Acts 2:42 Men’s Fellowship
“To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Colossians 1:27 NIV
This morning is a very special morning in America even if we did not vote for the person who is about to take the oath of office. It represents a peaceful exchange of power from one person to the next, without violence, without confusion, and something which many people throughout the world will never have the opportunity to experience. This is truly an American experience.
Yet never before in my lifetime have I seen so much hope put in one person. Throughout this country millions of Americans are resting their hope in the new President. In fact a recent Washington Post poll says that 79 percent of Americans are optimistic about the next four years, which is higher than any other incoming President since the poll was taken.
On Fox News this morning while they were interviewing the VIP’s on the step of the Capital building, Steven Spielberg was looking out over the national mall in Washington DC when he said, “It is amazing to see so much hope in one spot.” Images of this type of hope are echoing on every news channel in America today as we bring forth the 44th President of the United States.
So as I witness the events of today and reflect upon its meaning for this country, I cannot help to feel startled by the contrast which is taking place. For this is the inauguration of a leader with the pomp and circumstance that rivals any leader in history. The world is looking upon this man with fanfare, parades, galas, dinners, and every other form of praise known to man. Other countries are giving him the praises worthy of a king.
But let us be wary of this hope and praise, for President Obama is still only a man. Yes he is the President; yes he deserves the respect of the office; yes we are to pray for him as our leader; and yes we are to render unto ‘Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's’ (Luke 20:25).
However, the only true and glorious riches are found in Christ, which is the true hope of glory. Upon this rests the contrast.
For Christ, the Son of God, did not come into this world with such celebration or praises. He did not live a life of prominence, living in the luxury of those who have led nations. He never used His ‘position’ to gather the following of man in order to gain a position above man. He lived in humility and died as an accused criminal. Yet from this life of ‘ordinary’ existence comes all things in which was created by Him, and for Him (Colossians 1:16).
Therefore the contrast between Christ’s entrance into prominence is completely counter-cultural to how we nominate and elect our leaders of today. This contrast I believe can be directly tied to the warning the Apostle Paul gave the Corinthian people:
“Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a ‘fool’ so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight…” 1 Corinthians 3:18,19 NIV
So as the events of the day begin to unfold and the next four years begin, I believe we need to reevaluate how much we rely on the world’s wisdom and how much we rely on the Lord. I believe we need to consider how much of our hope rests in Washington DC and how much of our hope rests in the Word of God.
The Church is to live counter-cultural to the world as Christ demonstrated. This I know is not easy because every day I find myself battling hope by the world’s standard. Right now I find myself in prayer about the pressures of this world…
But I believe living counter-cultural is not simply the actions we take; instead it is the mindset we should live by. This begins with Christ and ends with Him as well. The means is the end. On this special day, let us consider the special way which has been laid out before us. For Christ is the way, the truth, and the life… (John 14:6)
Prayer requests
Paul – praise God for how He is working thing out in Prosser and in his life, pray that he will be able to travel home this weekend
Ernie – praise God for the positive report of his wife’s doctor’s appointment, praise God for the continued healing of his grandson who recently had surgery on his throat cancer, pray for wife’s brother Gerry who is in intensive care because of a blood clot following surgery
Bill M – praise God for the test results of his PSA count after prostrate surgery, pray that his grandson’s hearing exam will go fine
Greg – praise God for taking care of a recent bill on his daughter’s cell phone, pray that he will continue to keep his eyes squarely focused on Him, pray for his brother who is having hernia surgery
David – praise God for the abundant life He has provided, pray that God will continue to give him wisdom, pray that he will continue to learn how to recognize his voice, pray that he may become more articulate about the Word and sharing
Richard – pray for all the turmoil in the Middle East and that our government will make the right decisions on how to be involved with the conflict in Gaza and beyond
Tim D – praise God for choosing us, pray that the government job which he recently applied for will work out according to His will
Mark – praise God for the health of his wife and that the results from a doctor’s appointment well well, praise God for a recent trip to Poulsbo with the family and how much fun it was, pray that God will guide this group of men through the study of the book of Ephesians and that it will make an impact for Him in the hearts of other men
***Pray that Northshore can continue to make an impact in the local community for our Lord Jesus Christ
Continued prayer needs
Calvin – pray that the men of this church will become energized for God, pray for his brother which is dealing with a difficult custody battle
Carmine – pray for the troops which are serving overseas and for their financial health and security
Dick – praise for his new job that it is a good fit and he can be successful
Kelcy – pray for all the pastors and leaders within the Church
Stephen G – pray for strength in teaching kids at school so they may learn and become better students
Steve S – pray that he will be able to trust more in God
Brett S – pray that he will be able to stay strong in the Word and continue to come back to this fellowship
Nelson – pray for the President-elect that he will be a man of God, pray for his brother Bob
Tim W – pray for wife who is going to Germany to visit parents who may not be doing well, pray that a great deal of success came from the auction which happened on Saturday night
Ramon – pray that God will continue to heal his wife Tina and give her strength in the coming days
Larry Miller – pray that he will be able to find work, pray that he will be able to strengthen the marriage ministry at Northshore
Sky – pray that the move to Bellingham will be smooth and he will be able to attend school up there to pursue some of his goals
Tim H – pray for his wife to find her ministry
Gary – pray for strength as he works through all the various stresses of life, pray for the health of his wife
Brent – pray that he will find clarity and guidance for finding the right person to marry
Chad – pray for continued seeking of purity in his life
Future Meetings
**** Wednesday, January 21st, 7:00-9:00 pm, meeting with Tim Dresler at Northshore Christian Church in room C214
Wednesday, January 28th, 7:00-9:00 pm, regular meeting at Northshore Christian Church
**** Wednesday, February 4th, 7:00-9:00 pm, meeting with Tim Dresler at Northshore Christian Church
Wednesday, February 11th, 7:00-9:00 pm, regular meeting at Northshore Christian Church
**** Wednesday, February 18th, 7:00-9:00 pm, meeting with Tim Dresler at Northshore Christian Church
Group Happenings
Just started… “Ephesians: The Wealth of God in us”—A study through the book of Ephesians, verse by verse, chapter by chapter, so we can discover all we have been given by God…
As the world continues to tell all of us all what we do not have and what we are lacking; as each one of us continue to struggle through tough economic times; as the Church continues to face new challenges; I believe there is no better time than to truly discover all we do have as Christians. We have been blessed beyond measure through our Lord Jesus Christ and by Him have access to all of God's promises.
By studying all the topics covered in the book of Ephesians together in this fellowship of men, my prayer is that all of us will truly come to understand that we have "The wealth of God in us".
Pray that this study will be a tremendous blessing to each one of us, a blessing to the Church, and an opportunity for the Acts 2:42 Men's Fellowship to continue the calling God has placed on all of our hearts...
I invite you to invite others so that through this study, we can minister unto others and share the love of God.
God bless and I look forward to seeing you at our next meeting.
In Christ,
Mark
Ephesians Study Outline
Here is the outline of the study plan we are looking at covering while we study the book of Ephesians:
Part number
1. Ephesians 1:1-14 Predestination, Redemption, Inheritance in Christ
2. Ephesians 1:15-23 Resources in Christ
3. Ephesians 2:1-10 New Life in Christ
4. Ephesians 2:11-3:13 Unity in Christ
5. Ephesians 3:14-21 God’s Fullness for the Church
6. Ephesians 4:1-6 God’s Plan for Faithful Living in the Church
7. Ephesians 4:7-16 God’s Son Endows and Builds the Church
8. Ephesians 4:17-32 God’s Pattern and Principles for members of the Church
9. Ephesians 5:1-14 Walking in love / Living in Light
10. Ephesians 5:15-21 Walking in wisdom / Filled with God’s Spirit
11. Ephesians 5:22-6:9 God’s standard for Authority and Submission in the Church
12. Ephesians 6:10-17 God’s provision for His children’s spiritual battles
13. Ephesians 6:18-24 God’s appeal for prayer in the Church / Benediction
Memory Verse
“But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded!” 2 Chronicles 15:7 NKJV
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Weekly Message / Prayer Request
Acts 2:42 Men’s Fellowship
“Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, ‘Who do men say that I am?’ So they answered, ‘John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’” Mark 8:27-29 NKJV
There is so much information available to us. We live in a time where information streams at us in a way that is almost unavoidable. All you have to do is consider all the advertisements a person will witness during the day. They are on the radio, on the side of the road, on buses or other vehicles, ect. A person can hardly avoid them.
Yet the information does not stop there. We have access to more books than at any time in history. We can look on the World Wide Web to find out about a business or product. We have people calling us, emailing us, faxing us, text messaging us, writing us, with the intent to share more information. We are bombarded with information. This truly is what some scholars say is the information age.
This can be very helpful because now we can research into the Bible like no other time in history. For example, I just finished the outline to the first fourteen verses of the book of Ephesians for our study tomorrow night. I was able to pull from multiple sources to write out this outline; resources which told me about the context of the verses, cross references to them, and even Greek word studies to the words used in these verses. Two hundred years ago these resources were not available to the average person. Instead they were only available to the Biblical scholars of that time.
We should feel blessed because of the information available, but I believe we have become numb by the amount of information. Today information has turned into a detriment to society because of its shear volume.
Now any one piece of information can barely make an impact because our lives have been shaped by a certain worldview created by this constant bombardment of information. If something does not fit into the worldview created, it is quickly discarded and treated as if the information is false; which explains why the question of truth is at the heart of almost every debate on the evening news.
This is nothing new because in the opening passage, Jesus was making reference to the worldview of his disciples. Throughout Scripture the disciples are constantly described as shaping their opinion of Christ based upon their own worldview. Look at their failure to understand the importance of humility (Matthew 20:20-23); or their ‘earthly’ view toward the Samaritans when James and John wanted to call fire down from heaven against them (Luke 9:54); or even when the people wanted to make Jesus King of Israel in a physical sense (John 6:15). All of these views of Christ were based upon a certain worldview.
But the key thing is regardless to the worldview, Christ should the one which is being preached. For the Apostle Paul made this clear when he said:
“…Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.” Philippians 1:18b NKJV
Everything we do as Christians should be focused on one thing—Christ.
Our worldview should take a backseat when it comes to focusing on Christ because nothing else truly matters. Peter had it correct when he quickly responded to Jesus’ question by saying ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God’ (Matthew 16:16). His focus was on the truth. His focus was on Jesus. If we could only remain this focused, imagine how we could be used for His glory.
Therefore as vast amounts of information swirl about your everyday life, remember where our focus should remain. No matter what the world may be saying, no matter what our friends may be saying, no matter what is the latest “facts” on the nightly news, let us stay fixated on the truth like Peter—Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
Prayer requests
Paul – praise God for how He is working thing out in Prosser and in his life, pray that he will be able to travel home this weekend
Ernie – praise God for the positive report of his wife’s doctor’s appointment, praise God for the continued healing of his grandson who recently had surgery on his throat cancer, pray for wife’s brother Gerry who is in intensive care because of a blood clot following surgery
Bill M – praise God for the test results of his PSA count after prostrate surgery, pray that his grandson’s hearing exam will go fine
Greg – praise God for taking care of a recent bill on his daughter’s cell phone, pray that he will continue to keep his eyes squarely focused on Him, pray for his brother who is having hernia surgery
David – praise God for the abundant life He has provided, pray that God will continue to give him wisdom, pray that he will continue to learn how to recognize his voice, pray that he may become more articulate about the Word and sharing
Richard – pray for all the turmoil in the Middle East and that our government will make the right decisions on how to be involved with the conflict in Gaza and beyond
Tim D – praise God for choosing us, pray that the government job which he recently applied for will work out according to His will
Mark – praise God for the health of his wife and that the results from a doctor’s appointment well well, praise God for a recent trip to Poulsbo with the family and how much fun it was, pray that God will guide this group of men through the study of the book of Ephesians and that it will make an impact for Him in the hearts of other men
***Pray that Northshore can continue to make an impact in the local community for our Lord Jesus Christ
Continued prayer needs
Calvin – pray that the men of this church will become energized for God, pray for his brother which is dealing with a difficult custody battle
Carmine – pray for the troops which are serving overseas and for their financial health and security
Dick – praise for his new job that it is a good fit and he can be successful
Kelcy – pray for all the pastors and leaders within the Church
Stephen G – pray for strength in teaching kids at school so they may learn and become better students
Steve S – pray that he will be able to trust more in God
Brett S – pray that he will be able to stay strong in the Word and continue to come back to this fellowship
Nelson – pray for the President-elect that he will be a man of God, pray for his brother Bob
Tim W – pray for wife who is going to Germany to visit parents who may not be doing well, pray that a great deal of success came from the auction which happened on Saturday night
Ramon – pray that God will continue to heal his wife Tina and give her strength in the coming days
Larry Miller – pray that he will be able to find work, pray that he will be able to strengthen the marriage ministry at Northshore
Sky – pray that the move to Bellingham will be smooth and he will be able to attend school up there to pursue some of his goals
Kevin – pray for his youngest daughter and her boyfriend that they make smart choices, pray for exwife
Tim H – pray for his wife to find her ministry
Gary – pray for strength as he works through all the various stresses of life, pray for the health of his wife
Brent – pray that he will find clarity and guidance for finding the right person to marry
Keith – pray that their youngest daughter will be able to do well in college
Chad – pray for continued seeking of purity in his life
Future Meetings
**** Wednesday, January 21st, 7:00-9:00 pm, meeting with Tim Dresler at Northshore Christian Church in room C214
Wednesday, January 28th, 7:00-9:00 pm, regular meeting at Northshore Christian Church
**** Wednesday, February 4th, 7:00-9:00 pm, meeting with Tim Dresler at Northshore Christian Church
Wednesday, February 11th, 7:00-9:00 pm, regular meeting at Northshore Christian Church
**** Wednesday, February 18th, 7:00-9:00 pm, meeting with Tim Dresler at Northshore Christian Church
Group Happenings
Just started… “Ephesians: The Wealth of God in us”—A study through the book of Ephesians, verse by verse, chapter by chapter, so we can discover all we have been given by God…
As the world continues to tell all of us all what we do not have and what we are lacking; as each one of us continue to struggle through tough economic times; as the Church continues to face new challenges; I believe there is no better time then to truly discover all we do have as Christians. We have been blessed beyond measure through our Lord Jesus Christ and by Him have access to all of God's promises.
By studying all the topics covered in the book of Ephesians together in this fellowship of men, my prayer is that all of us will truly come to understand that we have "The wealth of God in us".
Pray that this study will be a tremendous blessing to each one of us, a blessing to the Church, and an opportunity for the Acts 2:42 Men's Fellowship to continue the calling God has placed on all of our hearts...
I invite you to invite others so that through this study, we can minister unto others and share the love of God.
God bless and I look forward to seeing you at our next meeting.
In Christ,
Mark
Memory Verse
“But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded!” 2 Chronicles 15:7 NKJV
“Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, ‘Who do men say that I am?’ So they answered, ‘John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’” Mark 8:27-29 NKJV
There is so much information available to us. We live in a time where information streams at us in a way that is almost unavoidable. All you have to do is consider all the advertisements a person will witness during the day. They are on the radio, on the side of the road, on buses or other vehicles, ect. A person can hardly avoid them.
Yet the information does not stop there. We have access to more books than at any time in history. We can look on the World Wide Web to find out about a business or product. We have people calling us, emailing us, faxing us, text messaging us, writing us, with the intent to share more information. We are bombarded with information. This truly is what some scholars say is the information age.
This can be very helpful because now we can research into the Bible like no other time in history. For example, I just finished the outline to the first fourteen verses of the book of Ephesians for our study tomorrow night. I was able to pull from multiple sources to write out this outline; resources which told me about the context of the verses, cross references to them, and even Greek word studies to the words used in these verses. Two hundred years ago these resources were not available to the average person. Instead they were only available to the Biblical scholars of that time.
We should feel blessed because of the information available, but I believe we have become numb by the amount of information. Today information has turned into a detriment to society because of its shear volume.
Now any one piece of information can barely make an impact because our lives have been shaped by a certain worldview created by this constant bombardment of information. If something does not fit into the worldview created, it is quickly discarded and treated as if the information is false; which explains why the question of truth is at the heart of almost every debate on the evening news.
This is nothing new because in the opening passage, Jesus was making reference to the worldview of his disciples. Throughout Scripture the disciples are constantly described as shaping their opinion of Christ based upon their own worldview. Look at their failure to understand the importance of humility (Matthew 20:20-23); or their ‘earthly’ view toward the Samaritans when James and John wanted to call fire down from heaven against them (Luke 9:54); or even when the people wanted to make Jesus King of Israel in a physical sense (John 6:15). All of these views of Christ were based upon a certain worldview.
But the key thing is regardless to the worldview, Christ should the one which is being preached. For the Apostle Paul made this clear when he said:
“…Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.” Philippians 1:18b NKJV
Everything we do as Christians should be focused on one thing—Christ.
Our worldview should take a backseat when it comes to focusing on Christ because nothing else truly matters. Peter had it correct when he quickly responded to Jesus’ question by saying ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God’ (Matthew 16:16). His focus was on the truth. His focus was on Jesus. If we could only remain this focused, imagine how we could be used for His glory.
Therefore as vast amounts of information swirl about your everyday life, remember where our focus should remain. No matter what the world may be saying, no matter what our friends may be saying, no matter what is the latest “facts” on the nightly news, let us stay fixated on the truth like Peter—Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
Prayer requests
Paul – praise God for how He is working thing out in Prosser and in his life, pray that he will be able to travel home this weekend
Ernie – praise God for the positive report of his wife’s doctor’s appointment, praise God for the continued healing of his grandson who recently had surgery on his throat cancer, pray for wife’s brother Gerry who is in intensive care because of a blood clot following surgery
Bill M – praise God for the test results of his PSA count after prostrate surgery, pray that his grandson’s hearing exam will go fine
Greg – praise God for taking care of a recent bill on his daughter’s cell phone, pray that he will continue to keep his eyes squarely focused on Him, pray for his brother who is having hernia surgery
David – praise God for the abundant life He has provided, pray that God will continue to give him wisdom, pray that he will continue to learn how to recognize his voice, pray that he may become more articulate about the Word and sharing
Richard – pray for all the turmoil in the Middle East and that our government will make the right decisions on how to be involved with the conflict in Gaza and beyond
Tim D – praise God for choosing us, pray that the government job which he recently applied for will work out according to His will
Mark – praise God for the health of his wife and that the results from a doctor’s appointment well well, praise God for a recent trip to Poulsbo with the family and how much fun it was, pray that God will guide this group of men through the study of the book of Ephesians and that it will make an impact for Him in the hearts of other men
***Pray that Northshore can continue to make an impact in the local community for our Lord Jesus Christ
Continued prayer needs
Calvin – pray that the men of this church will become energized for God, pray for his brother which is dealing with a difficult custody battle
Carmine – pray for the troops which are serving overseas and for their financial health and security
Dick – praise for his new job that it is a good fit and he can be successful
Kelcy – pray for all the pastors and leaders within the Church
Stephen G – pray for strength in teaching kids at school so they may learn and become better students
Steve S – pray that he will be able to trust more in God
Brett S – pray that he will be able to stay strong in the Word and continue to come back to this fellowship
Nelson – pray for the President-elect that he will be a man of God, pray for his brother Bob
Tim W – pray for wife who is going to Germany to visit parents who may not be doing well, pray that a great deal of success came from the auction which happened on Saturday night
Ramon – pray that God will continue to heal his wife Tina and give her strength in the coming days
Larry Miller – pray that he will be able to find work, pray that he will be able to strengthen the marriage ministry at Northshore
Sky – pray that the move to Bellingham will be smooth and he will be able to attend school up there to pursue some of his goals
Kevin – pray for his youngest daughter and her boyfriend that they make smart choices, pray for exwife
Tim H – pray for his wife to find her ministry
Gary – pray for strength as he works through all the various stresses of life, pray for the health of his wife
Brent – pray that he will find clarity and guidance for finding the right person to marry
Keith – pray that their youngest daughter will be able to do well in college
Chad – pray for continued seeking of purity in his life
Future Meetings
**** Wednesday, January 21st, 7:00-9:00 pm, meeting with Tim Dresler at Northshore Christian Church in room C214
Wednesday, January 28th, 7:00-9:00 pm, regular meeting at Northshore Christian Church
**** Wednesday, February 4th, 7:00-9:00 pm, meeting with Tim Dresler at Northshore Christian Church
Wednesday, February 11th, 7:00-9:00 pm, regular meeting at Northshore Christian Church
**** Wednesday, February 18th, 7:00-9:00 pm, meeting with Tim Dresler at Northshore Christian Church
Group Happenings
Just started… “Ephesians: The Wealth of God in us”—A study through the book of Ephesians, verse by verse, chapter by chapter, so we can discover all we have been given by God…
As the world continues to tell all of us all what we do not have and what we are lacking; as each one of us continue to struggle through tough economic times; as the Church continues to face new challenges; I believe there is no better time then to truly discover all we do have as Christians. We have been blessed beyond measure through our Lord Jesus Christ and by Him have access to all of God's promises.
By studying all the topics covered in the book of Ephesians together in this fellowship of men, my prayer is that all of us will truly come to understand that we have "The wealth of God in us".
Pray that this study will be a tremendous blessing to each one of us, a blessing to the Church, and an opportunity for the Acts 2:42 Men's Fellowship to continue the calling God has placed on all of our hearts...
I invite you to invite others so that through this study, we can minister unto others and share the love of God.
God bless and I look forward to seeing you at our next meeting.
In Christ,
Mark
Memory Verse
“But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded!” 2 Chronicles 15:7 NKJV
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Weekly Message / Prayer Request
Acts 2:42 Men’s Fellowship
“So watch yourselves. ‘If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.’” Luke 17:3 NIV
Vince Lombardi is considered one of the greatest NFL coaches of all time. He was the head coach of the Green Bay Packers from 1959-67, winning five league championships during his 9 years of coaching. Every year he had his team ready to play, ready to take on another season. Not once did his team ever have a losing season.
His success was built not on new ideas, looking toward what were the trends of the NFL during his time of coaching. His success was built on the basics, what was fundamental to the game of football.
In fact, one time after the Packers lost a game, he sat his team down for a team meeting. He said they were going to get back to the basics. So he walked into the center of the room with a bag, reached into that bag and pulled out an object and said, “Gentleman, this is a football.” These were professional football players, yet he brought them back to the fundamentals of the game.
I believe we need to do that as Christians. We need to not look forward to trends, to what is the next big thing in Christianity. We need to continue to look back to the fundamentals. We need to reach into the bag at the center of the room and say, “Gentleman, this is the Bible.”
Yet this is not easy because even when we do, it is easy to keep our 21st Century mindset and read it through the language of today. Just look at how we have mangled the word love today in our culture. People will say, ‘I just love that T-shirt’ or ‘I just love those socks’. Really? You just love them? Then a few minutes later turn to your girl and say, ‘I love you baby’. We have watered the word love down completely to where it almost has no meaning.
And it has happened to other words we use. For example, the word rebuke always tends to have this negative cogitation about it. We tend to think as rebuking as this action of setting someone straight harshly, using tough language, in defense of the faith. Yet this is a 21st Century mindset because this is not what the word rebuke meant to the 1st Century Christian. The word rebuke actually meant to the 1st Century Christian ‘to speak truthfully to your brother’ or ‘be straightforward with him’. Not to defend the faith.
This is what we need more of in the Church. We need to get back to the basics. And this can only happen when we develop relationships with others which is why I am constantly striving to emphasize how this group is not just a Bible Study, it is a fellowship. It is about caring and being straightforward with your brother. Loving them for who they are—a part of God’s creation.
We are called to be open with our brother and speak upfront with him in the book of Proverbs where it says:
“Better is open rebuke than hidden love.” Proverbs 27:5 NIV
Brothers, no matter how much we love one another, if we do not come to this place where we can take off the masks and speak straightforward to one another, then we have not come far enough.
I believe we need to be unique in this generation by truly living a ‘counter-cultural’ life. We need to get back to the basics and live according to how God desires us to live.
Billy Graham once said, “The men who followed Him were unique in their generation. They turned the world upside down because their hearts had been turned right side up. The world has never been the same.”
This type of impact could happen again if we began to live like this. If we can only turn our hearts in the right direction and live according to the way God desires us to live. I have a long way to go on this journey as well. But this year, may we all come together in this fellowship and develop relationships that can help each one of us on this journey, to live a life counter to the culture and to live a life glorifying God…
Prayer requests
Kelcy – pray for all the pastors and leaders within the Church
Ernie – pray for wife who is having some health problems and is not feeling well, pray for granddaughter who is having some financial problems
Carmine – pray for the troops which are serving overseas and for their financial health and security
Greg – pray that he will continue to spot the temptations the enemy tries to put in his way and fight through them with Christ
Calvin – pray that the men of this church will become energized for God, pray for his brother which is dealing with a difficult custody battle
Richard – pray for this fellowship of men and that it can continue to make an impact on others for Christ
Dick – praise for his new job that it is a good fit and he can be successful
Tim D – pray that he will be able to continue doing devotions with his children
Mark – pray that this fellowship of men can continue to make an impact on men for Christ, pray for financial discernment as we continue to make ends meet, pray for the Church leadership that they continue to discern the will of the Lord in all the decisions they make
***Pray that Northshore can continue to make an impact in the local community for our Lord Jesus Christ
Continued prayer needs
Paul – pray that God will guide him during the moving process and allow everything to go smooth, pray that His purpose will be made clear over in Prosser
Stephen G – pray for strength in teaching kids at school so they may learn and become better students
Steve S – pray that he will be able to trust more in God
Brett S – pray that he will be able to stay strong in the Word and continue to come back to this fellowship
Nelson – pray for the President-elect that he will be a man of God, pray for his brother Bob
Tim W – pray for wife who is going to Germany to visit parents who may not be doing well, pray that a great deal of success came from the auction which happened on Saturday night
Bill M – praise God that everything has been healed from his prostate surgery, pray that he will continue to remain healthy and return to the group next year
Ramon – pray that God will continue to heal his wife Tina and give her strength in the coming days
Larry Miller – pray that he will be able to find work, pray that he will be able to strengthen the marriage ministry at Northshore
Sky – pray that the move to Bellingham will be smooth and he will be able to attend school up there to pursue some of his goals
Kevin – pray for his youngest daughter and her boyfriend that they make smart choices, pray for exwife
David – pray that he will be able to serve in the children’s ministry and make a difference in the lives of kids
Tim H – pray for his wife to find her ministry
Gary – pray for strength as he works through all the various stresses of life, pray for the health of his wife
Brent – pray that he will find clarity and guidance for finding the right person to marry
Keith – pray that their youngest daughter will be able to do well in college
Chad – pray for continued seeking of purity in his life
Future Meetings
**** Wednesday, January 7th, 7:00-9:00 pm, meeting with Tim Dresler at Northshore Christian Church in room C214 at Northshore Christian Church
Wednesday, January 14th, 7:00-9:00 pm, regular meeting at Northshore Christian Church – Start of the study of Ephesians
**** Wednesday, January 21st, 7:00-9:00 pm, meeting with Tim Dresler at Northshore Christian Church
Wednesday, January 28th, 7:00-9:00 pm, regular meeting at Northshore Christian Church
**** Wednesday, February 4th, 7:00-9:00 pm, meeting with Tim Dresler at Northshore Christian Church
Group Happenings
Coming January 14th, 2009… “Ephesians: The Wealth of God in us”—A study through the book of Ephesians, verse by verse, chapter by chapter, so we can discover all we have been given by God…
As the world continues to tell all of us all what we do not have and what we are lacking; as each one of us continue to struggle through tough economic times; as the Church continues to face new challenges; I believe there is no better time then to truly discover all we do have as Christians. We have been blessed beyond measure through our Lord Jesus Christ and by Him have access to all of God's promises.
By studying all the topics covered in the book of Ephesians together in this fellowship of men, my prayer is that all of us will truly come to understand that we have "The wealth of God in us".
Pray that this study will be a tremendous blessing to each one of us, a blessing to the Church, and an opportunity for the Acts 2:42 Men's Fellowship to continue the calling God has placed on all of our hearts...
I invite you to invite others so that through this study, we can minister unto others and share the love of God.
God bless and I look forward to seeing you at our next meeting.
In Christ,
Mark
Memory Verse
“But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded!” 2 Chronicles 15:7 NKJV
“So watch yourselves. ‘If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.’” Luke 17:3 NIV
Vince Lombardi is considered one of the greatest NFL coaches of all time. He was the head coach of the Green Bay Packers from 1959-67, winning five league championships during his 9 years of coaching. Every year he had his team ready to play, ready to take on another season. Not once did his team ever have a losing season.
His success was built not on new ideas, looking toward what were the trends of the NFL during his time of coaching. His success was built on the basics, what was fundamental to the game of football.
In fact, one time after the Packers lost a game, he sat his team down for a team meeting. He said they were going to get back to the basics. So he walked into the center of the room with a bag, reached into that bag and pulled out an object and said, “Gentleman, this is a football.” These were professional football players, yet he brought them back to the fundamentals of the game.
I believe we need to do that as Christians. We need to not look forward to trends, to what is the next big thing in Christianity. We need to continue to look back to the fundamentals. We need to reach into the bag at the center of the room and say, “Gentleman, this is the Bible.”
Yet this is not easy because even when we do, it is easy to keep our 21st Century mindset and read it through the language of today. Just look at how we have mangled the word love today in our culture. People will say, ‘I just love that T-shirt’ or ‘I just love those socks’. Really? You just love them? Then a few minutes later turn to your girl and say, ‘I love you baby’. We have watered the word love down completely to where it almost has no meaning.
And it has happened to other words we use. For example, the word rebuke always tends to have this negative cogitation about it. We tend to think as rebuking as this action of setting someone straight harshly, using tough language, in defense of the faith. Yet this is a 21st Century mindset because this is not what the word rebuke meant to the 1st Century Christian. The word rebuke actually meant to the 1st Century Christian ‘to speak truthfully to your brother’ or ‘be straightforward with him’. Not to defend the faith.
This is what we need more of in the Church. We need to get back to the basics. And this can only happen when we develop relationships with others which is why I am constantly striving to emphasize how this group is not just a Bible Study, it is a fellowship. It is about caring and being straightforward with your brother. Loving them for who they are—a part of God’s creation.
We are called to be open with our brother and speak upfront with him in the book of Proverbs where it says:
“Better is open rebuke than hidden love.” Proverbs 27:5 NIV
Brothers, no matter how much we love one another, if we do not come to this place where we can take off the masks and speak straightforward to one another, then we have not come far enough.
I believe we need to be unique in this generation by truly living a ‘counter-cultural’ life. We need to get back to the basics and live according to how God desires us to live.
Billy Graham once said, “The men who followed Him were unique in their generation. They turned the world upside down because their hearts had been turned right side up. The world has never been the same.”
This type of impact could happen again if we began to live like this. If we can only turn our hearts in the right direction and live according to the way God desires us to live. I have a long way to go on this journey as well. But this year, may we all come together in this fellowship and develop relationships that can help each one of us on this journey, to live a life counter to the culture and to live a life glorifying God…
Prayer requests
Kelcy – pray for all the pastors and leaders within the Church
Ernie – pray for wife who is having some health problems and is not feeling well, pray for granddaughter who is having some financial problems
Carmine – pray for the troops which are serving overseas and for their financial health and security
Greg – pray that he will continue to spot the temptations the enemy tries to put in his way and fight through them with Christ
Calvin – pray that the men of this church will become energized for God, pray for his brother which is dealing with a difficult custody battle
Richard – pray for this fellowship of men and that it can continue to make an impact on others for Christ
Dick – praise for his new job that it is a good fit and he can be successful
Tim D – pray that he will be able to continue doing devotions with his children
Mark – pray that this fellowship of men can continue to make an impact on men for Christ, pray for financial discernment as we continue to make ends meet, pray for the Church leadership that they continue to discern the will of the Lord in all the decisions they make
***Pray that Northshore can continue to make an impact in the local community for our Lord Jesus Christ
Continued prayer needs
Paul – pray that God will guide him during the moving process and allow everything to go smooth, pray that His purpose will be made clear over in Prosser
Stephen G – pray for strength in teaching kids at school so they may learn and become better students
Steve S – pray that he will be able to trust more in God
Brett S – pray that he will be able to stay strong in the Word and continue to come back to this fellowship
Nelson – pray for the President-elect that he will be a man of God, pray for his brother Bob
Tim W – pray for wife who is going to Germany to visit parents who may not be doing well, pray that a great deal of success came from the auction which happened on Saturday night
Bill M – praise God that everything has been healed from his prostate surgery, pray that he will continue to remain healthy and return to the group next year
Ramon – pray that God will continue to heal his wife Tina and give her strength in the coming days
Larry Miller – pray that he will be able to find work, pray that he will be able to strengthen the marriage ministry at Northshore
Sky – pray that the move to Bellingham will be smooth and he will be able to attend school up there to pursue some of his goals
Kevin – pray for his youngest daughter and her boyfriend that they make smart choices, pray for exwife
David – pray that he will be able to serve in the children’s ministry and make a difference in the lives of kids
Tim H – pray for his wife to find her ministry
Gary – pray for strength as he works through all the various stresses of life, pray for the health of his wife
Brent – pray that he will find clarity and guidance for finding the right person to marry
Keith – pray that their youngest daughter will be able to do well in college
Chad – pray for continued seeking of purity in his life
Future Meetings
**** Wednesday, January 7th, 7:00-9:00 pm, meeting with Tim Dresler at Northshore Christian Church in room C214 at Northshore Christian Church
Wednesday, January 14th, 7:00-9:00 pm, regular meeting at Northshore Christian Church – Start of the study of Ephesians
**** Wednesday, January 21st, 7:00-9:00 pm, meeting with Tim Dresler at Northshore Christian Church
Wednesday, January 28th, 7:00-9:00 pm, regular meeting at Northshore Christian Church
**** Wednesday, February 4th, 7:00-9:00 pm, meeting with Tim Dresler at Northshore Christian Church
Group Happenings
Coming January 14th, 2009… “Ephesians: The Wealth of God in us”—A study through the book of Ephesians, verse by verse, chapter by chapter, so we can discover all we have been given by God…
As the world continues to tell all of us all what we do not have and what we are lacking; as each one of us continue to struggle through tough economic times; as the Church continues to face new challenges; I believe there is no better time then to truly discover all we do have as Christians. We have been blessed beyond measure through our Lord Jesus Christ and by Him have access to all of God's promises.
By studying all the topics covered in the book of Ephesians together in this fellowship of men, my prayer is that all of us will truly come to understand that we have "The wealth of God in us".
Pray that this study will be a tremendous blessing to each one of us, a blessing to the Church, and an opportunity for the Acts 2:42 Men's Fellowship to continue the calling God has placed on all of our hearts...
I invite you to invite others so that through this study, we can minister unto others and share the love of God.
God bless and I look forward to seeing you at our next meeting.
In Christ,
Mark
Memory Verse
“But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded!” 2 Chronicles 15:7 NKJV
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