Beloved Brothers and Sisters
I was inspired by Noah’s testimony last Sunday evening (you can listen here). I was inspired primarily for two reasons. The first reason, as we have experienced time and again as we have heard the stories of how God has transformed lives, is that it is exciting to hear again the wonder of salvation applied uniquely to each individual who is saved. The second reason I was inspired by this particular testimony is that it included an internally felt call to go and bring the gospel to a people group who as of yet do not know the gospel.
We all ought to be in prayer that the gospel would continue to conquer into new lands, bringing salvation to new tongues and tribes and nations. We all ought to be eager for opportunities to participate in this charge; that may include committing to sacrificially financially support ongoing missions, giving of our time to go and serve, or helping to equip, build up, encourage, and send out those who feel the call to spend their lives in this kind of service. That is where Noah’s testimony put me to thought.
We have the unique opportunity as a young church yet taking shape to build into our culture the right kind of traditions. We have the ability to build into the very DNA of our body a passion for the furthering of God’s kingdom, both near and far, and taking active steps to bring it about. If God is at work among us (and if He is not we have no purpose continuing on) then He will be calling from among those who will be the next generation of shepherds and missionaries. As young as we are as a church, we already have young men who feel a call to this honorable work.
We have been praying that God would equip our body and grant us the gifts we need to be the body of Christ in Maynardville. We need to give Him praise for how He has already done this. We need to go forward with open eyes expecting for Him to continue to give gifts to our body. We need to be aware of the great privilege and responsibility we have to recognize, equip, build up, encourage, and even send out those whom God gifts among us as many will be called to go out from us to continue the work both near and far.
How exciting is it that God would raise up workers, even in a small fellowship in rural Tennessee, to go out as laborers in others salvation in this great story of redemption. Truly we have every reason to expect that God will do this among us. Truly this is a great privilege and responsibly. Truly we serve a God who is worthy of all our honor and praise; worthy of our very lives.
In Case You Missed It
Our text in our study of Hebrews this past Sunday gave us a brief pause from showing how Christ is better than the angels to warn us that since He is greater than the angels the judgment for rejecting His message is greater than that of rejecting the message of the angels. The author of Hebrews will give us a number of hard warnings like this. Great truth has great consequence. The greater the truth, the greater the consequence of not living in accordance with that truth. Listen: A Greater Judgment: Hebrews 2:1-4
Take some time to meditate on Hebrews 2:5-8 as this Sunday we will take a closer look at man’s place in creation, the dominion man was given, and what that has to do with the incarnation.
Scripture Reading and Prayer
In order to promote unity of heart and mind among us, we are encouraging as many as are willing to join with us in reading through the entire Bible this year together, as well as devoting specific Scriptures to prayer each day. It is our prayer that as we meditate and pray over the same Scriptures each day, that God will work in our midst to bind us to one another, and to give us a common vision for the ministry here in Maynardville. Prayerfully consider joining with us in this endeavor, and we will see how God will work in our midst.
Our Scriptures to pray over this week are:
- Thur (2/20): Lk 17:5; Mk 9:24
- Fri (2/21): Ps 51:1-11
- Sat (2/22): Lk 18:13
- Sun (2/23): Ps 66:18
- Mon (2/24): Rom 10:1; 2 Cor 10:3-5
- Tue (2/25): 1 Tim 2:1-2
- Wed (2/26): Jam 4:6
- Thur (2/27):Jn 17:1-25
Our Scriptures reading schedule for the week is:
- Thur (2/20):Lev 9:7-10:20; Mk 4:26-5:20; Ps 37:30-40; Pr 10:6-7
- Fri (2/21): Lev 11:1-1:8; Mk 5:21-43; Ps 28:1-22; Pr 10:8-9
- Sat (2/22): Lev 13:1-59; Mk 6:1-29; Ps 39:1-13; Pr 10:10
- Sun (2/23): Lev 14:1-57; Mk 6:30-56; Ps 40:1-10; Pr 10:11-12
- Mon (2/24): Lev 15:1-16:28; Mk 7:1-23; Ps 40:11-17; Pr 10:13-14
- Tue (2/25): Lev 16:29-18:30; Mk 7:24-8:10; Ps 41:1-13; Pr 10:15-16
- Wed (2/26): Lev 19:1-20:21; Mk 8:11-38; Ps 42:1-11; Pr 10:17
- Thur (2/27): Lev 20:22-22:16; Mk 9:1-29; Ps 43:1-5; Pr 10:18
With Love and Affection in Christ,
Caleb
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