NEW LIFE !
JULY?AUGUST 2015
GOT LIFE Time To Get Excited Again As a kid I looked forward to that special day... No, I’m not talking about my birthday. I’m talking about Sunday mornings. Today that probably sounds absolutely crazy to some people. But I’ve heard parents recently say how much their children look forward to going to church. As a child there was something special about going to church. I couldn’t wait to quote my scriptures, hoping that I was the one who said it perfectly without any pauses. Or looking forward to singing in the choir with the other children. As a teen, that enjoyment was still there. I even looked forward to the youth weekday service with the church Elder and his wife. Church was a special place, and seldom did the thought cross my mind that I wish I could stay home sometimes. So what happens to our excitement about gathering with other believers each week as we grow older? I find myself puzzled by the idea that some people see gathering with the saints as a chore they wish they could by pass or rush for it to be over.
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I often ask myself, and others too, how can some people thoughtlessly choose to deny themselves the opportunity to fellowship with their family? How does attending weekly service become a bore? I still get excited about Sundays. Some weeks I’m like a little kid wondering what is God going to do? What is it that God wants me to experience this week? And sometimes I just need tohangout with God and His family because it was one of those weeks. I think many people have lost the ability to experience and enjoy the presence of God and the fellowship of His children. However, I believe that that experience is the most healing and refreshing moment of our human life. Think about it, the day of Pentecost was the greatest event of the New Covenant (Testament) church when God’s Spirit came in the midst of a group of Christ followers. Every time we gather with other believers should be the highlight of our week. Why? Because it is a glimpse of what heaven will be like...a great big
Don’t Forget It At the start of 2015 Bishop Perry preached a messaged titled. “I’m Blessed!” The message was to be a statement of faith spoken into the lives of every born again believer. Our blessing is not based on the material goods we obtained or even how great things around us appeared to be. Instead, the fact that we are blessed is wholely connected to who we are in God through the purchasing power of the blood of Jesus Christ. Through redemption we have been grafted into the family of God and the covenant promises. No matter what comes our way, no matter obstacles we find ourselves faced with, no matter how hard the fight, we can stand boldly on the promise that we are blessed through Jesus Christ. It is in our weakness that we see His power, greatness, and the blessing of our salvation. Let us not forget that we are blessed! -Pastor Mel
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