Pastor’s Page |October 8
Sermon Prep (Read Col 1:9-14)
SERMON PREP! (Colossians 1:9-14)
Have you ever really thought about what you are praying for when you pray for someone? So often we pray such general prayers that they can simply be applied to anyone and everyone. Not only that, but so often our prayers are so vague that we never actually ask God to do anything. We pray, “God, be with Aunt Judy”. Okay…what does that mean? Instead, we should be praying, “God, Aunt Judy has a tendency to try to do too much and she gets overwhelmed and anxious, please help her to keep her eyes and heart focused on You and allow her spirit to be calm and at peace.” Do you see the difference?
Paul was a praying man and his prayers had power. His prayers were also specific. In this week’s passage, Paul is praying for the Colossian church. He has already said that he is grateful for them every time he prays, but in this passage, he tells us what he is actually praying for.
As you go through this text, I want you to notice exactly what he is praying for. Notice how what he prays includes things that God will do for the people and then things that the people will do in response to what God has done in them. So many times, we think of prayer as simply a magic wand, but prayer is meant to strengthen us, encourage us, and motivate us to live our lives in such a way that glorifies Christ. Think about how many times our prayers are more focused on avoiding difficulties rather than asking God to give us the faith in Christ that will then in turn give us the endurance and strength to bring God glory in the difficulty.
I want to encourage you to go through this passage and underline all the things that Paul is praying for. Then take those things and start praying for 5 people in your life for these very same things. I also want to encourage you to pray for these things for yourself.
Also, look at verse 12 and consider what it means that God has qualified us. As you think about the privilege we have in prayer, consider why it is that we, even though we are fallen creatures, can come before such a majestic and holy God. What has Jesus done to make this possible? How does this impact our prayers?
October Sermon Series
Jesus is Lord: A Study of Colossians
10/4 The Hope of the Gospel Col 1:3-9
10/11 Praying for you Col 1:10-14
10/18 The Greatness of Jesus Col 1:15-20
10/25 The Greatness of What He has done Col 1:21-23
Updates, Thoughts and More
All Saint’s Day Service. On November 1st we will be having a special service to honor the memory of our loved ones and church family who have gone to be with Jesus in the previous year and to celebrate our hope in Jesus Christ and His resurrection. If you have a loved one who passed away this previous year and would like to have a candle lit in their memory and have their name mentioned during the service, please email me or contact the church office.
Grief Group. Over the past few weeks, we have had so many people struggling with different events in their life that no one should have to go through alone. Talking with others, we have a huge need for a grief support group in our church. If you are interested in helping to get this ministry going, please let me know.
Grief Group. Over the past few weeks, we have had so many people struggling with different events in their life that no one should have to go through alone. Talking with others and the Stephen Ministry, we have a huge need for a grief support group in our church. If you are interested in helping to get this ministry going, please let me know.
Football picks.
Did you see the Kentucky-South Carolina game last week? What a gutsy call by Coach Stein. I was going to try to work it into my sermon, but I thought I best wait to see what happens this week with the LSU game. Here is my upset pick of the week….Kentucky will upset LSU (maybe for the first half…no wait, I have faith in these Wildcats…UK will win by a field goal!). In other SEC games, I think A&M upsets Mizzou (though I don’t really see it as much of an upset). Florida, Ole Miss, and Tennessee all win easy. The two fun games to watch will be the Bama-Georgia game and the Texas-Oklahoma game. Georgia should win, but you never know with Bama. Texas should wipe the floor with this OK team, but when it is a rivalry game you can throw records out the window. I think Texas wins but it will be a close one.
In the NFL, I think the Cowboys kick it off tonight with a win over the Bucs. The Bears and Packers game will be good. I think the Packers win but it will be close. The other game that will be fun, and I think this maybe a preview of the Superbowl is the Bills and the Rams on Monday night. I think the Bills will be ready to go after that disappointing loss last week. It should be a close game.
What’s Going On This Week
Saturday (10/10)
Mexican Fiesta 6 pm
Sunday (10/11)
Worship Services 9 & 10:30 am
Monday (10/12)
Stitching Angels 1:30 pm
Tuesday (10/13)
Men’s Bible Study and Breakfast 7:30 am
Trish Bassett’s Bible Study 10 am
Wednesday (10/14)
Prayer Warriors 9 am
Sip And Share 10 am
Table Talk (C.S. Lewis Study “The Screwtape Letters”) 5 pm
JAM Youth 5 pm
Bell Choir 6 pm
Choir Practice 6:30 pm
Thursday (10/15)
Davelyn Hays Wisdom of Solomon 9 am
Saturday (10/17)
Alan Tegeler’s Celebration of Life 2 pm
Important Upcoming Dates
10/31 — Fall Festival
11/01 — All Saint’s Day Service
11/14 — Lord’s Acre
Joke of the Week
There was a man, who had worked all his life and was a real miser when it came to his money. Just before he died, he said to his wife...'When I die, I want you to take all my money and put it in the casket with me.
I want to take my money to the afterlife with me.' And so, he got his wife to promise him, with all of her heart, that when he died, she would put all of the money into the casket with him.
Well, he died.
He was stretched out in the casket, his wife was sitting there - dressed in black, and her friend was sitting next to her. When they finished the ceremony, and just before the undertakers got ready to close the casket, the wife said, 'Wait just a moment!'
She had a small metal box with her; she came over with the box and put it in the casket. Then the undertakers locked the casket down and they rolled it away.
Her friend said, 'Girl, I know you were not foolish enough to put all that money in there with your husband.'
The loyal wife replied, 'Listen, I'm a Christian; I cannot go back on my word. I promised him that I was going to put that money into the casket with him and so that is exactly what I did.”
You mean to tell me you put that money in the casket with him!?!?!?'
'I sure did,' said the wife.
'I got it all together, put it into my account, and wrote him a check.... and if he can cash it, then he
Memory Verse of the Week
Colossians 1:3–5 (NIV84)
Colossians 1:13–14 (NIV84)
13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Quote of the Week
“Like victorious kings who uproot whole populations and resettle them in other lands, God has wrested believers from the tyrannical rule of darkness and “brought [them] into the kingdom of the Son he loves” (lit., “the Son of his love”). Changing lordships means changing kingdoms”
David Garland
A Little Devotion on the Danger of Church Gossip
“A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends.” — Proverbs 16:28
Every church has one. You know the person. We might even be the person. They don't gossip. They just "share prayer concerns." They don't spread rumors. They just want you to be informed. They don't stir up trouble. They just think somebody ought to know what's going on. Gossip and complaining often go hand in hand. Often our complaining is wrapped in an accusation and then delivered as gossip. And the person will mill around, trying to find someone to talk to, so they can then share their gossip and grievance so that they can simply stir the pot. We all have seen it, we all have heard it, and sadly we all have shared it at some point.
And somehow, by the time this person has made their rounds around to whoever they can gripe to, the story has grown legs, learned a new language, and gotten promoted to something that never actually happened. One person says, "I heard..." Another says, "Really? I heard..." And pretty soon someone says, "Well, everybody knows..." No, everybody doesn't know. But now everybody knows what you think everybody knows!
Gossip is dangerous because words can travel faster than facts and do more damage than fists. James compares the tongue to a fire. (James 3:5–6) And that's a pretty good picture of church gossip. A little spark can turn into a forest fire before anybody realizes what happened.
The sad thing is that gossip doesn't just damage reputations. It damages relationships, divides churches, destroys trust, and grieves the Holy Spirit. Paul tells the church in Ephesians 4:29, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up.” Before you share something, ask yourself, Is it true? Is it necessary? And is it helpful?
One last question to ask… Would I say it if that person were standing right here? That last question will eliminate about 87% of church gossip. There is a simple rule we ought to remember: If you wouldn't say it to their face, don't say it behind their back. So, the next time someone comes to you to gripe about something or to share a concern they have about something in the church, instead of listening to them, say to them, “Why don’t we go get that person and clear it up right now.” My bet is that person will drop it right then and there.
