Good afternoon church family,
I pray that the peace of the Lord may rest on each of us today. Every Saturday offers a wonderful opportunity to rest in Christ and reflect on His kindness and mercy toward us. Even if you find yourself busy with many tasks today, I hope you will find time to pause and thank the Lord for His faithfulness to you.
Tomorrow is the Lord’s Day, and we have a standing invitation to gather with Him. Indeed, when we meet with our fellow Christians, we are truly gathering with the Lord. Christ has declared that the Church is His body; therefore, when we come together, we are meeting not only with one another but with our Lord Himself, who is present in our midst. While we always have Christ with us through the indwelling Holy Spirit, there is something uniquely special about the gathering of the Church. It is Christ’s plan to build His kingdom on earth, to grow us, and to reveal His glory in our culture. Let us never think of any Lord’s Day gathering as “common”—it is always a sacred opportunity when we come together!
Join us tomorrow morning at 9:30 for Fellowship Groups and at 10:45 for worship. If you are new to our church, I would like to personally invite you to join me during the fellowship group time. I will be hosting a class with a Q&A for those wanting to learn more about our mission and what it means to be part of our church family. We will meet in the library, located in the office area on the west side of the building. Our other regular fellowship groups will also be meeting, including the prayer group with Beth Walsh, the study on the Holy Spirit with Pastor Dwight, the young adult group with Susan Kitzrow, and the youth group with Ryan Stephens.
Our focus passage for worship tomorrow is Philippians 4:15–23. We will be discussing the power of grace-empowered generosity. God has given us grace through generosity to further the mission of Christ through the local church, to strengthen our faith, and to free us from bondage to sin. I believe we will be greatly blessed and encouraged as we prayerfully consider what the Word of God teaches us.
May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you today! I am looking forward to being with you all tomorrow. In the meantime, let us continue to pray for one another. I often encourage you to reach out to one another, especially if the Lord lays someone on your heart; I would especially encourage you to do that today as we prepare for the Lord’s Day. You never know who might need a word of encouragement or a prayer.
Brothers and sisters, may we never underestimate our importance to God’s kingdom and our church family. Every person here is a critical part of this body. You matter so much to me and to so many others. See you in the morning!
In His steps,
Pastor Nick
Philippians 4:17 NASB20 — “Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek the profit which increases to your account.”
