Weekly Message / Prayer Request

Acts 2:42 Mens Fellowship

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

“Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.’”

Luke 2:8-14 NIV

Brothers, we are on the verge of celebrating one of the greatest gifts we have ever received short of the cross. Nothing on this earth can truly compare to what the birth of Christ the Lord means to us as sinners. This wondrous birth, in the lowliest of places, in the perfection of times, has given us a covenant of peace to cover the great distance that has separated us from our heavenly Father since the fall from grace.

The proclamation of this covenant was given by the Angels when they declared ‘peace to men on whom his favor rests.’ This is what we celebrate on this day. This great statement of peace is where our joy with our family rests. For God raised out His hand with this birth and has offered peace to all of us… no matter the condition we find ourselves in from the sins we may have committed.

Let no one miss the meaning of this great proclamation which was made nearly two thousand years ago!! For the Greek word used in this passage for peace is eirhnh (eirene) and it literally means ‘to join in peace by implication’.

What a great reality we are celebrating this Christmas! We find ourselves justified by God, joined once again to His righteousness, by His son here on earth in human flesh. From this birth, the path toward the cross was set into motion where the redemption of our sins would be complete.

The Apostle Paul made a powerful testimony to this truth when he wrote to the Romans:

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.” Romans 5:1,2 NIV

The birth of Christ is where we have once again been joined to God’s grace. His birth here on earth made the cross possible. His birth on earth is God stretching out His hand to each one of us. His birth on earth is where we celebrate the peace given to us from our heavenly Father.

Brothers, let us celebrate this great proclamation of peace together in unity. May the Lord’s blessings continue to be found in our lives and from their revelation, may God truly transform our minds.

The joy of Christmas is the joy found in this proclamation: ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.’

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I pray that all of you have a very Merry Christmas! All of you will be in my thoughts and prayers.

As I have said in the past, I stand beside all of you. If anyone ever has a prayer request or something they need to share in confidence, please contact me. Therefore we are continuing through the holiday season. So if anyone wishes to join us, our next meeting is going to be on Wednesday, December 26th, 7:00 pm at the Starbucks on Evergreen and 75th (call for directions if necessary).

Prayer requests

Larry – pray for leadership in leading group of men with CTL, pray that the marriage ministry will begin to make a larger impact on the Church

Mark – pray for the health of Amara who has strep throat and a bladder infection, pray for Beth who was in the hospital for possible appendicitis, pray for protection to our unborn child

David – praise for daughter hearing the Word, pray that the Lord will bless others through His work in David

Ernie – praise for continued strengthening of wife during current health episode, pray for the health of wife

Kelcy – pray for Judy Sticklers mom Dorothy who has pancreatic cancer

Tim – pray for health and that any medical issues be resolved in the coming weeks

Dick – praise for job opportunity, pray for safe travels to and from Oregon, pray that strength will be provided for new job

Carmine – pray for a friend in Boston (Paul) who has been recently laid off

Craig – pray that family will come to know Jesus, pray that God will appoint him where He desires, pray for people involved with recent flooding


***Pray for relationship building throughout the Northshore Christian Church

Continued prayer needs

Ramon – pray for strength in his daily life, pray for the continued healing of wife

Gary – pray for strength in working with IRS, praise and prayer for staph infection, pray for stepdaughters in their struggles

Norman – pray for daughter with clinical tests this week trying to determine cause of seizures

Chad – pray for continued seeking of purity in his life

Michael – praise for Michael finding a Church in Alabama for himself and family

*** pray also for the men’s ministry in developing Godly leaders


Future Meetings

Please make note of our schedule. We have two meeting scheduled back-to-back weeks after Christmas. I felt it was important to continue through the holidays because many need even more encouragement and brotherhood this time of year because of the stresses the world tries to burden us with.

Please make note that the next meeting will be at Starbucks in Everett. It is a great opportunity to take this ministry out into the world and to shine our light into the darkness… In 2008 we will return to the Fireside room. Here is the upcoming meeting schedule:


Wednesday, December 26th, 7:00-9:00 pm, regular meeting at the Starbucks on Evergreen Way at the intersection of 75th in Everett (call Mark for directions)

Wednesday, January 2nd, 7:00-9:00 pm, regular meeting with the location to be determined at the December 26th meeting

Wednesday, January 16th, 7:00-9:00 pm, regular meeting in the Fireside room at Northshore Christian Church


Challenge

May we find peace and power within our inner being in order to build unity throughout the Church…