To God’s Beloved At Cloverdale Baptist Church:
How can you know if you are taking the spiritual battle we are in seriously? It is sometimes easy to ignore the greater reality of spiritual warfare during times of relative ease, or it is sometimes easy to ignore the spiritual battle by focusing on perceived earthly enemies in times of trouble.
It has been a privilege to continue teaching in Discipleship Hour, and although the teacher is slow, the Word of God is powerful. This week we discussed the importance of being aware of the battle and engaged with the Armor of God on. This is not easy and takes discipline and dependence to accomplish. It is well worth our time to understand each piece of armor, and seek to make sure we are ready to battle in the strength of the LORD!
In fact, if you are serious about this, stop right now and read Ephesians 6:10-19.
Welcome back…so clear that if we want to be victorious in the fight we must be Gospel Oriented and Word Saturated. It is interesting to note that this passage closes with a call to pray…in the Spirit, always and about everything.
Why is it that we don’t pray as much as we could or should? There are probably multiple reasons, but primarily I think it is because we don’t live in the presence of God, knowing our need for His power to get through the day in a way that glorifies His name.
Prayer, as understood in Ephesians 6, should infuse all of the other pieces of armor. We are to be a people of prayer because we know God and need God!
So how should this show in our lives?
Well in two specific ways. Personal prayer and corporate prayer. These are both essential to victorious Christian living. So, as Jonathon did so effectively on Sunday, may we be encouraged to be a people of prayer…and may it show in the practice of the presence of God as well as in our commitment to corporate prayer (like the Prayer Meeting this coming Sunday at 7). A churches health can be measured by its prayer, and prayer is the key to health, so let us be a people who PRAY!
Please pray for our pursuit of a discipleship/care pastor. If you know of a candidate that might be God’s choice for this essential role in our family, please let the search committee know (lee@wiebe.ca). Please pray for the search committee as well! WE NEED YOUR HELP AND PRAYERS IN THIS FOR GOD'S WILL!
Sunday Is Coming:
It is always a special Sunday for us, when we celebrate communion. Please join us this Sunday ready to rejoice and remember the richness of what Jesus has done for us. The more we are united in our love for Him, the more it will overflow in a love for one another and a passion for His mission.
Communion is a gift from Jesus, to the church to feed us spiritually, so as we partake in this symbol, take the time to prepare your heart and mind to do it relationally so that the power of the ordinance impacts your entire life, and you are drawn closer to Jesus and His people through His work in your life as you obey with us!
Text: Colossians 1:1-14
Title: Thanksgiving: Prayed for, Commanded, Overflowing…
Read Colossians 1:1-14
- Why is this prayer of Paul so key to obeying what we find in the rest of the book?
- Why does Paul place such a strong emphasis on THANKSGIVING?
- How can we pray prayers like this for ourselves and others?
- What can you do from verses 12-14 to increase the thankfulness that you feel towards God and in all of life?
We have a BAPTISM service coming, if you are ready to take this step of obedience to God, please contact one of our pastoral staff.
Thankful...for Him and you,
Pastor Rob
Bulletin
Men’s Breakfast
Sat. Feb. 3rd / 8:30 AM / Fellow. Hall Men of all ages, come and enjoy a wonderful breakfast, fellowship, and spiritual food together!
Seniors Valentine's Day Lunch
Wed. Feb. 7th / 11:30 am / Fellow. Hall Seniors—get your tickets to our February 7th Valentine’s Day lunch available for the next two Sundays in the foyer. Our special guest will be concertmaster violinist Dr. Calvin Dyck, who brings humor and accomplished skill to his performance.
Discipleship Classes
Every Sunday at 9am Our Discipleship Classes are back with new classes for all ages. Learn more about our classes >
Dad & Daughter Event
Sat. Feb. 10th / 2:00 PM / Gym A special event for girls ages 4-12 and their dad, grandpa, or uncle. Featuring a facilitated craft—planting and decorating a flower pot, a message about raising daughters by one of our Men's Ministry leaders, and ice cream sundaes for everyone. Register at the Women's Ministries table in the foyer, $5 per family (space is limited).
Missions Evening
Sun. Feb. 11th / 7:00 pm / Fellow. Hall Julie Gibson, one of our missionaries serving with WEC, will be reporting on her ministry work.
Growth Group Notes:
Growth Group Notes: Colossians 1:1-14
Thank you for joining us in seeking to help God’s people connect with Him, and to connect with His family at Cloverdale Baptist Church. Growth Groups are the heart of our strategy to connect with God and one another in unity for His glory…so THANK YOU for your part in pursuing this with us. Please continue to keep these relationships strong and intentionally pursue the Christian life in these communities, especially with our New Year’s goal of increased community.
Text: Colossians 1:1-14
Title: Being Thankful: Prayed For, Commanded and Overflowing
- o Why is it sometimes hard to be thankful always?
- o Why does God command this to be a part of who we are all of the time?
- o How is this even possible?
Read Colossians 1:1-14
What does Paul thank God for in these verses (verse 3)?
Why do you think he prays that these people would be filled with thanksgiving?
Why does God place such a high priority on thanksgiving?
As we look at what Paul reminds them that God has done, review each of these words and why they should cause you to be full of thanksgiving:
- Qualified:
- Delivered:
- Redeemed:
- Forgiven:
Why do you think these realities will help us to be thankful always?
How can you bring them to mind in your life so that you are more thankful?
What does a lack of thanksgiving display about the perspective of life that we have?
How can you preach the Gospel to yourself every day so that your heart is filled with thanksgiving?
What does praying this for others look like in your life?
How can you apply specifically what Paul is seeking to accomplish in verses 1-14 of Colossians?
Prayer:
- Spend time in thanking God for what He has done for you.
Use the words that the text used as you do this…
- Qualified:
- Delivered:
- Redeemed:
- Forgiven:
Ask that God would help you to be faithful to His Word and be thankful for your salvation.
Pray that we would be a thankful church!
- Spend time thanking God for the Gospel and other wonderful things in your life:
Pray for our search committee in their pursuit of a Discipleship/care pastor.
Other prayer requests: