To God's Beloved At Cloverdale Baptist Church:
One last Sunday before September, and our big kick off for the fall is on the way (September 11, Luncheon and Growth Group Kick Off). There are many ministries that are looking for servants, so if you are willing to be a part of our ministry team please contact the person in charge of that ministry and join us in seeking to glorify God by serving in His strength. As we meditate on Ephesians 4:11-16 what we discover is that our hope for maturity and stability is found in the service of every member of the Body. We need your gifts to be in play to be as healthy as we can be. Would also strongly encourage you to be a part of a Growth Group this year. Please talk with Pastor Les, or sign up! As we grow larger it is essential we grow smaller as well, to deepen relationships with one another and to obey God's commands for community. Your involvement in a small group is essential to your spiritual health, and living encouraged hope filled lives on mission for the glory of God.
Prayer: We have two summer prayer meetings left, encourage you to join us for both as we seek to make sure we are entering the year in God's strength (Tuesday Nights @ 7:00). I am putting together a Partners In Prayer ministry for personal prayer saturation, starting this September, and a number of you have contacted me to be a part of this. If this is on your heart, to commit to pray for me, and specific requests from me, at a minimum of once a week, please let me know and I will add you to our list. It is so important that we are actively dependent on God, so that great things happen and He gets all of the glory!
Last week in Sunday 2 Sunday, we started a mini series on friendship, as we know from God's Word that as our friends go so go we...(Hebrews 3:12-14; Proverbs 22:24-25; 1 Corinthians 15:33). Choosing our friends and being a good friend will shape our lives (Proverbs 13:20), so what God describes as being a good friend is essential to understand and pursue for our own health. I have a few close friends who have changed my life with their FAITHFULNESS, to me in my journey, and this is the first mark of a friend that we should choose and be.
F: Faithfulness: Proverbs 17:17; 27:10
The second mark is, R: Right Relationship With God. Proverbs has as foundational to wisdom, the fear of the LORD (Proverbs 1:7). Having a first love relationship with God is key to being someone who will help others to grow in their walk with God, and to being a good friend!
The heart always overflows (Proverbs 4:23), and although none of us is perfect, finding friends that know God, by grace through faith, and are devoted to obeying His Word in all of life is essential for long term health (2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1; Matthew 7:21-28). How we view life is most impacted by our view of God, and our view of God is most impacted by our core beliefs about Him. I have been tremendously helped by friends who have prayed with me, and also encouraged me in the midst of all of life, to make choices that will most glorify God, no matter how I feel at the time.
We tend to love those who love the same things we love. If we love the Canucks, we want people to hope with us in September and grieve with us in May. If we love God we will be those who encourage others to grow and prioritize following Him, and we will spur one another on to love and good deeds and live together in love and obedience in light of eternity (2 Corinthians 4:16-18). Key to finding friends who are in a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with God is being in a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with God ourselves. Having a passion to live for Jesus will attract others of the same passion and spur us on to being who God wants us to be!
It is essential in our lives to pursue God, and to be around others who are pursuing Him. Your friends will shape you, and you will shape them. Be a friend, and choose friends, who are FAITHFUL, and who are, like you, in a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with God.
Sunday Is Coming:
Title: Found: God's Will
Text: 1 Peter 4:1-11
Many struggle with the idea of seeking to find the will of God, seeking to hear the voice of God, especially on specific issues. It is important for us to know God's will if we are going to be a people who honour God all of the time!
Why do you think sometimes it is so hard for us to know what God's will is? Romans 12:1-2
"God's will, will always glorify God" What do you think that this means?
How does that statement work itself out in practical ways?
How does 1 Peter 4:8 help us to understand God's will for our lives?
How does 1 Peter 4:11 help us to understand God's will for our lives?
What are some ways that you can grow in your knowledge of God's will and become more and more effective at living it out?
Have an amazing week, and today take the time to evaluate yourself as a friend...does your history show you are FAITHFUL? Are you someone who is in RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with God? If the answer to those is yes, I praise God for friends like you and am seeking to be more and more characterized by those attributes!
Seeking God's Glory With You,
Pastor Rob