Divine Power to Overcome

Pastor Brad is out of town this weekend, so we ushered in a team of musicians to provide an uplift to our souls on this summer equinox weekend. The days are long, but there is still night here. We look forward to that day when we dwell forever in the light with hearts filled with songs. And there will be no more tears.

Major Bill Cox from the Salvation Army will deliver the message on this 2nd Sunday of Pentecost. The service was organized to bookend the message with a period of singing and making music.

Chuck Vanderscheuren welcomed us with a "Good morning." He started by congratulating Pam Johnson for finishing Grandma's Marathon yesterday. A number of others ran the half and the Borndal boys were also runners in one or the other.

Life of the Church
~ VBS was complete success this year, with more than eighty kids every day and 127 one day. It was a great week.
~ The group performing here this morning has been playing in some local nursing homes.
~ Cindy and Dwayne need our prayers at this time for more health issues with Cindy.
~ Pray for Kent of Fastliine Graphics. There will be a fundraiser soon at Skylinie Lanes.
~ Other needs were lifted up.

After a number of songs Chuck introduced Major Cox.

Divine Power to Overcome

"This message this morning I felt strongly was more than just for us," Major Cox began.. "It is for Christians everywhere, for we live in perilous times."

He began by reading from Acts 4:23-31. After Peter and John were released from being arrested for preaching the Gospel, they went back to the church and re-charged.

God has promised the gift of the Holy Spirit to empower believers to live a Christ-like life. This morning he talked about four areas where God gives us His power.

1) Prayer
There is power in the prayer of righteous men and women.
And yet, Paul writes in Romans 3: "There is no one righteous, not even one."

"Holy schmoly I don't measure up," he said. Yet, Paul goes on to say we who trust in Jesus are imparted his righteousness and their prayers will be heard. God asks us to tap into the power that has been made available to us through the sacrifice of Jesus. Don't underestimate the power of prayer.

2) The Anointed Message
There is power in the anointed message.  See I Corinthians 2:1-14.
The passage notes that Paul himself was nothing special, yet accomplished much by God's anointing. We should pray for our pastor when he preaches, that he bring forth God's word with power.

3) The Anointed Witness
God will give you the words to say. (Luke 12:12)
When we look for opportunities to witness, we can experience God with us and in us.

4) The Fellowship of Believers
"Where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am also," Jesus said. God's power is in His presence with us when we gather in His name.

There are other kinds of power, he said, including the power of Agape self-less love. God has given us everything we need to make a difference in the world today just as the early church made a difference in its day.