"Who Do You Think You Are?"

Announcements
Youth Group Wednesdays: 6:30-7:30 pm
Wednesday Family Night begins with meal at 6:00
Women's Community Bible Study, Tuesdays at 9:45
Next Sunday there will be a Semi-Annual Congregational Meeting following the worship service.
Faith in Fabrics meets 2nd Thursday of each month, 10 a.m. till 2 p.m.

Pastor Terry White welcomed us, shared announcements, and then  read from Luke 3:16. "John answered them all, “I baptize you with[a] water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with[b] the Holy Spirit and fire."

After a time of worship an offering was taken and we proceeded to spend a little time in prayer.

Who Do You Think You Are?

Terry brought a couple different trees again this week and showed how each is unique and different. The Tamarack is very different and especially unique and he

Who are the people whom you have been entwined with through the years? And what effect did they have on your life as regard how your life story has been formed? We all have intertwining stories.

Then he shared the lyrics of My Story. "If I told you my story you would hear hope that never lets go... love that never gave up... " (You can read all the lyrics here: "My Story.")

Here's today's foundation text: Luke 3:15-20

Then we turned to Acts 19:11-20, the story about some people who thought that they would do the same kinds of miracles Paul was doing. But in their case, the demon-possessed man did not recognize or acknowledge their authority.

Terry stated we need to develop an understanding of how God has changed us. Our testimony has to be built on authentic experience with God.

On the road of life we are meant to be like tour guides who can explain the meaning of faith, of the Gospel and Good News.

What does it look like to be a person filled with Christ in our modern world?

"What If..."

Announcements

--Great Fish Fry yesterday... a blessing for all of us. $1800 made through the Fish Fry and silent auction.

--Family Night has started for Wednesdays.  6:00 meal, with meeting 6:30-7:30

--October 29 the semi-annual congregational meeting after the service.

--Terry's small group meets tonight at the Moses' house.

Pastor Terry read a passage from Isaiah 6:1-5. And then we entered into a time of worship.

Mission Moment: Jan shared about the Agape House of Hope, an all-volunteer ministry for the women who come to visit their incarcerated loved ones in our Duluth prison. Matt 22:37 and 39. 

The offering was taken while the worship team ministered to us in song. Darlene led us in a time of prayer.

"What If..."

Pastor Terry  began by sharing why he likes coaching girls basketball, how things happen fast and kids work hard so they get a chance to play.

Something Terry does consciously in his youth ministry is to get older kids to have relationships with younger, that they might impart knowledge and experience to the younger. 

What often happened was when the older mentor kids went off to college the younger would be saying, "I want to be like John" instead of having seen that John was that way because of Jesus in John. 

Galatians 2:20 has been my life verse for a long time. "I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me."

What does this look like?

Here is the passage Terry spoke about this morning, Galatians 2:15-21.

15 “We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles 16 know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.

17 “But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners, doesn’t that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! 18 If I rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a lawbreaker.

19 “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

Think about your week... What would it look like for you to have been crucified with Christ this week? What if Christ was living your life in that moment, what would He have done? How different would that have been from what you did?

When I am coaching and in the zone, all my efforts are to help the kids on the team become the best they can be. The same for us in the world... when we interact right, our focus is on helping others to be the best they can be, our co-workers and family and neighbors.

Unfortunately we often revert to having it be about our selves. We want recognition for our self-sacrifice. We want the team to win for the sake of my ego.  This distortion has consequences.

What would life for us look like if we were wholly allowing Christ-in-me to be ascendant? Think about it.

* * * 

Made In Christ

Greeted by sunny skies, we gathered again in the sanctuary for worship.

Chuck Vanderscheuren welcomed us and then turned to announcement.
1. Fish Fry Fund Raiser next Saturday. Volunteers welcome to help prepare or clean up. The cost is $8 per person and will run from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
From 10 to 1:00 p.m. the Bloodmobile will be here also.
2. Joanne mentioned that Family Night is starting up again Wednesday eve for pre-school to adult. Start time is 6:00 p.m. with a meal followed by activities. Assistance in clean-up after dinner welcome.
3. Thursday at 10:00 a.m. Faith In Fabric will meet to make things for Meals on Wheels. Bring a bag lunch or something to share.

The music team opened the service with a beautiful, heartfelt rendition of  "The Lighthouse"... followed by "I'm Feeling Fine" and a pair of beautiful hymns.

Pearl and Susan Jessico had the puppet theater set up for a Children's Message about Autumn Harvest Season, and how God's word grows in us like acorns to oaks.

Gail had the opportunity to help with the hurricane clean-up in Houston, so she shared pictures and showed stories in pictures.

During the offering Ed sang Bob Dylan's insightful "Every Grain of Sand" accompanied by Darlene on the keyboatds.

Cheryl Borndal led us in a time of praise and prayer for the needs and answered prayers in the church body.

Made In Christ

Pastor Terry White began by noting how long the week has been, that the shooting in Las Vegas seems like a month ago. It is shocking when one person can take another's life, how do you come up with an answer for a situation this evil and horrible.

"What's heartbreaking for me," he said "is how Christ doesn't even enter the conversation. The media describe it as a gun issue but never say it's a God issue."

Pastor Terry made reference to a book that described the religion of our times as Moral Therapeutic Deism. This is the "faith" of our modern world. If we all just learned how to get along we'd be O.K.

The Bible offers a clearer, more precise perspective. We are fallen, but can be redeemed. Paul wrote:

Col. 1:24-27
24 Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. 25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— 26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. 27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

We're living an adventure, but too often the world is missing the point.

Jesus Christ changes everything. It's a lifelong journey to get to this point. It's way bigger than just fixing peoples' moral.

Our hope: Christ can redeem anything.