The Call to the Great Community 4
Lesson #4
Join in the Eternal Conversation of God!
Right now, Jesus is at the right hand of God, in the throne room of Heaven, praying for you! Romans 8:34b teaches, “Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.” Ascension Day, which was on Thursday, forty days after Easter, is the crowning event of the ministry of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ but is often hidden in the shadow of our proclamation of His crucifixion and resurrection.
We skip over the triumphant reality of Jesus’ ascension to the right hand of the Father, yet we declare His imminent return in the second coming of Jesus Christ. We leave the “where is He now” and “what is He doing in this present age” kind of ambiguous. Let’s be clear, right now, at the right hand of God, Jesus is praying for you! Amazing, the Holy Spirit, who dwells in you, and Jesus, who is at the right of the Father in Heaven, are speaking with one another and with the Father about you. God exists in a perfect relationship with perfect communication for His glory and our good, for eternity.
Today, I want to teach you the importance of Jesus’ ascension so that you can live with even greater confidence in your daily prayer life as a member of His body. We are held together by prayer because prayer is one of the few things we do that will stand for eternity. Revelation 8:3-4 teaches us this truth, “Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand.”
This is what the scripture reading was about from Acts 1:1-11. That is not the only place we saw the ascension recorded. Listen to the following passages:
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- Luke 24:50-53, “And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they, after worshiping Him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising God.”
- Mark 16:19, “So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.” We also hear it recorded in the ancient creeds of the Bible.
- 1 Timothy 3:16, “By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, was vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.”
On the fortieth day after Easter, concluding the church calendar season of Eastertide, Jesus ascended (bodily rose, “taken up in glory”) to heaven before His disciples’ eyes. Jesus did not leave behind his physical body, resurrected in the flesh, glorified in the Spirit, so that He could take His place at the right hand of the Father. No, very importantly, giving us hope for the New Heaven and New Earth, Jesus in His glorified and resurrected body, is now at the right hand of God, praying for us!
Furthermore, Hebrews 1:1-4 affirms Jesus’ fulfillment of this prophecy, “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.”
What does it mean that Jesus “sat down at the right hand”? It means that Jesus has the respect and authority of the Sovereign! To be at the right hand is to be the trusted agent of the will of the King. Heaven is the control room of creation from which the Sovereign Creator rules over all things in heaven and earth. Do you know the awesome news? God’s control room is one day coming to earth in the New Heaven & Earth.
Jesus has the authority of Heaven in earthly and heavenly affairs. From 1 Peter 3:22, Peter declares that Jesus “is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him” (cf. Ephesians 1:18-23; Philippians 2:9-11).
Jesus declared this authority before His ascension as He gave the Church the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Our relationship with God and our work for Jesus in His Church rest in His rightful authority, not in the authority of any man or denomination. Living and working under rightful authority (headship) is an essential reality and one that God cares very deeply about—not just for His Son, but for all of His children and all of creation, for all time. Are you living under the authority of Jesus Christ and His Word? How far reaching are the implications to your answer?
All who are in Christ Jesus are promised participants in His ascension. Paul states this in Ephesians 2:4-7, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
This event in Jesus’ ministry invites us to live faithfully and to keep our focus on Jesus and the Kingdom of God. Paul taught us this in Colossians 3:1-2, “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.” Our work in this life is now informed by the promises of God and His rightful rule over all creation.
We are no longer bound to this earth, our place in Heaven is already being prepared for us. Speaking of His own future ascension in John 14:1-3, Jesus taught us how this is important for all those who follow Him, “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”
These are the comforting words of Jesus Christ, made possible through His ascension. We can share these words with others because we know Jesus is alive, ascended to the right hand of God, in a place of authority.
Jesus prays for us continually and His prayers are effective, not only because of Jesus’ authority, but also because of the intimate knowledge of Jesus’ experiences as a person who walked on the earth! So don’t feel guilty and heavy-burdened if your prayer life is lacking, just remember to never stop starting in your conversation with Jesus, who is already praying for you.
What a powerful truth that fuels my prayer life with desire to be with this God who loves me and gave Himself for me. In fact, our very prayer lives are empowered by the presence of God in us, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We are joining in the conversation between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Prayer is sharing in God’s eternal community; this is what it means to be called to the Great Community – you have joined the eternal conversation of God!
Paul teaches us about the ministry of the Holy Spirit in Romans 8:26-27, “In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
God is with us, and He will never leave us nor forsake us – He will see us through to the completion of His Plan A! God is with us through His presence and power living in us! May God be exalted in and through you – a fellow member of the Great Community where the eternal conversation of God is bearing good fruit in our everyday lives. Join the conversation and pray John 17 every day, continue to pray through the Psalms each and every day, joining with Jesus under His headship so that we, each and every one of us, may walk in the unity of the Spirit, so that the world may see us as one mature body, in synch with God and coordinated together. We can do more together than we can do apart.
Resources:
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Hymn: A Thousand Amens
Today’s song focus :
A Thousand Amens
Lamentations 3:22-23 (NASB95)
For His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.”
In 2009, Tim Timmons wanted to create a song that would be powerful and uplifting while inviting believers to praise and worship God. Reflective of the traditional Doxology, it also highlights the concept of God’s unfailing love, faithfulness and the assurance that we can always rely on His mercy and grace. It goes further to tell of God’s kindness that brings comfort, restoration and wholeness to all who worship Him.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him, all creatures here below
Praise Him above, Ye heavenly Host
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Ken reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
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A Thousand Amens
Praise Him, all creatures here below
Praise Him above, Ye heavenly Host
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost
Unfailing love comes with the morning
It’s Your faithfulness we sing at night
It’s Your kindness Lord that leads to our healing
All glory to our maker and a thousand amens
Yeah, yeah, ooh
Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him, all creatures here below
Praise Him above, Ye heavenly Host
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost
Unfailing love comes with the morning
It’s Your faithfulness we sing at night
It’s Your kindness Lord that leads to our healing, ooh
All glory to our Maker and a thousand amens
Yeah, yeah
Unfailing love comes with the morning, yeah, yeah
It’s Your faithfulness we sing at night
It’s Your kindness Lord that leads to our healing, oh
All glory to our Maker and a thousand amens
Amen, amen, amen, amen
Amen, amen, all glory to our Maker
Amen, amen, amen, amen
Amen, amen, all glory to our Maker
(Amen)
Amen, amen, amen, amen
Amen, amen, all glory to our Maker
Amen, amen, amen, amen
Amen, amen, all glory to our Maker
(We will praise Your name, oh God)
Amen, amen
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Jeremiah 42
Choose Wisely Your Next Step! (Part 1 of 2)
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, May 10.
Learning how to make wise decisions is an essential skill to the adult life, especially for someone who wants to walk in the Way of Jesus. Every single day we are going to be confronted with choices, many of which will be small daily decisions, while others will be significant with far reaching consequences. Big or small, every decision you make is important. In Romans 12:1-2, Paul taught us the foundational principle to godly decision making:
Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
You have to be with Him! We cannot take our lead from the patterns of this world, but by being in step with Him, seeking direction from God through His Word, in prayer, and through wise counsel. After the assassination of the governor, the remnant had a hard decision to make – remain in Mizpah, awaiting the retaliation of Babylon, or flee to Egypt, seeking sanctuary from an old ally. The officials of the remnant approached the prophet in Jeremiah 42:1-3, taking the right next step in making this important decision, “Please let our petition come before you, and pray for us to the Lord your God, that is for all this remnant; because we are left but a few out of many, as your own eyes now see us, that the Lord your God may tell us the way in which we should walk and the thing that we should do.”
Seize the moment and seek to be in step with God in every decision you make, remembering that His Word “is a lamp to [your] feet and a light to [your] path” (Psalm 119:105).
God bless you!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
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Jeremiah 41
Be at Peace for the Sake of the Seeker!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, May 9.
Sometime after the deportation of the exiles, Gedaliah, the appointed governor of Judah, was assassinated by Ishmael (Jeremiah 41:1-3). It was yet another dark season for the people of Judah because instead of striving to work together to make the best of a bad situation, there was political strife and personal enmity. To make matters worse, when eighty pilgrims came from the north to worship in the house of the Lord, seventy of them were massacred by Ishmael (4-9). Whereas the assassination of the governor was a tragedy, the massacre of the pilgrims was an atrocity. Furthermore, beyond the moral consequences of this unnecessary bloodshed, there was going to be far reaching political ramifications from Babylon. Sadly, any stability in the region or hope for the future that had been restored to the everyday people was snatched away. After seeking revenge upon Ishmael, Johanan prepared the people to leave the Promised Land, fleeing to Egypt (11-18).
When the people of God infight, it keeps seekers from experiencing the love of God. I don’t understand why people are so easily stirred up into turmoil, especially those who are supposed to have the peace of God guarding their hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Whether it’s the color of the carpets, the translation of the pew Bible, or a perspective on a hot topic, it’s almost as if the people of God are looking for something (anything!) to sacrifice their unified witness at the altar of personal preferences. Unfortunately, those who suffer the most from such infighting are the seekers and pilgrims. It is the guest, upon walking into a church that is caught up in discord and division, that never gets to feel or experience the love of Jesus through His disciples’ love for one another (John 13:34-35).
Seize the moment and fear God; be at peace with one another for the sake of the seeker!
God bless you!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
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Jeremiah 40
Heed Wise Counsel!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, May 8.
With the deportation under way, a remnant was left behind with Gedaliah as the appointed governor of Judah. Jeremiah found favor with the Babylonian leadership because of his faithfulness as a prophet and was given the choice to come with them to be cared for favorably in exile or to remain in Mizpah as a member of the Jewish remnant. Unfortunately, Jeremiah’s decision to remain did not thwart the rebellious plot to kill the Babylonian’s appointed governor. While there is no record of the prophet’s intervention, Jeremiah 40:13-16 records the governor’s refusal to heed a warning from his top advisors:
Now Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces that were in the field came to Gedaliah at Mizpah and said to him, “Are you well aware that Baalis the king of the sons of Ammon has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to take your life?” But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam did not believe them. Then Johanan the son of Kareah spoke secretly to Gedaliah in Mizpah, saying, “Let me go and kill Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and not a man will know! Why should he take your life, so that all the Jews who are gathered to you would be scattered and the remnant of Judah would perish?” But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, “Do not do this thing, for you are telling a lie about Ishmael.”
(Spoiler alert: Ishmael murders Gedaliah in the next chapter.) I have two questions about this historical narrative: Where was Jeremiah’s prophetic counsel? Why wouldn’t the newly appointed governor of Judah trust the counsel of his closest advisors? He thought he already knew, so he wasn’t listening to the kingly wisdom of Proverbs 15:22, “Without consultation, plans are frustrated, but with many counselors they succeed.”
Seize the moment and heed wisdom, especially when it is given by a trustworthy source. Don’t let your presuppositions prevent you from heeding wise counsel.
God bless you!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
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Jeremiah 39
Faith Saves the Day!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, May 7.
The siege was successful, and the Babylonians breached the defenses of Jerusalem. While this historical account of the destruction of Jerusalem and the ensuing deportation of the people to Babylon is also told in 2 Kings 25, the prophet’s account emphasized God’s faithfulness to an Ethiopian eunuch, Ebed-melech, who rescued him from the cistern in Jeremiah 38:7-13. While the story does not explicitly state it, Ebed-melech most likely put his life into God’s hands twice to accomplish this feat – first, by going before the king with the petition for Jeremiah’s life, and second, by putting himself at odds with the officials who opposed Jeremiah. In return for his courageous and compassionate action to preserve the life of the prophet, God spoke to the Ethiopian eunuch in Jeremiah 39:15-18:
“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I am about to bring My words on this city for disaster and not for prosperity; and they will take place before you on that day. But I will deliver you on that day,’ declares the Lord, ‘and you will not be given into the hand of the men whom you dread. For I will certainly rescue you, and you will not fall by the sword; but you will have your own life as booty, because you have trusted in Me,’ declares the Lord.”
God preserved the eunuch’s life, “because you have trusted in Me.” I love how God said that, because did we ever witness any declarations of faith from the Ethiopian court servant of Zedekiah? No, we are confronted with the biblical fact that our faith must be made manifest by our works, but it is not our works that save us, but the faith itself. As Paul emphasized in Romans 4:1-8, Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness.
Seize the moment and put your faith into action through good works (James 2:14-26).
God bless you!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
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Jeremiah 38
Real Hope Sets You Free!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, May 6.
Do you want people to tell you what you want to hear or what you need to hear? In Jeremiah 38, the military leaders of Jerusalem threw the prophet into a cistern; verses 4-5 explain why:
Then the officials said to the king, “Now let this man be put to death, inasmuch as he is discouraging the men of war who are left in this city and all the people, by speaking such words to them; for this man is not seeking the well-being of this people but rather their harm.” So King Zedekiah said, “Behold, he is in your hands; for the king can do nothing against you.”
Though the prophet was rescued from certain death at the muddy bottom of the cistern, he was kept under house arrest until his prophecy was fulfilled, as Jeremiah 38:28 explains, “So Jeremiah stayed in the court of the guardhouse until the day that Jerusalem was captured.” When the king went to the discarded prophet, Jeremiah confronted him with his conundrum (14-23). He gave the truth to the weak king like a surgeon utilizes a scalpel for good, in hopes of removing cancer from a sick person’s body.
Real hope is meant to set you free from the sin nature that seeks to grip you in its unbridled pursuit of making for itself a personal utopia on Earth. Jesus came to rescue you so that you can live for God as eternal citizens of Heaven. You need to hear this truth, so that you can surrender to a real hope for the future. Like He did for King Zedekiah, God is giving you a choice to make – live by fear of what could be or live by faith of what will be.
Seize the moment and surrender to God and you shall have rest for your soul. In Christ, your glory days are always ahead of you!
God bless you!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
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The Call to the Great Community 3
Communion Celebrates Christ While Declaring our Unity as His Church!
Our current sermon series, “The Call to the Great Community,” is a series of discipleship teachings about the body of Christ and our call to be fellow members of the body of Christ. This is an important call to answer for us individually and corporately for the sake of the mission of Jesus Christ (why He came!) for the glory of God. You have a purpose for belonging!
The church is God’s idea; not mine nor yours! The church is the body of Christ because we exist to embody the mission of Jesus to the glory of the Father. The mission of Jesus is the great rescue mission; He came from Heaven to Earth to show us the way to the Father; this has always been God’s Plan A; therefore, the church exists for the mission – to walk in the way of Jesus as His body, making Him known and continuing His mission for the glory of God. We have a purpose for belonging!
We are to be one in Christ as His church! In order to express our oneness in Christ we must have unity within our diverse functionality. Just like how God designed and intended men and women to complement, and not compete with, one another. We must treat one another with humility and gentleness, and we must pray for the the Spirit to give us a true John 17 unity. We must practice our belonging on purpose!
+ Read Luke 22:14-20
+ Watch educational video: https://www.gotquestions.org/communion-Christian.html
+ Read 1 Corinthians 11:23-34
- It is an ordinance of remembrance, commemorating the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross.
- It is a sign and signifier of the New Covenant, which was sealed through the body and blood of Jesus Christ.
- It is a proclamation of your statement of faith – Christ crucified, risen, and coming again.
“For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.” (v. 26)
How Do I Prepare Myself for the Lord’s Supper? Through faith, confessing, and repenting of all known sin. It is ONLY by God’s grace you can be worthy.
Who Should Take the Lord’s Supper?
Only those who are believers/disciples of Jesus Christ.
“For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly.” (v. 29)
RESOURCES:
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Hymn: Nothing But The Blood
Day 1509
Today’s song focus :
Nothing But The Blood
1 John 1:7 (NASB95)
“but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light,
we have fellowship with one another,
and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
Oh precious is the flow that makes me white as snow
No other fount I know, nothing but the blood of Jesus
We need to wake up and realize that it was for OUR SIN that Jesus shed His blood to provide the ultimate sacrifice. There is NOTHING that we could ever have done to restore our relationship with Father God. It is His precious blood that washes away our sin and makes us whole again. Thank Him for that gift today!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Ken reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
If you would like to listen to this song, click on this link:
Nothing But The Blood
- What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.- Refrain:
Oh! precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
- Refrain:
- For my pardon, this I see,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
For my cleansing this my plea,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus. - Nothing can for sin atone,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
Naught of good that I have done,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus. - This is all my hope and peace,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
This is all my righteousness,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus. - Now by this I’ll overcome—
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
Now by this I’ll reach my home—
Nothing but the blood of Jesus. - Glory! Glory! This I sing—
Nothing but the blood of Jesus,
All my praise for this I bring—
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
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Jeremiah 37
Prioritize Time to Listen!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, May 3.
The key to good communication is the ability to listen. If you are always talking and never listening, then you will never know another person. We must listen to the one we seek to understand, which is why God gave us two ears and one mouth. As James 1:19 teaches, “But everyone must be quick to hear.” In our spiritual disciplines, we must listen to God’s Word because He desires for us to know Him. That happens primarily through Bible intake through a daily reading or listening plan, but it also comes through the life of following Jesus, called Christian discipleship. If you want to grow in your relationship with Jesus, you must prioritize listening to Him!
Often people treat God like a cosmic vending machine. They really don’t want to get to know Him; they just want something from Him. Such people are always asking, but never listening. Their religion is yet another way to cope with or control their world. We see an example of this in Jeremiah 37:1-3:
Now Zedekiah the son of Josiah whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had made king in the land of Judah, reigned as king in place of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim. But neither he nor his servants nor the people of the land listened to the words of the Lord which He spoke through Jeremiah the prophet. Yet King Zedekiah sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, to Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “Please pray to the Lord our God on our behalf.”
Zedekiah was willing to ask the prophet to pray on their behalf, but he was not willing to listen to God’s Word. There was no relationship, only his ambition to use God, and no one likes to be used!
Seize the moment and prioritize listening to God today! Mark your calendar with the times of your daily transformative practices of Christian discipleship.
God bless you!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
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Jeremiah 36
Invest in Intentional Relationships!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, May 2.
Moses had Joshua. Elijah had Elisha. Jesus had the Twelve. Paul had Timothy, and he exhorted him in 2 Timothy 2:2, “The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” Life is hard and it’s not meant to be done alone. We are better together because the Kingdom of God is a relational kingdom. Who are the intentional people in your life who are strengthening your spiritual vitality and focusing your resolve to live on mission for Jesus?
Jeremiah had Baruch, and today’s chapter demonstrates what an important relationship it was to the prophet and his ministry. Although we caught a glimpse of Baruch previously in Jeremiah 32:12, it was not until Jeremiah 36:4-8 that we see his essential role as the prophet’s scribe and partner in the ministry:
Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah, and Baruch wrote on a scroll at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the Lord which He had spoken to him. Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, “I am restricted; I cannot go into the house of the Lord. So you go and read from the scroll which you have written at my dictation the words of the Lord to the people in the Lord’s house on a fast day. And also you shall read them to all the people of Judah who come from their cities. ….” Baruch the son of Neriah did according to all that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him, reading from the book the words of the Lord in the Lord’s house.
We learn from Jeremiah’s ministry that none of us were designed to do life alone. You can’t accomplish the ministry God has for you all be yourself.
Seize the moment and do life together – invest in intentional relationships with people who strengthen your spiritual vitality and focus your resolve to live on mission for Jesus!
God bless you!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
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Jeremiah 35
Give Your Family a Faith Legacy!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, May 1.
Have you ever used a well-known example from history to make your point? Of course you have, we all do this, and that is what the prophet was doing in Jeremiah 35. He contrasted the people’s duplicity from the previous chapter, with the faithfulness of the Rechabites, who refused to violate their founding father’s commands. To understand the zeal of the Rechabites, you need to understand the origin story of their founder, Jehonadab the son of Rechab, from 2 Kings 10:15-17:
Now when [Jehu, king of Israel] had departed from there, he met Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him; and he greeted him and said to him, “Is your heart right, as my heart is with your heart?” And Jehonadab answered, “It is.” Jehu said, “If it is, give me your hand.” And he gave him his hand, and he took him up to him into the chariot. He said, “Come with me and see my zeal for the Lord.” So he made him ride in his chariot. When he came to Samaria, he killed all who remained to Ahab in Samaria, until he had destroyed him, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke to Elijah.
Jehonadab continued with Jehu to destroy the temple of Baal and massacre all the priests. This would have been a formative experience for him, one which set the course of his house forever, so much so that they remained faithful to God even under tremendous pressure for generations to come. His house remained tried and true, and God promised that they would never “lack a man to stand before Me always” (Jeremiah 35:18-19). How do you help your household remain faithful for generations to come?
Seize the moment and give your family a legacy worth preserving by showing them your faith in how you handle the difficult circumstances today.
God bless you!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
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Jeremiah 34
Stand Firm in your Freedom!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
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Jeremiah 33
Day 1504
As Reliable as the Sunrise!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, April 29.
If the sun didn’t rise, life would come to an end. God has put signs in the sky to demonstrate His faithfulness. Twice God referenced this truth to His people in Jeremiah 33, at a time when His people were on the verge of destruction:
1. Verses 20-22,
2. Verses 25-26,
Do you trust that the sun will rise tomorrow just as it has every other day of your life? I do because I trust God’s faithfulness (Lamentations 3:23-24). Not only are sunrises beautiful daily reminders of the precious gift of life, but they are also powerful daily reminders of God’s faithfulness to keep His promises. What God was saying to His people is that His faithfulness is greater than their rebellion;therefore, in the same way that they are not powerful enough to stop the established rhythms of day and night in creation, they cannot cause Him to break His covenant promises.
Seize the moment and put your faith in God’s faithfulness and not your own (Romans 8:37-39).
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
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The Heart of a Servant
(Pt 2 in The Heart series)
The Heart of a Servant
That is why we as a church are not to follow the world, but to set the example for them to follow. When Jesus called the disciples, He told them to “Come! Follow me…” In doing so, they were to give up their own wants and desires and to learn from the Master so they could become true disciples. We, too, are to surrender everything to Jesus and learn from Him what a true disciple is and how we are to live that out in our lives.
In today’s scripture, we find Paul writing to the people of Galatia to not be like the world, but to be what Christ told His disciples to be. They were allowing the things of the world to distort the message of the Gospel. Galatians 5 starts off with this reminder:
“It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.”
Freedom from the slavery of sin and selfishness is not something we can do on our own, I don’t care how much will power you have. It is only through Christ’s redemptive sacrifice and love that we can truly be free. And what is so cool about that it is a FREE GIFT for anyone who chooses to accept it. With it should come a real change in our hearts…
Galatians 5:13-14
“ For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.””
Love comes from the heart, and true love comes from God. When we love Him as He first loved us, then we are able to love others. So, in order for this to happen, we have to have that change from a self-serving heart to a heart that serves others.
Today, we are going to look at:
- WHAT DOES IS MEAN TO HAVE THE HEART OF A SERVANT
- HOW CAN WE DEVELOP THE HEART OF A SERVANT
- WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF HAVING THE HEART OF A SERVANT
1. What does it mean to have the heart of a servant?
The heart of a servant is a reflection of God, embodying compassion and love (agape), not seeking its own glory, focuses on others and finds joy in lifting up the broken, bringing hope to the hopeless, all while being selfless.
John 12:1-3:
“Jesus, therefore, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 So they made Him a supper there, and Martha was serving; but Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him. 3 Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.”
The job of washing feet was one assigned to the lowest of slaves. Because of wearing sandals and traveling on dirt roads, when a guest came to the house, they would be offered a basin of water to wash their own hands as they prepared to sit down for a meal, but it was the servant that took care of washing their feet. They would wash the feet of the guests because they would be reclining around the table. This would mean that another guest’s feet would be close to where they were reclining. Some people’s feet just naturally smell bad from their own sweat, but what if they had stepped in something on the roadway in their travels (we call them ‘landmines’ aka ‘droppings’ from animals) Have you ever traveled behind a horse and buggy in Amish country?!?
Mary’s action was one that showed both humility and devotion to Jesus. The use of the alabaster jar of nard, a very expensive perfume was to demonstrate her total surrender to Him by giving her all. In Matthew and Mark’s writings about this event, they mentioned that she also anointed His head.
She was serving out of love for Jesus, with total disregard of what others might have thought or were even saying out loud. She was selflessly serving Jesus.
John 13:3-5:
“Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God, 4 got up from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself. 5 Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.”
This was just six days after the previous story. These men had shared other Passover meals together, as well as other times of sitting down to share a meal. You would have thought that the disciples would have remembered this important part of caring for the guests at a meal. But we all know that they did not have any servants, so they probably figured it would be ‘every man for themselves’. Jesus was the one to get up from the table and take care of this. He did this out of love for each of them, even the one who was going to betray Him!
John 13:15-17:
For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.”
Mark 10:42-45:
“Calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. 43 But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; 44 and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
So, if the Savior of the world did that for us, why are we not doing the same thing for Him and for each other?
Philippians 2:1-4:
“Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. 3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”
We need the power of the Holy Spirit and His guidance. We are not naturally wired this way. Man is by nature a sinner (Romans 3:23). We have to surrender our own wants, desires and ambitions to selflessly put the needs of others ahead of our own.
Philippians 2:5-7:
“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.”
Jesus surrendered totally to the Father’s will. He was not motivated by personal gain or recognition, but wanted people to see the Father’s love and compassion in everything that He said and did. He wanted to bring God glory! Are we not to do the same?
Look at David, known as a man after God’s own heart. He demonstrated his love for his fellow man and his faith in God’s promises when he went out to face Goliath.
1 Samuel 17:37a:
“…The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”
3. What are the benefits of having the heart of a servant?
John 13:34-35:
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
If we are going to talk the talk, we have to walk the walk. They will know that we love them when we show that we love them. That is why we need to the Holy Spirit to help us discern when we are to love gently, or love strongly, even in spite of how they are treating us.
Philippians 2:14-18:
“Do all things without grumbling or disputing; 15 so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, 16 holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain. 17 But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all. 18 You too, I urge you, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me.”
When we become a Christian, we are freed from the slavery of sin and are to serve Christ as our Lord and King, not out of duty, but out of love.
ILLUS: Jim Baich, my brother-in-law; Pastor Jerry (how fortunate we are!)
So today I have told you:
- What it means to have the heart of a servant
- How we can develop the heart of a servant
- What the benefits are of having the heart of a servant.
All of this starts with the heart! When we put our heart in alignment with God, we are able to recognize who we are in the relationship, get rid of the pride that would cause us to stumble and embrace the humility necessary to serve Him and how we are to serve others. We need to view serving others as a way of living and that it is an expression of worship to God. There is an old hymn “Joy in Serving Jesus” and the chorus say:
There is joy, joy, joy in serving Jesus, Joy that throbs within my heart
Every moment, every hour, As I draw upon His power,
There is joy, joy, joy that never shall depart
You can watch this week’s message by clicking HERE.
You can watch the entire service including music by clicking HERE.
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Hymn: Build My Life
Day 1502
Today’s worship song focus :
Build My Life
Luke 6:47-48 (NASB95)
“Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show
you whom he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a
foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that\
house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.”
I will build my life upon Your love, it is a firm foundation.
I will put my trust in You alone, and I will not be shaken.
We need to wake up to the fact that God is deserving of all our praise and adoration. When we humble ourselves to His plans and His ways, we will find that we are truly living a life of service to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Ken reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
If you would like to listen to this song, click on this link:
I Will Build My Life
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Jeremiah 32
Pray for Israel!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, April 26.
The land of Israel is intertwined with the ancient covenant between God and the Jews, His chosen people. At a time in Israel’s history, when Babylon had the siege works at the walls of Jerusalem, and Jeremiah had already prophesied God’s Word to surrender to King Nebuchadnezzar, God commanded the prophet to purchase a family plot from his uncle’s son; to redeem it as a prophetic sign of His covenant faithfulness to preserve the Promised Land. Economically, this made no sense, especially when it was the man who was prophesying the fall of Jerusalem who was being asked to purchase a land contract and seal it in clay pot for future posterity. In Jeremiah 32:13-15 & 42-44, God made it clear that He was using this as an illustration of His lasting covenant to maintain the boundaries of the Promised Land:
“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Take these deeds, this sealed deed of purchase and this open deed, and put them in an earthenware jar, that they may last a long time. … Just as I brought all this great disaster on this people, so I am going to bring on them all the good that I am promising them. Fields will be bought in this land of which you say, “It is a desolation, without man or beast; it is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.” Men will buy fields for money, sign and seal deeds, and call in witnesses in the land of Benjamin, in the environs of Jerusalem, in the cities of Judah, in the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the lowland and in the cities of the Negev; for I will restore their fortunes,’ declares the Lord.”
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
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Jeremiah 31
Herald the New Covenant!
In Jeremiah 31:31-33, the prophet heralded the New Covenant between God and His people:
“Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”
What makes the New Covenant different is that it was to be written on the hearts of the people. When God gave the Mosaic Law, He wrote it upon stone tablets. This time He was going to do it differently. When God gave the Abrahamic Covenant, He commanded all the men to be physically circumcised as a sign of the covenant. This time He was going to do it differently. The Holy Spirit would circumcise their hearts, causing them to be sensitive to the conviction of the Holy Spirit, the One who seals the New Covenant by establishing God’s rule from within their hearts, leading them into His rest. Different from King David’s kingdom, it was no longer a nation to be ruled, because Jesus’ Kingdom transcends all geographical boundaries and human constructs. And His banner over us is love!
God bless you!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
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Jeremiah 30
Persevere in Discipline!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, April 24.
The parent takes a deep breath, saying to her teenage child as she grounds him, “Trust me, one day you will thank me for this and understand that what I am doing is for your good.” Loving parents must discipline their children, to help them reach their full potential. Truly, it is for their good, but that’s a difficult concept for children to comprehend. Solomon taught a key principle of discipline in Proverbs 19:18, “Discipline your son while there is hope, and do not desire his death.” Discipline is an activity of hope and not one of despair.
In the same way that loving parents are exhorted to discipline their children, God, our Heavenly Father, desires to lead us into His life and not punish us unto our deaths. But, to give us life we must face the consequences of our sin, so that we don’t continually return to our folly (Proverbs 26:11). In Jeremiah 30:24, the prophet proclaimed God’s perseverance to discipline Judah as a loving parent, “The fierce anger of the Lord will not turn back until He has performed and until He has accomplished the intent of His heart; in the latter days you will understand this.” Because there was still hope for their return, God disciplined them.
By God’s grace, the same is true for us today. Jesus came to restore us into a right relationship with the Father by dealing with the sin issue that keeps us separated from Him, but we can’t ignore the chastising of the Spirit regarding our sin. We must be mature adults, responding to God’s loving discipline and no longer quenching the work of the Spirit when He convicts us of our need to repent from sin, so that, we may share in His holiness (John 16:7-15; Ephesians 4:30).
Seize the moment and persevere in discipline, trusting that those who do will bear the good fruit of maturity in Christ (Hebrews 12:7-11)
God bless you!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
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Jeremiah 29
Hold on to the Promise!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, April 23.
The Lord has good plans for your life; in fact, Jeremiah 29:11 promises, “‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.’” This is one of the greatest promises of the Bible, but it must be read in its historical context if we are going to have the faith to hold on to God through our darkest days. It was given at a time when most of the people wanted God’s messenger locked up and shut up. Interestingly, this significant promise is bookended by the punishment of two false prophets for contradicting Jeremiah – Hananiah (Jeremiah 28:15-17) and Shemaiah (Jeremiah 29:30-32). During international turmoil, national division, cultural decay, and religious bankruptcy, God did not forsake His people. Quite the opposite, in Jeremiah 29:5-11, He sent His promise to the exiles in Babylon to give them hope, but also with the expectation that they would return to covenant faithfulness:
“‘Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease. Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.’ … For thus says the Lord, ‘When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.”
God bless you!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
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Jeremiah 28
Trust the Fidelity of God’s Word!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, April 22.
It is God who raises up prophets, but what happens when you aren’t sure if someone is being faithful to God? In Deuteronomy 18:20, God gave Moses clear guidance on what to do about a prophet who presented their own words as if from God, “But the prophet who speaks a word presumptuously in My name which I have not commanded him to speak, or which he speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.” God doesn’t make idle threats about protecting the fidelity of His Word.
In Jeremiah 28, when the prophet had put on himself a wooden oxen yoke as a prophetic sign to the people, a man named Hananiah, who was claiming to be a prophet, broke the yoke off Jeremiah, saying, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Even so will I break within two full years the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all the nations’” (10-11). This message opposed Jeremiah’s former prophecy, but God can’t contradict Himself, so who was right? God answered that question by giving Jeremiah a message to clarify which word was from Him, “Listen now, Hananiah, the Lord has not sent you, and you have made this people trust in a lie. Therefore thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. This year you are going to die, because you have counseled rebellion against the Lord’” (15-16). God was faithful to protect the fidelity of His Word and to uphold the honor of His messenger. Today, if someone claims to speak for God, but his or her words are not lining up with the Bible, then that person is not God’s spokesperson.
Seize the moment and trust God to protect the fidelity of His Word! Be noble like a Berean and line up everything you hear with the Bible (Acts 17:11).
God bless you!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
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The Call to the Great Community 2
Lesson #2:
The Church is One in Christ!
Our new sermon series, “The Call to the Great Community,” is a series of discipleship teachings about the body of Christ and our call to be fellow members of the body of Christ. This is an important call to answer for us individually and corporately for the sake of the mission of Jesus Christ (why He came!) for the glory of God. You have a purpose for belonging!
The big idea from the first teaching last week was that the church is God’s idea; not mine nor yours! From the Scriptures, we learned that the church is the Body of Christ because we exist for the mission of Jesus to the glory of God. The mission of Jesus is the great rescue mission; He came from Heaven to Earth to show us the way to the Father; this has always been God’s Plan A; therefore, the church exists for the mission – to make Jesus known and to continue His mission, as His body for the glory of God. We have a purpose for belonging!
Finally, last week you were invited to find unity with your fellow member by participating in the 150-day Pray the Psalms Discipleship Challenge. Today is Day #7, which means we are praying through Psalm 7. I pray you are finding it meaningful to do this just as you found it meaningful to read through the New Testament together. Belonging doesn’t happen by accident!
Today’s big idea: The Church is One in Christ!
Romans 12:4-5, “For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.”
+ How can we demonstrate our unity within our diverse functionality?
Ephesians 4:1-6, “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.”
+ How should we treat one another to preserve the unity of the Spirit?
John 17:20-26, “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”
+ How do we pray for one another to see the fulfillment of John 17 in us?
RESOURCES:
You can download this week’s notes in a PDF format by clicking HERE.
You can watch the message by clicking HERE.
If you would like to view the entire broadcast including music, click HERE.
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Hymn: Blest Be the Ties That Bind
Today’s worship song focus :
Blest Be the Tie that Binds
Galatians 3:28 (NASB95)
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is
neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above.
We need to wake up to the realization that it is the love of God that binds our hearts to one another. We need to have the determination to love people through every circumstance, even those that try to pull us apart. We will find that it will make us stronger and that we are truly loving as God loves us.
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Ken reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
If you would like to listen to this song, click on this link:
Blest Be the Tie That Binds
our hearts in Christian love;
the fellowship of kindred minds
is like to that above.
we pour our ardent prayers;
our fears, our hopes, our aims are one,
our comforts and our cares.
our mutual burdens bear,
and often for each other flows
the sympathizing tear.
it gives us inward pain;
but we shall still be joined in heart,
and hope to meet again.
our courage by the way;
while each in expectation lives
and waits to see the day.
and sin, we shall be free;
and perfect love and friendship reign
through all eternity.
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Jeremiah 27
Take the Yoke upon You!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, April 19.
Jesus compassionately invited all who are weary and heavy-laden, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29). Just like Jesus transformed the Roman cross into a redemptive image of life, so He converted the oxen yoke into a prophetic sign of faith. Six hundred years prior, in Jeremiah 27, God commanded His prophet to take up his yoke. In Jeremiah 27:8-12, the prophet explained the image of the yoke:
“‘It will be, that the nation or the kingdom which will not serve him, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and which will not put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I will punish that nation with the sword, with famine and with pestilence,’ declares the Lord, ‘until I have destroyed it by his hand. … But the nation which will bring its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will let remain on its land,’ declares the Lord, ‘and they will till it and dwell in it.’” I spoke words like all these to Zedekiah king of Judah, saying, “Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him and his people, and live!”
Jeremiah’s message was unpopular because he commanded the people to choose between political subjugation or destruction. The way of the yoke was to trust God by putting oneself under the rule of Babylon, the instrument of God’s judgment, who was also the only means of survival. What happens when the way of life feels like death to self?
Seize the moment and take up your cross daily! Follow Jesus, who promised in Luke 9:24, “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.”
God bless you!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
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Jeremiah 26
Respond Tenderly to the Truth!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, April 18.
God’s tender mercies are often delivered in hard messages. In the beginning of the rule of King Jehoiakim, Jeremiah was sent on a mercy mission to speak to all the people who had gathered in the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. In Jeremiah 26:3, God explained to the prophet His reasoning for such a difficult message, which he was not allowed to soften for the people’s easier consumption, “Perhaps they will listen and everyone will turn from his evil way, that I may repent of the calamity which I am planning to do to them because of the evil of their deeds.” Because He is rich in mercy, God was giving His chosen people a final opportunity to repent prior to the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of the people to Babylon. Unfortunately, as we see in Jeremiah 26:7-9, they would not listen:
When Jeremiah finished speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak to all the people, the priests and the prophets and all the people seized him, saying, “You must die! Why have you prophesied in the name of the Lord saying, ‘This house will be like Shiloh and this city will be desolate, without inhabitant’?”
God gives hard words because He loves His children and only wants the best for them. Unfortunately, not much has changed since the time of Jeremiah. People still want the message preached by God’s messenger to agree with their own sensibilities and loyalties, and if they don’t hear what they want to hear they will often punish the messenger. Back in the day that meant seeking his death, now it usually means criticizing the preacher or leaving the church.
Seize the moment and respond tenderly to the truth! May God’s faithful messengers soften your heart, so that you may live a faithful life to the God who loves you enough to tell you the truth.
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
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