture verses that show his defeat, that name him for who he is, accuser, father of all lies etc so that we can meditate on them??
Can we find or do we know the verses that show The Christ as the victor over Satan? Why was Christ the victor? Victor over what, and how? Do we understand the blood? The sacrifice? Do… we… understand?
Which brings me to a last point (really, I could talk on this prayer request for hours and hours but I will end it). If we do not understand the enemy, how can we truly, sincerely understand Calvary and live a life that honors the suffering and death our Lord Jesus; who is our victory? How can we understand this, if we don't know and aren’t taught the; who, what, where, when, how, and why about our Lord’s last words, “IT IS FINISHED”…what’s finished?? Hosea 4:6 says we are defeated because of a lack of knowledge. One more “last thing” (hee hee)…
We stand sooo confused as to who the devil is and how he ‘slithers’ his way in that I find many giving Satan credit for what GOD is doing!! I USED TO DO THIS; Yikes! Lesson missed and learning lost. Woe to the Christian that says that the devil never comes after them as though they are doing okay spiritually…wrong…He’s leaving you be because perhaps you are not a threat to him.( a favorite Pastor taught me that, I’ll mention no names but his initials are Richard Gay:))
Okay one more last, last thing…
We lose the power we have in prayer because we have no influence with God in prayer. We pray without boldness and certainty because the devil shakes us or leads us away from our dependence on God displayed thru prayer.He shakes our faith, and without faith, it is impossible to please God. (Hebrews 11:6)
So I pray that we will be strengthened as the church by a rich, rich sermon series and Bible study about the enemy, allowing us to understand just how powerful Satan is and his schemes; moreover, to understand just how omnipotent is the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and the WHALLOP we pack thru true prayer.
Romans 8 captures it; ‘if God is for us who can be against us?’
No one because…
It… IS… finished
SO STICK A FORK IN THE DEVIL…HE’S DONE!!
Libby Beasley
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