Weekly Message / Prayer Request

Acts 2:42 Men’s Fellowship

“After the affected article has been washed, the priest is to examine it, and if the mildew has not changed its appearance, even though it has not spread, it is unclean. Burn it with fire, whether the mildew has affected one side or the other. If, when the priest examines it, the mildew has faded after the article has been washed, he is to tear the contaminated part out of the clothing, or the leather, or the woven or knitted material. But if it reappears in the clothing, or in the woven or knitted material, or in the leather article, it is spreading, and whatever has the mildew must be burned with fire. The clothing, or the woven or knitted material, or any leather article that has been washed and is rid of the mildew, must be washed again, and it will be clean.” Leviticus 13:55-58 NIV

There is nothing easy about the book of Leviticus. Yet this is where I find myself in my Bible reading plan. The one thing I have definitely noticed by reading a few sections the wrong time of day is never try to read this book right before bed. All the nuanced details about ceremonial offerings are difficult to keep focused on when your mind is shutting down for the day.

But can we learn anything from these words even though all of these sacrifices have been made obsolete by Christ? Do they play an important part of our life as a Christian? After all isn’t this part of the Scripture simply talking about how the Israelites were to properly deal with a contagious skin disease?

I believe we should first start with what the Apostle Paul shared with Timothy regarding the importance Scripture. He said that all Scripture is profitable for teaching, rebuking, and training (2 Timothy 3:16). He did not say to Timothy that only part of the Scriptures is useful; instead he said all of the Scriptures are. This is very important because every word is from God and was inspired by Him for our benefit. Therefore sections of the Scripture which may seem like a history lesson should be viewed equally important with those which speak of some theological discourse.

Here in the opening passage we have a section that discusses the proper way that priests should handle garments from those who were infected with a skin disease. Very practical and it was designed to prevent the spread of the disease to others. So I believe God put this in the Scriptures for a very sensible reason, much like many of the other teachings throughout the book of Leviticus (or even the book of Numbers). God loves His people and wants them to be safe.

Yet as I was reading, I realized that from this section of the Scriptures comes a powerful metaphor of sin. Because isn’t sin the garment we wear, covering our true nature to others through deceit, anger, slander, selfishness, and other sinful desires?

If this is the case, then I believe what we have here is an incredible metaphor to how sin is to be handled. There is no substitute for taking the easy way out with the sin in our lives. We must first recognize it as the priests recognize mildew (matching our lives up with Christ), then go through the cleansing process (repentance and prayer), and verify that we are sin free (accountability with others).

All of us at times will accept a particular sin being contained or faded in the garments we wear. We will justify it by saying, ‘What I am doing does not cause harm with anyone else…” or say “I am not as bad as that person…” or even declare “Look at all the progress I have made…” We will justify the existence of our sin by satisfying it with our own comforting words.

Yet just as the priest in Leviticus cannot declare the garment clean until there is no evidence of the mildew, our lives cannot be declared clean until all evidence of a particular sin has been removed as well. We must complete the process and allow Him to finish the work He has started in us.

Even as this news seems discouraging and difficult, there is something significant about our lives as Christians. For we have a high priest which has already cleansed us for our eternal redemption which has been prepared:

“When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.” Hebrews 9:11,12 NIV

Therefore this is our hope and should encouragement us for the trials we face. For we are not bound by sin, but instead can be made clean by the high priest who loves us—Jesus Christ.

Let us meditate on this thought during the coming week and give thanks for the hope we have in Christ…


Prayer requests

Paul – pray that God will continue to guide him in Eastern Washington and protect him during his travels

Ernie – praise God for his goodness, pray for Hee Young who was in a car accident pregnant with two children that God will watch over all of them, pray for Jerry’s rehab from the medical dialysis that he is going through, pray for the health of his wife

David – praise God for the life he provided him, pray the Lord would lead him to an apartment

Ramon – praise God for continually bringing him work, praise God for the health of his wife, pray that his daughter may be comforted while she is going through counseling, pray that he may have the strength and ability to put in wood floors at his son’s house

Bill M – praise God for Gary making it to Oklahoma and finding a job, pray for Gary’s continued success and that he may be strengthened in his marriage, pray that his family will have a safe trip to Santa Barbara

Richard – pray for his son that he may be able to find some success at work and find strength in working two jobs

Gary S – praise God for the job he was able to find in Oklahoma, pray for his marriage and that God will help them be able to work through the distance and any trouble they may be facing

Tim D – praise God for His faithfulness, pray that all the believers in the church will have the desire to seek out Him and to reach out to others

Carmine – pray that he will be strengthened at work with his relationships with coworkers

Calvin – pray that he will find a good work family balance and that he may find success at work, pray that he will be able to return to the group soon

Greg – praise God for having other brothers in Christ, pray for his daughter who moved out that they all will be watched over, pray for the leadership of the church that they will provide Biblical leadership

Mark – praise God for this group staying strong for continually returning to this table to study the Word and encouraging one another in prayer, pray that he will heal Beth from a sinus infection, pray that God will provide all of us the ability to reach out to the younger generation and pass on the blessing from the Lord

***Pray that Northshore can continue to make an impact in the local community for our Lord Jesus Christ

Continued prayer needs

Joe T – pray for his brother who unintentially overdosed on Tylenol, praise God he lives, pray for his son Joey who is dealing with seizures, pray for his wife, praise God for his patience and that his oldest son accepted Christ

Brett S – praise God for bringing him here to the group healthy and with energy, pray that he will continue to have some more good days of strength and health

Sky – praise God that the move to Bellingham has gone smoothly and he is now attending a school up there

Jimmy – pray that he will be able to walk more consistently with the Lord

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

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

Larry Miller – pray that he will be able to find work, pray that he will be able to strengthen the marriage ministry at Northshore

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, March 25th, 7:00-9:00 pm, regular meeting at Northshore Christian Church

**** Wednesday, April 1st, 7:00-9:00 pm, meeting with Tim Dresler at Northshore Christian Church

Wednesday, April 8th, 7:00-9:00 pm, regular meeting at Northshore Christian Church

**** Wednesday, April 15th, 7:00-9:00 pm, meeting with Tim Dresler at Northshore Christian Church

Wednesday, April 22nd, 7:00-9:00 pm, regular meeting at Northshore Christian Church


Group Happenings

“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 Salutation / Predestination, Redemption, Inheritance in Christ
2. Ephesians 1:15-23 Resources in Christ
3. Ephesians 2:1-10 New Life in Christ
4. Ephesians 2:11-22 Unity in Christ
5. Ephesians 3:1-13 The purpose of the mystery revealed
6. Ephesians 3:14-21 God’s Fullness for the Church
7. Ephesians 4:1-6 God’s Plan for Faithful Living in the Church
8. Ephesians 4:7-16 God’s Son Endows and Builds the Church
9. Ephesians 4:17-32 God’s Pattern and Principles for members of the Church
10. Ephesians 5:1-14 Walking in love / Living in Light
11. Ephesians 5:15-21 Walking in wisdom / Filled with God’s Spirit
12. Ephesians 5:22-6:9 God’s standard for Authority and Submission in the Church
13. Ephesians 6:10-17 God’s provision for His children’s spiritual battles
14. 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