Happy Friday FBC Friends!
We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thes. 1:2-3)
For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith? (1 Thes. 3:9-10)
Do you notice any themes popping up in Paul’s first letter to the church in Thessalonica? What stands out to me is his emphasis on prayer. And not just a little bit of prayer. But he refers to praying for them “constantly”, and “earnestly”. This seems to denote a quantity of prayer (lots of it), and a quality of prayer (earnest, sincere, passionate, etc.). Also notice the emphasis on thankfulness. “We give thanks to God always for all of you.” “What thanksgiving can we return to God for you…?” Our prayers should not only be about asking for stuff, but should be permeated with thankfulness. And the last emphasis I will point out: the corporate nature of the prayers. “We give thanks.” “We pray most earnestly.” For Paul, and for the early church, prayer was a team sport! Of course we are to spend time individually in prayer. But you can’t miss how many times Paul refers to prayer with the pronouns “us” and “we”. Oh, wait, one more thing: “night and day.” That reminds me, we have corporate prayer opportunities night and day on Wednesdays! Make an effort to be a part of the blessing of praying together with thankfulness for our church family, our missionaries, and more. Wednesdays at 5:00am, 6:00am, and 7:00pm.
This Sunday we jump into the text of Revelation! I will be speaking on verses 1-8 of chapter 1. The message is called, “Revealing the I AM.” Did I tell you that Revelation promises a blessing to those who read it, hear it, and keep (obey) it? Both at the beginning and the end of the “Apocalypse” this blessing is pronounced. So come be a part of the blessing! This Sunday at 10:30am.
Trunk or Treat: It’s only 21 days away! The candy contest between Team Elizabeth and Team Michael is going well so far (I sure hope I’m ahead!). Just 3 Sundays left to bring in your contributions to the candy collection; we’re shooting for 500 lbs.! And we only have around 17 vehicles signed up so far; we’re going for 40! So make sure you get on the list and start thinking of how you’ll decorate your car, truck, boat, tractor, motorcycle, or whatever. Please remember, we are trying to be a shining light on a dark night, so let’s not do any scary, gross, or evil decorating.
Calling men: There is an immediate need for men to be willing to help out on Sunday evenings with the teen Awana Trek and Journey group. We have enough teens that Wendell and Doris have been working in separate groups. But due to our child safety policy, Wendell has to have another man with him as he works with the Junior High group, which is mostly boys. Maybe you cannot commit to every Sunday, but would be willing to help once a month or every other week. Of course, you have to complete the paperwork and background check of our child safety policy. If you already have been cleared to work with kids, Wendell could use your help this Sunday! If you haven’t yet, now is the time to request information and start or complete the application process! Please let us know if you want to help.
Helping a hurting couple: As I mentioned in a recent message, there is a friend of Elizabeth’s whose husband was recently forced to resign from his pastor position. We have been praying for them and offering support in any way we can. Thankfully, they are going to be able to get away from the stress of still living in the area, by spending 4 days at Cannon Beach Conference Center. We would like to show some love to them by helping them with gas money to get there and back, meal money for while they’re there, a snack basket, a picnic lunch for the first day, and simple breakfast foods they can take with them. They will be going to Cannon Beach from Oct. 20-23. Would you be willing to help this family out? If so, contact me, or Elizabeth at michaelizabeth@att.net, or 541-979-1774. Thank you!
Thanking God for you and praying earnestly for you!
Love From Your Pastor,
Michael