Bible Verses for Service May 21, 2023
Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
1 John 4:5-6
They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
Announcements:
La Vie’s Baby Bottle Campaign, themed this year as “Change for Hope” runs from May 14 (Mother’s Day) through June 18 (Father’s Day). You can give online, but we will place a large baby bottle in the foyer where you can place your gift. The La Vie pregnancy center provides free and low-cost services to the women in our community. La Vie’s mission is “To empower individuals to embrace hope by providing loving, compassionate care for those facing unplanned pregnancies.”
We will have a deacon’s meeting on May 25th at the home of the Witschis in the Heights.
Vacation Bible School, June 5-9. Theme: Keepers of the Kingdom. Please be sure to mark your calendars. We look forward to an exciting week of ministering to children. VBS runs from 9AM to 11:45AM. As usual, we need people to help so please let Natasha know if you can give of your time that week.
In preparation for VBS, we will have a meeting May 24 at 6:30 to get organized for the week of VBS. We will go over the daily schedule and responsibilities of each position. If you are planning to help, please do all you can to be there.
Steve Jones provided his new address: 12 Sada Place, Los Lunas, NM 87031
Sermon:
Working through Luke, Pastor preached on Luke 8:22-39, “A Meeting with Legion.” In this section, Luke relates the story of Jesus meeting demon possessed men in an area on the other side of the lake from Capernium. Pastor reminded us that not much has changed in 2000 years, Satan is still at work in the world just as he was in Christ’s time. So we should take this battle seriously, the latest trans fad for example. In studying our example today, Pastor asked us to consider the three barriers Satan put up, and Christ’s response to them.
Firstly, Satan used the natural forces in world to try to kill the disciples, and Jesus through a storm. But, that storm couldn’t stop him. Christ had a plan: Visit the other side of the lake to take care of the demon possessed man. Jesus wanted to free this man from Satan’s influence, which is a good reason for Satan to resist. But, his intended obstruction didn’t stop Jesus or the disciples. In fact, it was another opportunity for God to use evil for good. Through commanding the natural forces of the storm to quit, Jesus demonstrated he was Lord over the natural world’s forces too.
Second, Jesus illustrated that the demons couldn’t intimidate Him. On arrival on the other side of the lake, the possessed man immediately sought out Jesus. He had terrified others with his superhuman strength and strange behavior, including his choice of residence, tombs. However, Jesus quickly illustrated that in His presence the terrorizers became the terrorized. Rather than running Jesus off, in the presence of His power, the demons who possessed the man begged not to be cast into the abyss.
Through Jesus’s power, the man who was enslaved became free, liberated. Once the locals showed up, they found him sitting at Jesus’ feet in his right mind. He had peace of mind, peace of heart. Now he was no longer tormented, nor did he torment.
Thirdly, Jesus illustrates that rejection does not hinder him. What was the response of the town’s people to this miracle? Fright. They obviously realized that they were in presence of someone very powerful, but they were scared. They wanted Jesus to leave. While it is easy to look down on the town’s people, thinking we wouldn’t have done that, Pastor asked us to consider that a common sin is to want to do things in our own way. However, Jesus mission went on regardless of this rejection because the healed man accepted Jesus charge to go tell his family and friends what the Lord had done for him.
Pastor asked us to think of the big picture here, what is our mission in the world in which we live? Is not to shine as lights in a dark world? We have this power through Him. Pastor closed with a quote from a famous English evangelist, William Cowper: “Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon their knees.” Let’s not forget our power, prayer to our Father.
Accessing the Service, Bulletin and Sermon Outline:
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