June 2008

Volume 5, issue 6

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Text Box: When we look back on how God has led our church, it is easy to see that it was His hand that has guided us and provided for us. At just the right time, Liberty Baptist moved into their new building and made available their old building for our use. After months of looking at various properties in the Mt. Airy community, God put us in touch with the owners of our current property, who did not quote us a price but instead asked us to make them an offer. Then, when we made an offer, they told us they would sell it for 10 percent less than that as a tithe to God’s work. There are many more examples of God’s hand, too many for this short article. Now we are in our new building, and we are experiencing God’s blessing in our fellowship, our worship, and our ministries. God has brought us together to raise up a testimony to His name for a purpose. We are here for a reason. When we look to the Bible, we find that God has a glorious future for the Church of Christ, and that we can expect to see some of that glory here in our lifetime. Jesus said in Matthew 16:18: “I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.” Jesus speaks of the church as conquering and expanding, and this fits with the commission He gave to His church to make disciples of all nations. God uses the word of His gospel and our testimony to Christ to conquer His enemies and to build His church. The church is God’s partner in the work that He is accomplishing in the world. We cannot escape the fact that we are here for a purpose. If we as a local church are a part of the universal church, then we have a part to play in the mission of His church. Christ’s command to His universal church is also His command to Mt. Airy Presbyterian Church: “Go and make disciples of all nations”. And the miracle of Pentecost is proof that God has not left us to do this on our own. He has given us His Holy Spirit. How can we fulfill our mission and our mandate? What should we do to obey God in this? Jesus gave us the overall strategy for His church in Acts 1:8: to begin in Jerusalem, then in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the uttermost part of the earth. Here is the outline, but what part are we to have in all this? What contribution can we make, and how should we proceed? Please join us in prayer that God might grant us a heart to serve Him and the wisdom to know how. Also, let us pray for the Spirit to empower our witness and break open stony hearts to receive the Living Word. The Sunday school break, which begins June 15, provides an opportunity for us to join together in prayer. So, beginning June 22, we plan on holding a biweekly prayer meeting during the “Sunday school hour” following worship service. Please come if you can.

Ellspring Online!

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters”

Isaiah 55:1
Text Box: What’s Text Box: Next?

But those who HOPE

in the LORD

will renew their STRENGTH...