Aug 29

Promises!  Promises!

  “(H)e has granted to us his precious and very great promises” (2 Peter 1:4)
This fall, our theme for the church services will be “Promises!  Promises!” as we consider the stories of men and women in the Old Testament that were given the promises of God.  The purpose of these messages will be to help us grow in our trust and dependency of our God that makes precious promises to us.

One way to increase our trust is to exercise us in prayer.  I have provided each person a personal journal for us to use in this exercise.  Weekly I will distribute an aid that will include daily readings that promote the lesson text and some exercises for the development of our prayer lives.  Also, I want to encourage us to experiment with prayer.  We will try different types of prayer, approaches to prayer, and places of prayer.  I would like us to use creative efforts in this prayer emphasis.  But in all this, remember that prayer is just talking to God and listening to God.

 A copy of this week’s prayer sheet is on our website (link is on the left hand side column), and we will have a link on our Facebook page.  If you need it another way, I would be glad to get it to you.

I am excited about this adventure as a church body, and hope it develops a deeper experience for you in prayer.

Pastor Greg

Aug 22

What Language Do We Use to Address Jesus

          If we go to a shopping man in North America, we speak English to get what we want.  If we go to a restaurant in France, we speak French.  If we travel to Greece, we speak Greek to find our way to the Acropolis.  And when we become personally involved with Jesus, we pray.  We pray because it is the only language we have for speaking to the God revealed in Jesus.  It is also the only language we have for listening to the commands and blessing and guidance that God provides in Jesus.  God is nothing if not personal.  Both God and we humans are most personal, most characteristically our unique selves, in our us of language.  The language between God and us is called prayer.  (Eugene Peterson, Praying the Message of Jesus)

God’s Promises in Prayer

I want to invite you to a journey with me and the rest of the congregation.  It is a journey into this wonderful language and privilege of prayer.  Prayer to the God of Creation revealed to us in Jesus Christ.  For the next two months, we will be emphasizing this most fundamental organic part of our lives in Christ, prayer. 

Prayer is not something added on to the Christian life.  Prayer is a way of living.  It is not a subject to be studied.  It is not a technique to be learned.  It is a life lived in response to God. 

There will be a prayer notebook for each person to journal our life of prayer.  Weekly there will be a guide for Scripture reading building toward the message of the weekend and an experiment with prayer for us to strengthen our lives of prayer.  I hope this will be a rewarding time of growing in one of the most vital aspects of our relationship with God.

Pastor Greg

Aug 15

Three Wishes Solomon’s Prayers

When we think of the biblical character King Solomon we think of his wisdom, the books of Proverbs or Ecclesiastes or Song of Solomon, even the visit from the Queen of Sheba.  The next two Sundays we will consider Solomon’s prayers.  Each prayer gives insight on the nature of God.  The history in Samuel and Kings show the development of the understanding of God as present only in the Ark of the Covenant, to the God that cannot be contained and the earth is God’s footstool.

This week is our church annual picnic.  Our worship time will be considering Solomon’s prayer in 1 Kings 3 and using it as the base for a mini-prayer retreat.  Join us for this time of getting away for a time of personal prayer and fellowship.

The next Sunday, August 25, will conclude the series, “Triumph and Tragedy:  The Three Kings of Israel.”  1 Kings 8 and the question “Where does God live?’ will be the sermon.

See you at the barn on Sunday!
Pastor Greg

Aug 01

The Settled-for-Life

So much of life is just consumed with living.  Getting the bills paid, getting to work, getting the kids, getting groceries, getting the dog to the vet, getting the yard done; you know, just living.  Some look at this and ask, “Is this all there is?”  Most just accept it and live what I call, “the settled-for-life.” 

Those few moments that we can squeeze time for the Scriptures, we are confused by the way life should be for those with faith.  We read that those with faith in God, “through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.  Women received back their dead back to life (Heb 11:33-35).”

I guess when we read this picture, we assume it is just some fantasy, a grand illusion of something far beyond any of us.  Yet, this is not an abnormal picture of the life of faith, it is just the life that cannot be lived by accepting just the settled-for-life.  We are challenged by Scripture to “lift up our eyes.”  God told Abraham to lift up his eyes and see the land promised to him and his descendants.  Jesus tells his disciples to lift up their eyes and see the fields that are ready for harvest. 

There is a quest for us to lift up our eyes and see what we could do by faith.  This week’s sermon is about David and a spiritual quest he undertook for God.  It has valuable lessons for us as we attempt great things for God.

Read 2 Samuel 7:1-14

Pastor Greg

Watch for closings and delay messages
during the winter months on TV Channels 3, 5 and 8.

Twinsburg First Congregational Church