Insignificant Serving

By: Michele S.

For the last few days God has been laying the word "serving" on my heart. After our lunch on Sunday, I was thinking about some of the people who helped. I was so grateful as I thought about them, and I wondered if they even thought what they were doing was serving. That started me wondering how many of us know when we're serving and how we look at the help we give. The Lord brought to mind Pastor Dave's admonition about feeling insignificant, and then He put together a phrase, "insignificant serving."

He began to show me that because we feel insignificant, we believe the help we give is insignificant, too. We downplay the thanks we receive because the serving can't be significant if we aren't. We don't realize what our cheerful hearts and willing hands do during a move, or the blessing that prepared meals bring to the family of an exhausted new mother.

God checked my heart with this because I've been guilty of "insignificant serving." He wanted to teach me that in His eyes there is no such thing!

God wants to serve notice on "insignificant serving." Let Him check your heart and allow Him to teach you that in His Kingdom no one serves insignificantly. "... Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." Matthew 25:40.

Our Patria

By Kathy C.

Our "Patria" is working each and every day. It is effective in times of crises, helping to push the one in need on through.

Patria is a Greek word meaning "a group of families or a whole nation." I believe as a church we come under the meaning "group of families." Though we are separate families, together we are one family under God. Paul says in Ephesians 3:14-15, "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,..."

Our "Patria" is working each and every day. It is effective in times of crises, helping to push the one in need on through. I saw this happen recently when I became ill. Our "patria" went into action as soon as I made two phone calls for help. From there, everything was arranged from medical care to child care. When we first arrived at the emergency room, we were told that the wait was a minimum of four hours. Our "Patria" showed up and prayed for me while we waited. I believe God answered those prayers in a mighty way, cutting our wait time from four hours to 1-1/2 hours. Our "Patria" waited with me while I waited for the doctor and got x-rays. Their love and care didn't end there. They took me home and stayed with me through the night and even cleaned my house. I found our later that the prayers of our "Patria" during the Saturday night service were the reason I began to feel better that very night.

"Patria"... I really don't know how it works. I don't think anyone really does yet. But the important thing is that it does work and it is there to bring honor, glory and praise to our Lord Jesus.

Body Building

By: Gail H.

"Don't give up your grip, someone is counting on you."

God impressed upon me these two words: Body building. When I asked Him if this was for me personally, He said it was for the Body; not in a physical sense, but spiritually.

As we exercise our physical bodies, we are to exercise our spirit. We are building relationships, refining and defining our character to be Christ-like, toning our gifts to be used for His glory, strengthening and encouraging each other. 1 Peter 4:10 says, "As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God."

Through our home groups we are experiencing the "hands-on" training we need to accomplish victory in this world. We are learning to trust, rely on and confide in each other.

Alone, one cannot stand. But together, by supporting, lifting up and holding onto each other we can stand firm. It reminds me of a childhood game called Red Rover. Two lines of people holding hands are formed. Facing each other with a generous distance between the lines, one person hollers out to the other line, "Red Rover, Red Rover, send Johnny right over." The person called gives up the grip of his teammates hands and runs to the other side, trying to break through the human wall. He tries to hit a weak area, finding a place to break through. If we do not hold tightly to each other, the wall can be broken.

Will you hold onto the person next to you no matter what or will you give in to the hit and let go - allowing the enemy to break through and the wall to crumble? Romans 12:5 says, "So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another." Don't give up your grip, someone is counting on you.

Friday Night Explosion - Youth News

By Eric R.

"This city is full of hurting kids who have no idea what it means to breathe, or to live a life of peace, joy, or love."

One thing that I have discovered by playing sports my whole life is that the harder you run the more you breathe. That is what the youth of this church have been doing. Our hunger for evangelism and our desire to build the church has us running hard and fast.

With every step we run, we breathe; not natural breath, but as if we breathe in God. For months we sang, "You are the air I breathe" to God. Now we are truly finding out what that means.

I have a vision for youth, not only for those in this body, but also those in the city. This vision will take a church to fulfill it. This city is full of hurting kids who have no idea what it means to breathe, or to live a life of peace, joy, or love. Take a good look at the youth around you and see the light that radiates from their faces.

The youth of this church, the young leaders, and myself have made a decision to be passionate for what God is passionate for. No matter the cost or how hard we have to run, we desire to be a generation of doers and not sayers.

Now is the time to live your life in Christ. We need to recognize that it is time to run into God's plan. While we run, we need to breathe; when we breathe is when we honestly live. As a church it is time to do the will of the Father, "to seek and to save that which was lost."

Will you breathe with us?

Kid's Church News: The Kingdom of Heaven

By Winnie S.

"I see a simple heart in them, free from the guilt that we adults still carry around."

As I stand watching, I have a new understanding of what it means to be on fire for God. At first glance I see an innocence. It is like looking through a window and seeing a meadow filled with flowers blowing softly with the gentle breeze. It is a calming feeling. The innocence these kids have moves me. I see a simple heart in them, free from the guilt that we adults still carry around.

Because of this, they can move the way the Holy Spirit guides. God is demonstrating to me through His children what He can do.

Worship, prayer and passion. I thought I had a good understanding of all these words. But the children give them a whole new meaning. They worship with a level of openness, focused on their prize. They pray for each other. What a great demonstration of unselfishness. They present a strong emotion for Jesus.

At first I thought God would use me to help bring the children to a deeper realm; to put such a fire in them that they would be hot to the touch. But now I know that God is using them to take us to a deeper realm. It is awesome to see the faith-filled power that God presents through His children.

Thank You, Lord, that the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these.