Good Friday Message / Prayer Request

Acts 2:42 Men’s Fellowship

“Am I leading a rebellion," said Jesus, "that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled." Mark 14:48-49 NIV

In the gospel of Mark, this is where Christ becomes a prisoner for each one of us. This is the point where Christ submits to the will of the Father and begins the journey to the cross. From this moment, Jesus becomes a spectacle to the world through six trials and then his eventual execution in the same brutal way as a murderer would be killed.

Everyone at that moment simply thought he was hanging on the cross to die...

Yet this was never the plan according to God. He was not simply hanging on a tree, a spectacle to all those who mocked him or did not believe. He was not brought there to die. The journey Jesus was on was one of redemption. He was there hanging on that cross so the Scriptures may be fulfilled.

Today with it being Good Friday, do you feel that weight? Do you realize that it was not a rebellion Christ was leading? He even said it at the beginning of the passage. Nothing in that sequence of events which led Him to the cross was meant to be an Earthly rebellion, a victory in worldly terms.

What Christ was doing is saving each one of us from ultimate destruction. He was saving each one of us personally from the sins we have committed against our heavenly Father. His death was our life. That is the weight of that moment.

Yet today for many people will be just another day. Good Friday will mean nothing to them and just be a day on the calendar preparing for Sunday. Many throughout this world will travel down the road of life today and not reflect upon what happened on this day nearly two thousand years ago.

Let us not be this person. Instead let us reflect upon Christ hanging on that cross and realizing that it was something special. That His death there was our death there. His cross was my cross. In fact I should be the one hanging there instead of Him. Yet, He did it for me.

There are probably not many more words that can be said to emphasize this point. In fact it is difficult to put any of this into words because what was accomplished on that day is bigger than anything I can even say. And to be honest, it is bigger than anything I can understand because each one of us has our own cross to bear. Your cross has its own sins that none of us may ever know.

But please believe me when I say that Christ is on your cross to. Christ was there in place of you as well. I am certain of that because I have seen Him bring people back from their sins in a way that only God can be glorified. Therefore when the world seems dark, always remember that Christ was there on that cross for you.

And there is nothing more which needs to be completed. For Jesus completed everything that day and sealed the fate for all who may believe:

“Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” John 19:28-30 NIV

He finished it for us and fulfilled the Scriptures that all of us may be saved. The price has been paid for each one of us...

Today we do not mark a rebellion. Instead what we mark is the moment when everything was finished. Please feel that weight because it is huge. Your life and my life changed nearly two thousand years ago.

When Sunday comes and the tomb has been opened to find out that He has risen, let us look back to the weight of today and then realize that what happened on Good Friday was true. Because the empty tomb signifies the truth, that Christ did overcome death for each one of us on our cross.

May you feel the weight of today and honor Him with your thanks, your love, and your faith…

Let the love of Christ be with you today.


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 his brother-in-law Jerry who may be released from the hospital here soon, 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

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 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

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
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 – pray that I make walk worthy of the Lord today, pray that Beth and I will continue to seek the Lord in our daily provisions, pray that we can financially become more secure, 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

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 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

****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


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