Going Deeper
By Pat Russell
Considering the sermon from Phil Wood on November 1, 2020
Today’s Scripture Passage: 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12
Paul, Silas and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ:
Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing. Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring...
With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
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How can we Go Deeper with the service yesterday? Phil reminded us of God’s faithfulness to us in the past and the spiritual growth that HAS gone on in all of us. By asking that question, I mean, how can we “love Jesus more dearly and follow Him more nearly” in the days ahead? How can we prepare ourselves for living in the Kingdom of Heaven now?
Perhaps the first thing we can do is step back and honestly take stock of our own hearts and minds after listening and watching our brothers and sisters in Christ as they gave of themselves to enable a service to happen. Here are some questions to think about:
Where was your heart and mind as you watched and listened to our first live streaming church service?
How did you feel and what did you think about seeing the sanctuary and people in it?
What encouraged you that happened today in this service?
What might have been disturbing in any of the elements of the service? How did you handle that in your mind and emotions?
How intentional were you about entering into the EPC community of believers surrounding this live event?
In what way were you challenged personally by the Scripture passage and Phil’s words to us this morning?
How can you pray for upcoming services?
And then, we can spend some time pondering Phil’s questions to you and me.
Questions to consider in prayer in this holy "in-between time:"
What has God put before you today in the church and in the world?
What desire for goodness arises in you when you consider what God has put before you today?
What good deed is prompted by your faith?
What is your purpose in this place and this time?
How can our Lord Jesus be glorified in your life today?
"That Christ Will Be Glorified" AMEN
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