Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Our pastor is in the Dominican Rebublic doing some pastor training. Here is his latest blog post!

http://kevinivy.blogspot.com/2014/02/mission-surge-dominican-republic-update.html?m=1

Gifts

Romans 12:3
For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.

Paul begins with humility, and in the verses following outlines that while the body of Christ is one body working together, the many members do not have the same function. As members of Christ’s body, we have different gifts enabled by the grace of God, and we should offer those gifts according to our faith. We each have a measure of faith, and God has done the measuring. It is not a good idea to compare the offering of the gifts that God has given us with the gifts of others. This leads us to jealousy, envy, and distracts us from what is important: our ongoing relationship with the Lord. The gifts of the body of Christ are offered for the good of the body, and God delights in all of that offering. Trust in Him to lead you by the precise measure of faith given to you.

Verse/Commentary courtesy of 'Verse-A-Day' app.
http://www.verse-a-day.com/Apps

Saturday, February 22, 2014

Prayer

"For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God's will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you--that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine."
                             ~ Romans 1:9-12

"For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God." ~Phil 1:8-11

"And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." ~Col 1:9-14

"To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. ~ 2 Thess 1:11-12 

Paul's prayers were earnest and overflowing with love for these brothers in Christ. My challenge for us is that when we pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ, that our prayers be as fervent and filled with love as Paul's were, not just a routine. As Christians, we are on a battleground and desperately need people who are on their knees interceding for each other. There is power in prayer because the One who hears those prayers is all-powerful and He loves us.