[0:00] alamualaikum war Mighty toi Thank you.
[1:00] Thank you.
[1:30] Thank you.
[2:00] Thank you. Thank you.
[2:32] Let us rejoice and be glad in it. This is the day. This is the day that the Lord has made.
[2:45] Let us pray. Lord, we thank you for an opportunity to gather together as your body to glorify you. May everything we say and do be a blessing to you.
[2:57] May you come upon us this day, revealing to us your Holy Spirit. Open our eyes. Open our heart. Open our minds to be able to receive the message you would have us for today.
[3:09] We pray thanks to you, Lord, and we bless your holy name. Amen. Amen. I'd like to invite you all to stand if you're able as we sing together, crown him with many crowns. over.
[3:24] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[3:34] Amen. Amen. Amen. Imagine. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Crown Him with many crowns, the Lamb upon His crown.
[3:54] Our vow, the heavenly anthem, drowns all music but its own. Oh, with my soul and sing of Him who died for Thee, and death in my matchless King through all eternity.
[4:19] Crown Him, the Lord of mine, who triumphed o'er the grave, and rose victorious in the strife for those He came to save.
[4:37] His glories now we sing, who died and rose on high, the dead eternal life to bring, and lives that death may die.
[4:55] Crown Him, the Lord of kings, whose power a scepter sways. From pole to pole that wars may cease, and all be prayer and praise.
[5:13] His reign shall know no end, and crown His pierced feet. Their clubs of paradise extend, their fragrance ever sweet.
[5:31] Crown Him, the Lord of mine, behold His hands and side. Those rooms yet visible above, in beauty glorified.
[5:48] Oh, hail, Redeemer, hail. For the last time for me, Thy praise and glory shall not live throughout eternity.
[6:07] The Lord be with you. And also to you. Please be seated. Praise God!
[6:19] The children receive their gift boxes with such excitement. You see it on their faces, on their smile, in their eyes. Some of them, it's the very first time that they ever received a gift in their lives.
[6:31] We always include about a ten-minute gospel presentation in each event. Surprise! Jesus loves you! That's what Operation Christmas Child is all about, is to reach children of the world with God's love.
[6:44] And we do that through a simple gift. Happy birthday! They feel like somebody loved me. There's no greater joy than knowing we're getting to be a part of the Great Commission together.
[6:56] Yay! Yay! When we pray, God takes your gift and He begins to navigate it around the world and it ends up in the hands of a child. God begins to answer those prayers.
[7:06] After a child receives a gift box, the child is invited to go through the greatest journey. They know the story of God and they can tell others by using the books.
[7:21] In the hands of the local pastors, these boxes can be used as a tool to touch a whole community. The Great Commission, we're to go into all the world to preach the gospel, to make disciples of all nations, to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
[7:38] Evangelism, discipleship, and multiplication. That's what we do. With the sound so full, it cracks the sky. Oh, sing, amen. Oh, sing, amen.
[7:53] Hear the sound of your saints as we watch our desire sing. It never ceases to amaze me how a simple box can change the world for a child.
[8:06] Hallelujah, amen. So I want to draw your attention to Operation Christmas Child. We are kicking off the season. We are actually a regional drop-off center for all of the shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child.
[8:20] But Operation Christmas Child is a ministry of evangelism. It's something where the word of God is spread, churches are started, lives are changed, and souls are saved.
[8:31] And I'd like for you to prayerfully consider putting it together, a box through this. But the prayer part is the most important part. You know, it's one thing to give a gift, but I believe power, there's a power in prayer.
[8:43] And so when you're going and selecting any of the gifts to go into this box, I need you to cover it in prayer. Pray before you go. Pray to give guidance for what is going to go in it. Pray for the box as it goes, because there will be a child somewhere who receives it and gets exactly what God wants for them to receive.
[8:59] So prayer is the most important thing for this very powerful ministry. There's so much to be thankful for. You have opportunities for service in many ways, not only through Operation Christmas Child, but we've got a couple of clipboards going around.
[9:11] One is for the fish fries. We kicked off fish fries last Friday. And we sold 407. So thank you to everybody who helped out with that. We've got two more to go.
[9:22] Also, the other one is for the family fall festival, I guess. And so we could use some help with that. So there are opportunities for service. I want to draw your attention to the ministry connection site in the back expansion center there.
[9:37] Ideally, we really would love to get rid of the clipboards altogether. So we've got them back there. If you ever miss it, you can go back there and do it. But, you know, we don't want to have it so that you guys don't have a chance to sign up.
[9:49] So we're passing them through worship, but we'd love for you to just start using the ministry connection center. Beyond the clipboards that are repeated back there, we also have an opportunity for service. We are in need of people to serve in the child care ministry.
[10:03] So in nursery, in Sunday school, anything having to do with working with our children, we have a great need. So please prayerfully consider that as well. You know, there's just so many opportunities to give.
[10:14] And we give in response to how good God is. So I'd love to hear from you today what you're thankful for. I know I'm thankful for Liz Strickland as well.
[10:26] She had her baby, Carson, and both baby and mom are well. What else? What else are you guys thankful for? They're what? Wonderful.
[10:38] Brian and Jamie are finally in their house. Yay. What else? What are you thankful for? Yeah. Yeah. So prayers for baby Noah are working.
[10:59] Please keep praying for baby Noah. Please keep praying. Lift up that baby. What else? What are we thankful for? Yeah. Yeah. Wonderful.
[11:15] So Aunt Wanda's doing better. That's great. What else? The sun is shining. We're thankful for family. We're thankful for we have shelter. We have clothing.
[11:25] We're thankful for so many things. My goodness. So we just have to take time to reflect. So as we get to our minds in the right place and our hearts in the right place to give back to God, a reflection of our gratitude, a reflection of our love, let's return our gifts, tithes, and offerings to the Lord.
[11:40] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[12:11] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. We pray for blessings, we pray for peace Comfort for families, protection while we see We pray for healing, for prosperity We pray for your mighty hand to ease our suffering And all the while you hear each spoken need Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things
[13:17] And what if your blessings come through raindrops? What if your healing comes through tears? What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know you're here?
[13:35] What if trials of this life are your mercies in disguise? We pray for wisdom, your voice to hear We cry in anger when we cannot feel you near We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love As if every promise from your word is not enough And all the while you hear each desperate thing And long that we have faith to believe
[14:41] What if your blessings come through raindrops? What if your healing comes through tears? What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know you're near?
[15:00] What if trials of this life are your mercies in disguise? What if trials of this life are your mercies in disguise?
[15:13] When friends betray us When darkness seems to live in awe What if your faith is not enough This is not, this is not our home This is not our home This is not our home Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops?
[15:51] What if your healing comes through tears? What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know you're near?
[16:05] What if my greatest disappointments Or the aching of this life Is a revealing of the greatest thirst This world can satisfy?
[16:23] What if trials of this life The rain, the storms, the hardest nights Are your mercies in disguise?
[16:36] Amen Amen PrepaITY SWELL SUS presses dokład FAITH Lord, you are a mighty God who blesses us so much, and we pray that you will receive these gifts to be a blessing in this world.
[17:51] Bless these gifts that they may go out and proclaim your name. They're a reflection of our love, Lord. Let it go out with your love, with your compassion, with your mercy to change lives.
[18:04] In your name we pray. Amen. Please be seated. Amen. I wanted to share with you just a couple of prayer concerns that I know about.
[18:20] We had a couple of funerals here yesterday. We had one for Dick Roseland, so please keep the Roseland family in prayer, and also for Mike Duchere, so please keep Clifford family and Duchere family in prayer as they go through the grieving process.
[18:38] We also have Gerald Matina is in the hospital, and Sam Matina is still in the hospital recovering. I actually have a friend. His name is Leroy.
[18:50] I'd like for you to lift him up in prayer because he fell off the roof, and he broke his pelvis, and he's in bad shape. He's in really bad shape, so please pray for Leroy. Does anyone else have any prayer concerns you'd like to have lifted up?
[19:04] We're going to continue to pray for Noah, baby Noah. No other prayer concerns? Yeah. Pray for Judy Schultz.
[19:15] She's not feeling well. Yeah. Salvation for friends and family, I'm going to add. For those who don't know the Lord.
[19:27] Absolutely. Absolutely. Anyone else have anything? Okay. Let's turn to the Lord in prayer.
[19:38] Father, gracious and loving Lord, we are in awe of your great love for us, that you're mindful of us.
[19:49] And we pray thanks to you for giving us so much, for being there for us as we go through the struggles and trials of this world.
[20:02] Lord, you are a great healer, a great redeemer, and we pray that you will give us your compassion, your trust. Help us to trust you more, to lean into your loving arms, knowing that you are there for us as we go through whatever comes our way.
[20:20] Help us to see you in the midst of our struggles, in the midst of our trials, and to rely on you. Lord, we lift up those who need healing physically, that your healing touch will be upon them, that they will experience wholeness and wellness, that disease will be cast away, that anything that is wounded, that is hurting, that is in pain, will be bound up and cast away.
[20:47] Lord, we pray for healing of the bodies. Lord, we lift up those who need healing in their minds, those who are troubled, those who are struggling with all sorts of anxiety and depression and not knowing which way to go, who may be confused, and we pray that you will give them peace.
[21:09] Lord, we pray for those who don't know you.
[21:23] We pray that you will open up their hearts, open up their minds, open up their ears, open up their very souls to receive you. We pray that you will send witnesses in your name, that people will surround them and be a witness to them, that they would want to know you more.
[21:44] Help us to do that for you as well, Lord. Give us your courage and your strength to go out and proclaim your word. Lord, we pray for our church, Lord, that you will have your hand upon us, that as a church body we will grow in discipleship and we will grow in ministry and we will go out and transform this community.
[22:08] Lord, we pray for our nation. Lord, we pray for healing. We pray for guidance. We pray for all the leaders that they will hear your word and bow to you.
[22:25] Lord, we pray for your wisdom as we go through making decisions. And we pray for our families. We're lifting up our families to be held by you, Lord.
[22:38] May you give us a protective covering. May you set us right that you would be the priority of our family, the priority within our own lives.
[22:52] We thank you, Lord, for your mercies, for your healing, for your forgiveness, for your love. Lord, we do love you. And so we commit our lives to you this day, Lord.
[23:06] In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Now let's hear from the word of the Lord. Let's pray. Amen.
[23:18] Amen. How did we grace? Amen.
[23:33] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Thank you.
[24:05] Good morning. I'll be reading from the book of Acts, chapter 8, verses 26 through 39. Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, Go south to the road, the desert road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.
[24:25] So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake, which means queen of the Ethiopians.
[24:38] This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot, reading the book of Isaiah, the prophet. The spirit told Philip, Go to that chariot and stay near it.
[24:55] Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. Do you understand what you are reading? Philip asked. How can I? He said, unless someone else explains it to me.
[25:10] So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. This is the passage of scripture the eunuch was reading. He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
[25:27] In his humiliation, he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.
[25:40] The eunuch asked Philip, Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else? Then Philip began with that very passage of scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
[25:53] As they traveled along the road, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized? And he gave orders to stop the chariot.
[26:06] Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.
[26:23] This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Thank you, Louie. I'm just mentioning we have junior church during worship for ages 3 through 3rd grade.
[26:35] If any of the kids want to go over there, they're welcome to. And for the older kids, there's activity sheets on the tables out in the back of the sanctuary. So just so you know that, I'm not sure if you're even aware of that, so just to let you know.
[26:47] Our sermon series this time through the fall is based on 1 Corinthians 9, verse 25, which reads, Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.
[27:00] They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. We're looking for a victory that will last for all eternity.
[27:12] The Buffalo Bills are just trying to get a victory. Well, I'm sorry, that was rude. Have you ever turned on the game and you don't know the score?
[27:23] It usually happens when there's a blowout, you know? Like your team is losing by huge margins, so they don't put it on the TV screen anymore because they don't want you to know what's going on because you'll turn off the set, right?
[27:36] So you don't know the score. Or what would you do if you had one of the biggest games of the year and you're watching it? Let's say it's Broadway Joe Namath and the Jets who are playing against Daryl LaMonica.
[27:51] Anybody remember him? And the Oakland Raiders. And the score is 32-29. The Jets are winning. And this is what you're watching. It was known as the Heidi Bowl.
[28:22] Yes. And the Jets were winning 32-29. There was only one minute left in the game. So, of course, we needed to put on the movie Heidi. And in the last minute of the game, the Raiders scored not one touchdown, but two.
[28:38] 14 points in one minute. And destroyed Joe Namath and the New York Jets. It's hard when you don't know what's going on. That's why we have a scoreboard in football.
[28:49] It tells us all sorts of things we don't even think about. How much time is left in the game? What's the score of the game? What quarter are we in? What yard line are we on? What play are we playing?
[29:00] And without it, we're really quite confused. Imagine trying to keep that information in your head and keep track of it without that scoreboard. Or imagine you're seeking God and no one will tell you how to find him.
[29:16] We have a story here about an Ethiopian eunuch. He was a treasurer to the queen of Ethiopia. A very important official in the Ethiopian nation, empire, if you will, at that time.
[29:29] He had gone to Jerusalem to worship. Maybe some of you would find it surprising that Ethiopians were worshiping in Jerusalem. But some of you might remember the queen of Sheba. Well, the queen went back and converted Ethiopia to Judaism.
[29:44] And actually, Judaism is still practiced in Ethiopia to this day. So he went to worship. And while he was there, he bought a book. It was a new book out on the market to them anyways from Ethiopia.
[29:56] They weren't aware of this guy Isaiah. So he bought the book and he's reading it on the way back while he's riding in his chariot. Which was more like a carriage, if you will. Or a wagon or something like that.
[30:09] And he doesn't understand what it's about. In the meantime, we have a fellow named Philip. Now, Philip was what we call a deacon. What had happened in Acts chapter 6, it said that there was an argument about whether people were getting the right portions at the church dinners.
[30:27] You know, we get that at fish fries from time to time. And people were discussing about what was fair and what wasn't fair. And it seemed like some people were getting more than other people. And so they brought that to the disciples and said, can you fix this?
[30:41] And they said, really? It's not our job to wait on tables. Go find some other people that are good, qualified folks for that. So we can deal with sharing the word of God. And so they appointed people and Philip was one of them.
[30:54] He's basically a waiter. Basically a waiter. And the Holy Spirit told him to go to the desert road. To go to the desert road out where nobody lives. And so he went.
[31:06] And there he is standing on this road. And along comes the Ethiopian eunuch in his chariot. And the Holy Spirit says, go stay by him. Well, you know, this isn't like Ben-Hur.
[31:18] The thing isn't going like 100 miles an hour. But I'm expecting he's got to jog, you know? So it's like he's jogging alongside this guy's chariot. The guy's trying to read the book.
[31:28] And he's looking over like, dude, really? You know, the guy's just jogging along, you know? What you reading? Do you understand it? No? No, I could help explain that to you if you want me to.
[31:45] And he goes up and explains to the Ethiopian what he doesn't understand. We live in a world that doesn't understand God.
[31:56] I grew up in a world where everybody seemed to go to church somewhere. And in New York State, there was a church on every single corner pretty much. But nowadays, believe it or not, in New York State, less than 43% of the people of this state are Christians.
[32:13] Around 10% are what were called Protestants. So the truth of the matter is the majority of your neighbors don't have any relationship to a church or to God at all.
[32:26] Don't even believe in God. Verse 31, the guy says, How can I understand unless someone explains it to me?
[32:38] How many of you have ever read any part of the Bible? That was a safe question, wasn't it? Right? Okay. How many of you have ever read a part of the Bible you don't understand? Yeah.
[32:49] Yeah, me too. What? I don't understand what this is talking about. This is kind of weird. He was like a sheep led to slaughter a lamb. What is he talking about?
[33:02] Sometimes the Bible can be confusing. It's written in a different time, different place. And sometimes if we're not aware of what's going on, we don't know how to understand this. And a lot of people are seeking God, but they don't get it.
[33:14] And a lot of people need to seek God, but they don't even know it. They don't know the score. But we do. In John chapter 14, verse 6, it says, Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life.
[33:31] No one comes to the Father except through me. We have the way. We have the truth. We know how to receive life.
[33:42] We have the right victory. We know how to bring light to darkness. Hope to despair.
[33:53] Joy. In the midst of struggles, we know how to bring peace and turmoil. Amen? And we live in a world that desperately needs that.
[34:04] That desperately needs to know about God. Years ago, people used to share about God without even thinking about it. Heck, you could even watch television, and it would be on there.
[34:17] Davey, you should get off of that train, Davey. God wouldn't like that, right? I know. Most of you don't even know what I'm talking about. People used to talk about God.
[34:31] We used to talk about God. You know, this was, at one point in time, the fastest-growing Methodist church in New York State. I don't know if that's true anymore. In the book of Romans, it says, How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in?
[34:48] And how can they believe in the one of whom they've not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.
[35:03] Philip was using his feet that day, wasn't he? Sometimes, we have to go where God calls us to go, and walk where God calls us to walk. But we don't.
[35:16] We really don't, for a lot of different reasons. I think for some people, they're afraid to share their faith. Some are ashamed of their faith, in a way. Some feel simply inadequate about it.
[35:29] Holy Spirit says, Go where no one lives on the desert road. Talk to a wealthy, powerful Ethiopian, who's probably got soldiers.
[35:40] He's a treasurer. He's probably got soldiers all around him, right? Run alongside his chariot until you get too tired. And tell him about God.
[35:53] I'd be like, what? That isn't God talking, right? Where'd that voice come from? We don't know what to say.
[36:06] We don't understand how we're supposed to share. And we feel we're going to get embarrassed, especially if we're talking to people who might have something to do with our lives.
[36:19] But God encourages us in the oddest of times, in the oddest of places, to go and share his good news because he knows what needs to be done. I remember many years ago, when I worked for Kemlon, we went out for a beer afterwards at a biker bar, and I'm sitting in a restaurant, and the Holy Spirit said, Talk to this guy about God.
[36:42] And I looked at the bottle and said, What am I drinking here, right? But I did. And the guy said, You know, I knew that you went to church, and I knew you believed in God, and I've been waiting to talk to you for months about God.
[36:57] Really? Never would have expected that. You see, we feel like we might look odd. We don't want to look like some kind of weird, strange, goofy people, or even worse, like some kind of hypocrites, especially in front of successful people.
[37:12] Because sometimes Christians do some odd things. When I was a kid, we played football, right? And before the game, we'd all put our hands in the middle, and the coach would pray.
[37:26] Dear God, watch over us, and keep us safe, and bless us, and help us not to get hurt. Amen. Now let's go bust some bones! It always kind of struck us all as a little weird, you know?
[37:39] I don't quite understand. We don't want to look like that. And I think for some, we just don't feel adequate. The Ethiopian was a learned man.
[37:51] He was a powerful man. He understood the Jewish faith. And he's reading a book by Isaiah, the great prophet, and he says, I don't get it. I know we don't understand everything about the Christian faith, and the longer we're Christians, the more we realize we don't understand things.
[38:08] So we feel somehow inadequate to share. We figure that should be left to the professionals. But the truth is, is Philip wasn't one of even the apostles. He was a waiter.
[38:18] And God called him. God didn't call Peter the great apostle. God didn't call John to come down and share with this guy. God called Philip.
[38:29] And he went. To tell the story. To tell the story about Jesus. Do we love to tell the story? We sing that song, I love to tell the story.
[38:43] But do we really love to do it? Anywhere outside of church. We'll talk about Jesus here. But are we comfortable somewhere else?
[38:54] Isaiah is an interesting chapter. Because if you read Isaiah chapter 53, you will see something that will clearly sound like it's talking about Jesus. The first verse I want to share with you is verse 6.
[39:07] We all like sheep have gone astray. Each of us has turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. By the way, that's what my tie is. We like sheep have gone astray.
[39:19] People are wondering, what the heck is this tie? Well, I had to wear it because it says the verse, right? They laid our sin on who? Jesus. We all like sheep have gone astray.
[39:31] And then it goes on to say in verse 4 and 5, It's not a hard question.
[39:56] It starts with a J, ends with an S. And so if you didn't get it in that one, let's look at verse 11 where it says, maybe it doesn't.
[40:10] You got verse 11? Jack. There you go. After he suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied. By his knowledge, my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.
[40:26] After he has suffered, he'll be raised from the dead. This must certainly be about Jesus. We know that. It's so obvious to us.
[40:37] The story of Jesus, though, isn't obvious to everyone. It's countercultural. A king who dies. A death that brings eternal life.
[40:50] Someone being lowered down so that they can be brought up. Jesus, God, died. Died to his righteousness, his perfection, so that we could be made whole.
[41:06] Jesus took our sins so that we could be reconciled to God. I was talking to a couple people about this just Friday night.
[41:17] We're just talking. And it came up. What is the great thing about Christianity is that God wants to be with us. This is not some philosophy.
[41:28] This is not some idea. This is an experience of God. God wants to be with you. Wants to spend time with you.
[41:39] Wants to speak to you. Wants to hang with you. Wants to support you. Wants to cause you to live forever. And he was willing to give up what was most important to him.
[41:50] His perfection. So that you could live. What a great story. We need to know the story of Jesus. We don't need to know every detail.
[42:01] Just the basics. Just telling people that they don't have to be held by the brokenness of sin anymore. That they don't have to live in that guilt and pain and confusion.
[42:12] That they can have the love and amazing power of God dwelling with them. But to be able to tell the story of Jesus. We have to have a story of our own about Jesus.
[42:23] Don't we? Because what happens to us is what really matters to us. Just like have you ever seen those scores that scroll along the bottom of the screen during a game?
[42:37] All I wanted to say is Buffalo Bills. Buffalo Bills. Buffalo Bills. Buffalo Bills. Buffalo Bills. I don't care what these other teams did. It really doesn't matter. I want to know what my team has done.
[42:51] I want to know what God has done in your life. You know there were actually people looking forward to watching Heidi that night. So when that football game went off.
[43:01] Yeah they lit up the switchboards at the network. But there were a whole bunch of people that were going yeah. And they're watching Heidi. Now you got a picture of this. They're watching Heidi. And it comes to a poignant moment where Heidi is trying to figure out how to walk again.
[43:15] Right? This is like one of the most moving parts of the movie. Everybody's just gripped by the movie. And all of a sudden across the screen you see Oakland Raiders defeat New York Jets.
[43:25] It's like what? Really? A football game? Don't you know that by now everybody who cared about football is gone? Because we care about our experience.
[43:38] Our life. Our hopes. Our dreams. Do we have a story? Do you know your story? Can you tell your story? You've heard my story many times.
[43:49] God accepted me. The church changed my life. You accepted me. Which I find an amazing idea. For a kid from Chittawaga.
[44:00] And I became a changed person. But what about just the simple stories? I think sometimes we get so focused on the big story we don't realize that some of it's just in the littlest of stories.
[44:17] See the Holy Spirit speaks to us. And sometimes we have to recognize it even when it's not quite as obvious as we think. Yesterday was a long day for my wife and I.
[44:29] It was a long day for me professionally. But then when I got home we had things we needed to work through. We went out for dinner just to have a quiet little meal by ourselves. Okay?
[44:39] Now have you ever gone into the grocery store and you just want to get in and get out. And just as you're about to try and get in and out you see somebody in one aisle and you duck down the other hoping they didn't.
[44:51] Have you ever had that happen? That happens in restaurants too, right? So I'm sitting in the restaurant last night and there's a little girl over at another table going, just like this.
[45:05] I didn't notice her parents but I saw her. I saw her waving to me. And I waved back. And I could have just done that. But you know she cared enough to wave to me.
[45:18] And I want to go and say hello to her. Now maybe the Holy Spirit was doing that so that I would pick up her spirits. But I got to tell you the truth. On a day that I was feeling kind of low she lifted up mine.
[45:30] So I'm not sure who the Holy Spirit was working through last night. Me or that little girl. See God talks to us and we don't always pay attention.
[45:42] The Holy Spirit will show you the way. In verse 26 it said Philip was led by an angel. Later on it says in verse 40 he was led by the Holy Spirit. All along the way God is speaking to Philip telling him what to do.
[45:56] And if we open up our ears and start listening God will speak to all of us. People think God isn't speaking anymore. God is speaking clearly. We're not listening. And if we listen it can change things.
[46:10] I had another young woman come up to me on Friday night. Now the strange thing is sometimes you have like four people come at you all at the same time. You know I don't know if that happens to you but it happens to me. And I'm like I don't know which way to start first right.
[46:24] So as I took care of some of these things I finally came back to this young woman. And I spoke to her and she was concerned about her friend. She said you know I don't know if you remember me. I used to come to church here but now I go to a different church.
[46:35] I said oh okay. You know and she said she has a friend. She said I think my friend grew up at the church here but I'm not sure. But she doesn't seem to believe in God anymore.
[46:48] What am I supposed to do? I said well does she know that you believe in God and that you worship God? And I said well she said well yes. I said then you've done what you need to do.
[46:59] Somewhere along the line the Holy Spirit is going to work in her life and she's going to come to talk to you. Because she's going to need God. That's when you need to be willing to do something and speak to her.
[47:11] Now I'll tell you the truth. There's a piece of a pastor whether we like it or not. That when somebody says I used to come to church here but now I go to another church. You want to say go talk to your other pastor then you know. But I didn't.
[47:24] We have to resist those temptations. You see all too often we think well what's in it for me? What do you think was in it for Philip? It wasn't about he's going to get rich from the Ethiopian treasure right?
[47:38] The kingdom of God is not about Pendleton Center United Methodist Church. The kingdom of God is about the kingdom of God. Wherever that might occur. Amen? And sharing about God is not a tactic to grow a church or an organization.
[47:54] It's about bringing people to the most powerful thing there is. The Ethiopian was so faithful to his queen that she entrusted him with the treasury of the nation.
[48:05] Philip was so faithful to God that he was willing to jog along next to a chariot. I don't know if I could have done it anymore. Buffalo Bills fans are still wearing the football shirts.
[48:19] I mean it's kind of surprising but there's still some people out there that wear them with pride. If we can be that faithful to a football team, can we be that faithful to witness to our God?
[48:33] Now, Philip was not obnoxious. He was respectful. When the Ethiopian said, I don't understand this, he didn't say, well, duh, what are you, a loser?
[48:49] He said, well, would you like me to explain it to you? Part of the problem sometimes with Christians is we want to push who we are on other people and we can be obnoxious.
[49:01] Do you remember the most famous, locally most famous sign at a football game? It was the fourth Super Bowl for Buffalo and somebody put up a sign that said, we're back, deal with it, America.
[49:14] Anybody remember this? I love that sign. I really loved it but it's really obnoxious, isn't it? Really? That's what we wanted to be known as? We're losers, deal with it! God doesn't call us to be obnoxious.
[49:27] God doesn't call us to make other people feel bad. God doesn't call us to put people down who don't even understand our principles and values. God calls us to go where we're invited.
[49:38] And the Ethiopian invited him up and he went to be with him, which is a frightening thing to do in the presence of a powerful person. People need God.
[49:51] People need God. We live in an angry, a broken, a confused culture where people are hurt and they're selfish. And the culture has shifted so much that we almost don't recognize it.
[50:03] Some of you have seen this before but this just fits a football theme. If you retract, you'll be fine. This all goes away. Why are they doing this?
[50:14] They're terrified of you. Bennett Amalu is going to war with a corporation that has 20 million people on a weekly basis craving their product.
[50:27] The same way they crave food. The NFL owns a day of the week. The same day the church used to own. Now it's theirs.
[50:38] Wow. They're very big. Used to belong to the church. Now the Lord's Day belongs to the NFL.
[50:50] I got nothing against football, folks, but it's a game. It's a game. It's fun. It's distracting. It's entertaining. But the victory we're talking about is one that is about everything.
[51:05] Your family, your friends, your co-workers, people, people in your lives could be lost forever. Could never experience the power and the presence and the amazing wonder that God has given to you.
[51:23] They're living in darkness and in brokenness. Corinthians says to us in chapter 9, everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.
[51:34] They do it to get a crown that will not last. But we do it to get a crown that will last forever. And there are people out there that need that crown desperately. Jesus said in the book of Luke, What good is it for someone to gain the whole world and yet lose or forfeit their self?
[51:54] Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in glory. And in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. You know, I was thinking about saying, What would you do if somehow you had a time machine?
[52:09] I watched a time machine movie the other day. And you could go forward and find out which was going to be the next Google stock, right? You could come back and tell all your family and friends about it, right? And you'd tell everybody you know.
[52:21] Oh, no, you probably. There's the problem. In our culture, we wouldn't. Because in our culture, we've decided that getting the fortune for ourselves and kicking the other ones down is the way to go.
[52:32] We've got people who need to be lifted up. People seeking God. And they need somebody to tell them the good news.
[52:46] In verse 35, it says that Philip told them the good news. In verse 39, it said that the Ethiopian went home celebrating with joy.
[53:00] Why? Because God can bring you a joy that you wouldn't expect. So, you know, this woman told me she was going to another church. And so, interestingly, last night, I had a couple sitting down with me after church for a cup of coffee who used to go to our church years and years ago, but decided to go to a different church telling me about how they've decided they're going to come back and start attending church here.
[53:21] It's like, see, God's got this weird way of messing with us. Do you do what God would call you to do? God will make amazing things happen, not just in your lives, but more importantly, in the lives of people around you.
[53:35] Philip changed one person. But he went back to tell a nation. Ethiopia has been a Christian nation ever since that occurrence. And all the armies that have ever marched and all the navies that have ever sailed and all the air forces that have ever flown and all the fortunes that have ever been made and all the work that has ever been done have not changed people as much as that one life, Jesus.
[54:01] That story of redemption and salvation. And we all have it. The story of Jesus. The story of Jesus in you.
[54:12] Tell the story. The story of Jesus in you.
[54:44] My strength. My song. This cornerstone. This solid ground. For through the fiercest drought and storm.
[54:59] What heights of love. What depths of peace. When fields are still. When strivings cease.
[55:10] My comfort of peace. My comfort. My comfort. My all in all. Here in the love of Christ. I stand.
[55:21] In Christ alone. In Christ alone. Who turned on flesh. Wholeness of God in helpless faith.
[55:35] His gift of love. His gift of love. And righteousness. His gift of love. And righteousness. Born by the ones he came to save.
[55:47] Till on that cross. Where Jesus died. Where Jesus died. The wrath of God. Was satisfied.
[55:58] For every sin. On him was laid. Here in the dread of Christ. I live.
[56:10] He lived. He lived. He lived. He lived. When 나 did. It y 말�cks of sin. He lived. He lived. Come on him.
[56:23] Head off me. To nothing to do.說. To nothing to do with john. For you. He lived.
[56:34] He lived. He lived. He lived. He lived. Right of the world by darkness slain And bursting forth in glorious day Of color where He rose again And as He stands in victory Since death has lost His grip on me For I am His and He is mine Bought with the precious blood of Christ No will in life, no fear in death This is the power of Christ in me From life's birthright to final breath
[57:37] Jesus commands my destiny No power of hell, no speed of hand Can ever plug me from His hand Till He returns or calls me home Hearing the power of Christ In Christ I'll stand We stand with the hope, with the promise Knowing that God loves us And that love just fills us up to the point Where we testify to that love through our lives Through being able to say that God loved me Let's testify the love of God All the colors of the rainbow
[58:41] All the voices of the wind All the colors of the rainbow All the colors of the rainbow All the voices of the wind Every dream that reaches out That reaches out to find where love begins Every word of every story Every story in every sky Every corner of creation Lives to testify For as long as I shall live I will testify to love For as long as I shall live I will testify to love I'll be witnessed in the silences And we'll turn on in love With every bread I take
[59:43] I will give thanks to God above For as long as I shall live I will testify to love From the mountains to the valleys From the rivers to the seas Every hand that reaches out Every hand that reaches out To offer peace Every single act of mercy Every step to kingdom come All the hope in every heart Will speak above as time For as long as I shall live I will testify to love I'll be witnessed in the silences
[60:46] When words are not enough With every breath I take I will testify to love For as long as I shall live For as long as I shall live I will testify to love For as long as I shall live I will testify to love I'll be witnessed in the silences And words are not enough With every breath I take I will give thanks to God above For as long as I shall live For as long as I shall live I will testify to love God's love says that if we come to Him With a repentant heart Confessing our sins He is good and merciful And will forgive us So won't you share in a prayer of confession Along with me Lord I'm a sinner Lord I'm a sinner I need your grace I need your grace I've not always been loving I've not always been loving I've not always shared your love I've not always shared your love I've not always loved myself
[61:49] Forgive me Lord Forgive me Lord Fill me with your peace Fill me with your peace Fill me with your presence Fill me to your love overflowing set me on the right path that I might glorify you with all of my life.
[62:11] In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Hear the good news. Christ died for us while we were still sinners. This proves God's love for you and for me.
[62:24] In the name of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven. In the name of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven. Glory to God. Amen. And now as a forgiven body of Christ, a body of believers, won't you share the peace of the Holy Spirit with one another?
[62:57] Amen. Amen.
[63:12] Wonderful, merciful Savior Precious Redeemer and Friend Who would have thought that a Lamb could Rescue the souls of men Oh, you rescue the souls of men Counselor, comforter, keeper Spirit, we long to embrace You are the hope when our hearts have
[64:17] Hopelessly lost the way Oh, we hopelessly lost the way You are the one that we praise You are the one we adore You give us healing and grace Our hearts always hunger for Oh, our hearts always hunger for Almighty, infinite Father Faithfully loving your own Here in our weakness you find us Falling before your throne Oh, we're falling before your throne
[65:17] You are the one that we praise You are the one we adore You give us healing and grace Our hearts always hunger for Oh, our hearts always hunger for Amen Amen The story is right here Right here at the table If you listen to the words That we pray every single week That's where the story is You know it You know it You know it in your heart You know it You know it when you come to receive And everyone is welcome to come and receive If you love God, repent of your sin And seek to live in peace
[66:18] As a disciple of Jesus Christ You are welcome to come And not just hear the story But share in it With Jesus Right here with us So come to the table this morning Come and receive Come and be part of it all The Lord be with you Lift up your hearts Let us give thanks to the Lord our God It is right and a good and joyful thing Always and everywhere To give thanks to you, Father Almighty Creator of heaven and earth You formed us in your image And breathed into us the breath of life When we turned away and our love failed Your love remained steadfast You delivered us from captivity Made covenant to be our sovereign God And spoke to us through your prophets And so with your people on earth
[67:19] And all the company of heaven We praise your name And join their unending hymn Holy, holy, holy Lord God of power and might Heaven and earth are full of your glory Hosanna in the highest Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord Hosanna in the highest Holy are you and blessed is your son Jesus Christ Your spirit anointed him to preach good news to the poor To proclaim release to the captives And recovering of sight to the blind To set at liberty those who are oppressed And to announce that the time had come When you would save your people He healed the sick Fed the hungry And ate with sinners By the baptism of his suffering Death and resurrection You gave birth to your church Delivered us from slavery to sin and death And made with us a new covenant By water and the spirit At his ascension you exalted him To sit and reign with you
[68:21] At your right hand On the night in which he gave himself up for us He took bread and he gave thanks to you He broke the bread And gave it to his disciples saying Take and eat This is my body Which is given for you Do this in remembrance of me And when the supper was over He took the cup He gave you thanks and praise And gave it to his disciples Saying drink from this all of you This is the cup of my blood The blood of the new covenant Poured out for you And for many For the forgiveness of sin Do this as often as you drink it In remembrance of me And so in remembrance of these Your mighty acts in Jesus Christ
[69:23] We offer ourselves In praise and thanksgiving As a holy and living sacrifice In union with Christ's offering for us As we proclaim the mystery of faith Christ has died Christ is risen Christ will come again Pour out your Holy Spirit On us gathered here And on these gifts of bread and wine Make them be for us The body and blood of Christ That we may be for the world The body of Christ Redeemed by his blood By your spirit Make us one with Christ One with each other And one in ministry To all the world Until Christ comes in final victory And we feast at his heavenly banquet Through your son Jesus Christ With the Holy Spirit In your holy church All honor and glory is yours Almighty Father Now and forever Amen Shall we pray together With the confidence of children of God
[70:24] The prayer Jesus taught us Our Father Who art in heaven Hallowed be thy name Thy kingdom come Thy will be done On earth as it is in heaven Give us this day our daily bread And forgive us our trespasses As we forgive those who trespass against us And lead us not into temptation But deliver us from evil For thine is the kingdom And the power And the glory Forever and ever Amen Will those who are serving Please come forward Amen Let us pray together Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Thank you.
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