Hebrews 13:8

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."

Back to the blog today after what has been a very hectic last few weeks.  We're going through a lot of changes right now - good changes (moving into our new house), but changes nonetheless.  Change equals activity and busy-ness.  Things have been crazy lately and I have to admit - I have not been as consistent in my daily Scripture reading as I would have liked to be.  I've been busy...maybe too busy?

This morning, I read Hebrews 13:8 - "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."  What a great reminder - our timeless, eternal, unchanging King is always there for us; always waiting for our return with open arms when we've become distracted in our daily hustle.  We can be grateful for the rock-solid foundation His grace and love provide.  Always.

Ephesians 2:13

"But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ."

1 Thessalonians 5:10-11

"He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.  Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."

On Acts: The Mission of the Holy Spirit

Mark Driscoll:

"[...]The mission of the Holy Spirit, as we see throughout Acts, is to bring people to faith in Christ.  As Jesus says to his first followers at the outset of the book: 'You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth' (Acts 1:8).

[...]Throughout the book, we learn to recognize evidence of the Holy Spirit at work:

Bold evangelism (4:15, 31, 33)

Passionate worship (2:47, 4:21)

Generous, sacrifical giving (2:45)

Participation in the life of the church (2:46)

Baptisms (2:41, 8:12)

Lives changed (3:8, 4:36-37)

That’s what I want for our church. That’s what I want for Christians everywhere and for non-Christians who are actually going to be Christians (but, in the providence of God, they just don’t know it yet)..."

Acts 9:1-19 (MSG)

"All this time Saul was breathing down the necks of the Master’s disciples, out for the kill. He went to the Chief Priest and got arrest warrants to take to the meeting places in Damascus so that if he found anyone there belonging to the Way, whether men or women, he could arrest them and bring them to Jerusalem.

He set off. When he got to the outskirts of Damascus, he was suddenly dazed by a blinding flash of light. As he fell to the ground, he heard a voice: 'Saul, Saul, why are you out to get me?'

He said, 'Who are you, Master?'

'I am Jesus, the One you’re hunting down. I want you to get up and enter the city. In the city you’ll be told what to do next.'

His companions stood there dumbstruck—they could hear the sound, but couldn’t see anyone—while Saul, picking himself up off the ground, found himself stone-blind. They had to take him by the hand and lead him into Damascus. He continued blind for three days. He ate nothing, drank nothing.

There was a disciple in Damascus by the name of Ananias. The Master spoke to him in a vision: 'Ananias.'

'Yes, Master?' he answered.

'Get up and go over to Straight Avenue. Ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus. His name is Saul. He’s there praying. He has just had a dream in which he saw a man named Ananias enter the house and lay hands on him so he could see again.'

Ananias protested, 'Master, you can’t be serious. Everybody’s talking about this man and the terrible things he’s been doing, his reign of terror against your people in Jerusalem! And now he’s shown up here with papers from the Chief Priest that give him license to do the same to us.'

But the Master said, 'Don’t argue. Go! I have picked him as my personal representative to non-Jews and kings and Jews. And now I’m about to show him what he’s in for—the hard suffering that goes with this job.'

So Ananias went and found the house, placed his hands on blind Saul, and said, 'Brother Saul, the Master sent me, the same Jesus you saw on your way here. He sent me so you could see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.' No sooner were the words out of his mouth than something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes—he could see again! He got to his feet, was baptized, and sat down with them to a hearty meal."

Join us this Sunday at Walnut St UMC for the second week in our latest series, "Walking the Walk," 8:15 (Traditional), 9:30 (Contemporary) and 11:00 AM (Blended). We hope to see you there!

Every Member, a Minister

"A group of people were discussing their churches not so long ago, and one of the people in our congregation was part of the bunch.  Apparently, people judge the size of a church by the number of ministers it has, so they were comparing notes.  One church had two.  Another had three, and still another four.  Then they asked the man from our church how many ministers his church had.  Without hesitation, he said 'A little over seven thousand.'  He hit the nail on the head - at our church, every member is a minister.  Every person is called to serve."

- Treasures of the Transformed Life, John Ed Mathison (Abingdon Press, p. 249)*

Join us this Sunday at Walnut St UMC for the second week in our latest series, "Walking the Walk," 8:15 (Traditional), 9:30 (Contemporary) and 11:00 AM (Blended).  We hope to see you there!

*Thanks to Martin Quanci for sharing!

Living Water, Real Power

"But whoever drinks the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.  The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."  John 4:14 (ESV)

Last night at the final meeting of our Just Walk Across the Room small group, a young woman (fairly new to our church) spoke candidly about her struggle to lose weight.  She told us that being overweight was causing some potentially serious health problems and that she had recently become convicted that she needed to lose weight - to get into a better state of health and, more importantly, to better honor the God who created and loves her.

She told us about how proud she was that in the last six weeks, she has only missed her daily exercise routine once (last Friday; she had doctor's appointments and attended her friend's Mother's funeral).  And we were incredibly proud and happy for her.  You can really hear in her voice how serious she is about losing the weight.  Very powerful.

She shared two Scriptures with us that she has continually prayed over since making the decision to lose weight and get into better physical shape:

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."  Philippians 4:13

"I am the vine; you are the branches.  If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing."  John 15:5

Don't these really say it all about the Christian life?  In a world that offers false hope and disappointments daily, God promises power and strength in Jesus Christ for our lives.  And it's amazing the difference He makes in our lives when we walk with Him, along His path.  Why go it alone?  We don't have to!  Pray this prayer today:

"Lord, it's another day, to be filled with challenges to meet and decisions to be made.  Lord, I pray that you will fill me with your Spirit so I might make wise decisions and honor you today.  Thank you for Jesus, Lord.  Thank you that I don't have to go it alone, in my own power.  Thank you that you share your power with me in Jesus Christ.  Through you, I can do all things.  Bless me to your service today, Lord.  Amen!"

Acts 2:14-21 (MSG)

"That's when Peter stood up and, backed by the other eleven, spoke out with bold urgency.  'Fellow Jews, all of you who are visiting Jerusalem, listen carefully and get this story straight.  These people aren't drunk as some of you suspect.  They haven't had time to get drunk - it's only nine o'clock in the morning.  This is what the prophet Joel announced would happen:

'In the last days,' God says,
'I will pour out my Spirit
on every kind of people:
Your sons will prophesy,
also your daughters;
Your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
When the time comes,
I'll pour out my Spirit
on those who serve me, men and women both,
and they'll prophesy.
I'll set wonders in the sky above
and signs on the earth below:
Blood and fire and billowing smoke,
the sun turning black and the moon blood-red,
Before the day of the Lord arrives,
the Day tremendous and marvelous;
and whoever calls out for help
to me, God, will be saved.'"

Let Your Light Shine

"As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received."  Ephesians 4:1

"In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."  Matthew 5:16

We were saved as part of God's plan for us.  Ask yourself today, "Are the grace and love of Jesus Christ evident in my life?  What can I do to better let my light shine in God's Kingdom for His purpose?"

Join us this Sunday at Walnut St UMC for the first week in our new series, "Walking the Walk," 8:15 (Traditional), 9:30 (Contemporary) and 11:00 AM (Blended).  We hope to see you there!

Acts 2:47

"...praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.  And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."

The Acts 2 Study Group meets the first Sunday of each month from 6 to 7:30 PM at Walnut Street UMC. Child care is provided. Wherever you are in your walk with Jesus, from novice Christian to senior believer, please accept our invitation to join us as we explore God's Word and the history of the early church. It will change your life.

For more information, please E-mail WalnutStActs2@gmail.com or contact Jeff Lehner at 740-851-7090!