Weekly Message / Prayer Request

Acts 2:42 Men’s Fellowship

“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” Ephesians 4:1-3 NIV

Isn’t it interesting how so much conflict in our lives come from the fact that people do not see the same thing the same way. In fact, sometimes people will even agree on the conclusion but disagree on the way we are to get there. This is very common in our workplace and extremely common in the church.

For example, all of us in the church believe in the Great Commission because that is what Christ proclaimed us to do. He said that we should go and make disciples of all nations and baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (paraphrase from Matthew 28:19). Almost everyone I know in the church believes this. Yet the discussion is always about the means because many people have differing views about how this should be carried out.

So when we begin discussing the concept of unity, it becomes a very difficult topic. It is not something we can simply declare and say since there are various levels of unity. In some cases unity may simply be around a common organizational name. Other times it may be around a common concept. It may be around a common person (as Paul even mentioned in the book of 1 Corinthians about people saying they were of Apollos or was of Paul). These types of unity exist.

But are any of these the type of unity the Bible says we are to have with one another? Or is there a different type of unity that God desires of us?

Jesus prayed this before all of the disciples in the gospel of John: “…that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (John 17:21 ESV). That we may be all one just as the Father and Jesus is one? That type of unity is not simply based around a common organizational name I believe. There is certainly something of substance behind that type of unity and simply not something we can say we have. It is something that needs to be discussed and prayed about.

Therefore it was exciting to walk into the Acts group after CTL and see the group discussing one of the most important parts of the Christian faith—unity. It is something that needs to be worked out in the church because we are unified beyond what all of us see. Our unity is based in Christ and we are connected to one another through the Holy Spirit. We are family, brothers and sisters of one another in Christ.

This of course does not mean we will not struggle to come to a unity in seeing things the same way. This does not mean we should not challenge others in their views to ensure accountability is upheld for fear of disunity. And it never means we should compromise core beliefs and the truth in order to join with others in thought. We have been made differently and each has different gifts and experiences to share within the ‘body of Christ’ while the truth is to be upheld at all times.

But what I believe we need to do is consider the strength of our unity in Christ and match it up with what divides us. What unites us is our true condition as Christians. It would be like measuring the effect of the moon’s gravitational pull on the earth’s orbit around the sun. Science tells us that the moon does have a gravitational pull on other celestial bodies. Yet the difference is minimal. For the reason why the earth is in orbit around the sun is not because of the moon, it is because of the sun and its gravitational pull.

This is our unity. For our orbit in life is because of Christ. Each one of us exists because of Him and we all exist together because of His plan. His “gravitational pull” keeps everything together in the same orbit because He is in all and through all (Colossians 1:16-17).

Paul shared to each one of us what we have been given—the ministry of reconciliation:

“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation…” 2 Corinthians 5:18 NIV

This ministry is at the center of all unity. For the church has been called to be peacemakers in a world divided by selfish, self-centered ideas. By sharing a ministry of reconciliation to this world, we are going forth by God to love others as Christ has so loved us.

Therefore this coming week, let us consider what unity is and how we can strive to put the ministry of reconciliation into action. For we are all connected as one body; all connected as the church; all called to serve; called as one to a world so desperately needing a Savior.


Prayer requests

Over the next few weeks, I am considering changing the format of our prayer request here on the weekly email. It seems like we need to mix things up little so we can make a further an impact for our Lord Jesus Christ. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know.

In order to make this impact, I want to stress what these prayer requests are. All of these are things the members of this group have wanted to make public to the ‘body of Christ’ so that we may raise them up to Him in unity in prayer. We have firmly believed in the power of prayer from the beginning of this group and I personally have seen God work mightily in them and through them.

But please know that many times certain prayers need to be held confidential and kept in a small circle of believers. In these cases, myself or others in this group have been and are still willing to pray with you one on one. Let us know.
So as we continue to move in a direction God has set forth, let us continue to pray for others earnestly and continually. If anyone wants to share a prayer request, please email them so we can pray for them…

Carmine – pray that he will have peace for his upcoming surgery

Ernie – praise God for his goodness, pray for his brother-in-law Jerry who is still working through his recovery from surgery, pray of Nathan who is about to finish basic training, pray for all the Christians who are in Sudan and Congo

David – praise God for the life he provided him, pray for wisdom at work as he takes on a leadership role, pray the Lord will open up an opportunity for him to goto Bible College

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

Bill M – praise God for touching his heart about giving thanks as a way of learning, pray for the men of the Acts group, pray for his grandchildren who were exposed to whooping cough and that they may remain healthy.

Richard – pray that he will be able to have a stronger foundation in faith

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 bringing forth Mardee’s baby and giving her life, pray for her protection, pray that I make walk worthy of the Lord today, pray for all those who have lost their jobs because of the recession

***Pray that all of us may feel the weight of Good Friday

Continued prayer needs

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

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

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

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

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

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

****Wednesday, April 29th, 7:00-9:00 pm, meeting with Tim Dresler at Northshore Christian Church

**** Wednesday, May 6th, 7:00-9:00 pm, meeting with Tim Dresler at Northshore Christian Church

Wednesday, May 13th, 7:00-9:00 pm, regular meeting at Northshore Christian Church

**** Wednesday, May 20th, 7:00-9:00 pm, meeting with Tim Dresler at Northshore Christian Church

Group Happenings

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