Update on Logan + Last Days Bible Study: The Rapture!

Hello all,

Thank you for praying for Logan today! I am informed that her blood tests came back clear, as did her CT scan and spinal tap! It appears that her recent problems are the result of headache related issues, but nothing more. To my understanding, this is just about the best result we could have hoped for! Well, I suppose the doctors could have told her that her recent headaches have given her super-powers, and that she has won 10 billion dollars as a result of them, but that just would not be realistic, would it?

We praise God for this answered prayer!!!! His love endures forever! (no matter what) Thanks also to all who personally encouraged Logan today!

Tomorrow (Wednesday) night, as mentioned in our Sunday service, we will begin a 2-3 week series examining the timing of the return of Jesus. Will the church have to go through tribulation in the last days, or, as taught by the Left Behind series (and many others), will the church be raptured before the rise of the Antichrist, and the time that is Biblically known as the Great Tribulation? This is a topic that can often lead to much debate, but we will be handling it scripturally and prayerfully. This Wednesday night specifically, we are going to examine the pretribulational argument, and look at the primary scriptures that are interpreted to mean that the church will be raptured before (pre) the Tribulation. Come join us @Agape at 7pm, bring your Bibles, and your questions!.

One reason why this Bible study could be very timely, is the fact that as I type this, the leaders of Israel are contemplating a significant air strike on Iran focused on disabling their pending nuclear capability. This strike could very conceivably take place over the next few days, and if it happens, could draw the Russians, the U.S. and the entire Middle East into a war that would make the current War on Terror look very small by comparison. See this Jerusalem Post article for more details: http://www.jpost.com/IranianThreat/News/Article.aspx?id=185060

I hope to see you tomorrow!

Chase

Terry Virgo on Effective Prayer

A fantastic message!

Agape newsletter - Special where’s the Spider-Man part? Also: Grace and The Ugly Daughter

Hello all,

Welcome in to another action packed Agape newsletter. In this episode, Spider-Man tangles with Doctor Octopus, and the secret of the upcoming message this Sunday is revealed.

This Sunday, we will be seeking God in a strong time of worship, followed by a message called, “Grace and the Ugly Daughter”. It is a message that will seek to lead us in better understanding God’s grace in our lives, and how that grace impacts us in our trials, our disappointment, our struggles with ourselves, and our interaction with the world around us. We often sing the song, “Your Grace is Enough”. but is grace a place where we live, a reality that we grasp and draw life-breath from, or is it just a concept that we sing and hear about in church? We will look at grace through the eyes of an unattractive (dare I say ugly?) and unloved woman, and see how God saw her struggles and came and visited her with His grace. If you’ve ever felt like this life was almost intolerable in all of its unfairness, then maybe taking a look at God’s grace in the life of this seemingly unfortunate person, will encourage you.

Upcoming Events:

Saturday (tomorrow) Ladies Tea/Lunch gathering. Meet at Agape at 11:00 am, to travel together to the Ruby Radish Tea room and eat delectable treats together. Sadly, men are not invited, though I would consider disguising myself as a woman and going for the yummy food, if not for the fact that I have to watch our nine or so kids. Somebody needs to organize a men’s gathering at the All-You-Can-Eat Meat Hut!

Our Genesis homegroup will be this Sunday night at 6:00pm. All are invited - feel free to bring some food or drink to share!

Sunday, August 29 we will have our brief, quarterly family meeting right after our Sunday morning meeting, followed by a covered dish fellowship meal. These meals are a great opportunity to get to know each other better, while enjoying some delicious food - sounds like a win-win proposition!

Prayer Requests:

Please remember Vivian Hughes, Lynn, Ann and Sue’s mom, who fell and broke her hip/femur Wednesday night. She had surgery yesterday. Please pray for her heart to be healthy and strong, and for her leg to be healed, and for her spirit to soar!

Please pray for Evelyn, Steve Sellers’ mom, as well as Steve and Sue, and Steve’s family. Steve’s mom has struggled for a long time with the illness she is currently facing, and it is been a great trial for all the family to endure. Please pray for a fresh wind of refreshment from God to blow on Steve and Sue, and Evelyn, and the rest of the family.

All for now - see you Sunday!

Chase

An amazing and challenging message from Tope Koleoso

Tope is the lead elder of Jubilee church in London England (http://jubilee-church.org/who.htm)  A quote from the video: ”We want to be the kind of church that is full of grace and full of truth. They are not against each other…That is full of the Word of God and the Spirit of God, not just a mental ascent to what the Bible says, but to actually live it, to hope and expect to see it - to be a people of faith. Word and the Spirit together in demonstration of the Gospel. For us to be a church where there is Gospel explanation and Gospel presentation. In the end, we want to be a full blooded, bona fide  New Testament Christianity church. Not a portion, but what Jesus Christ left the Holy Spirit to do. To save souls. To lead Christians. To bring healings. To do the works that Jesus did. Nothing less will do! It is a foreign concept [to the Bible] any kind of Christianity that falls short of that.”

Yes and Amen!

Special Guest Speaker Michael Viars and family this Sunday!

Greetings, Agape family!

We have quite a treat lined up for this Sunday! Michael Viars and his wife Tara, and family, will be joining us for morning worship and sharing with us during the message time. Michael is a cross cultural worker in Asia who grew up in this area (went to Hilldale Baptist, attended Erwin high school, and then Auburn University.) As we talked about earlier this year, we are looking for partners that we can be in relationship with as a church, and I believe Michael and Tara’s mission to work with one of the least reached people groups in the world, represent fertile ground for us to be in relationship with. Michael and his family (with five young children!!) have lived in Pakistan and India on and off for the last 10 years, and they are moving back to Pakistan within a matter of weeks. Like Paul, Michael is something of a tentmaker, though he doesn’t make tents, he leads a small woodcarving business. Living in India and Pakistan, he has built a relationship with some highly skilled woodcarvers, and works with them to produce some amazing scriptural carvings of wooden door frames, platters, plaques and more. He sells these through a business stateside (which will be run by his sister) called Renew Carvings: http://www.renewcarvings.com/. In addition, Michael and his family partner with local groups to help support their work overseas.

Come and hear as the Viars family share about their calling to Pakistan, and their overseas experiences! In addition, I have asked Michael to also bring some of his carvings to show us. Everything kicks off with worship at 10:45, followed by the message from Michael.

In other news, David Ledbetter will be on ABC 3340 ‘Matters of Faith’ Sunday night at 10 pm as he discusses his vision loss with Brenda Ladun. Tune in and watch! (And then maybe call the switchboard and say, “wow, you guys should have that David Ledbetter guy on more often. Maybe give him his own show!” :)

Prayer Requests:

Please pray for David McConnell, and Jolinda Hubbard, in the loss of their grandmother today. Funeral arrangements have not been made yet. This is David’s grandmother Nana, who used to run the Cedar Post Restaurant up until a few months ago.

About the Viars family, from the Renew Carvings website:

After many years of living the life of following Christ, we began to see how much we had to learn about walking in his ways. My thinking many times just did not match up to the truth I read each day in the Bible. It is as if this life is a time to renew our minds in what the kingdom of God is like. It is a time to bring our thinking in line with the truth as Christ lives in us and we continue to see more of Him come out in us each day.
I have lived overseas with my family off and on for 10 years. I also have a background in construction and forestry. When I read the words in the Book of Deuteronomy again, the verse of writing God’s words on our doorposts finally began to make sense. It was not just a decoration or some magic writing. These writings are for our meditation, a way to renew our minds in the truth and boy do I need that. I thought of buying a door frame for a friend but could not find one. I happened to move to Kashmir, India around this time and came into contact with some of the finest carvers in the world. I felt like the Lord wanted me to start this business and share this concept with everyone else.

See you Sunday!

Chase