George Muller on the secret of prayer.

George Muller (or Mueller) was a pastor and caretaker of thousands of orphans. He is my hero of the faith, and one of the mightiest men of prayer that ever lived. In his journals, he recorded more then 50,000 answered prayers, 30,000 of which were answered on the same day! For ten years of his life, he struggled with prayer, but finally found that meditating on the Word of God was the thing that breathed life and fire into his prayer times. PLEASE read this article below, in which Muller recounts his “discover” of the secret of having a powerful prayer life:

George Mueller on Meditation and Prayer.

While I was staying at Nailsworth, it pleased the Lord to teach me a truth, irrespective of human instrumentality, as far as I know, the benefit of which I have not lost, though now…more than forty years have since passed away.

The point is this: I saw more clearly than ever, that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was, to have my soul happy in the Lord. The first thing to be concerned about was not, how much I might serve the Lord, how I might glorify the Lord; but how I might get my soul into a happy state, and how my inner man might be nourished. For I might seek to set the truth before the unconverted, I might seek to benefit believers, I might seek to relieve the distressed, I might in other ways seek to behave myself as it becomes a child of God in this world; and yet, not being happy in the Lord, and not being nourished and strengthened in my inner man day by day, all this might not be attended to in a right spirit.

Before this time my practice had been, at least for ten years previously, as an habitual thing, to give myself to prayer, after having dressed in the morning. Now I saw, that the most important thing I had to do was to give myself to the reading of the Word of God and to meditation on it, that thus my heart might be comforted, encouraged, warned, reproved, instructed; and that thus, whilst meditating, my heart might be brought into experimental, communion with the Lord. I began therefore, to meditate on the New Testament, from the beginning, early in the morning.

The first thing I did, after having asked in a few words the Lord’s blessing upon His precious Word, was to begin to meditate on the Word of God; searching, as it were, into every verse, to get blessing out of it; not for the sake of the public ministry of the Word; not for the sake or preaching on what I had meditated upon; but for the sake of obtaining food for my own soul. The result I have found to be almost invariably this, that after a very few minutes my soul has been led to confession, or to thanksgiving, or to intercession, or to supplication; so that though I did not, as it were, give myself to prayer, but to meditation, yet it turned almost immediately more or less into prayer.

When thus I have been for awhile making confession, or intercession, or supplication, or have given thanks, I go on to the next words or verse, turning all, as I go on, into prayer for myself or others, as the Word may lead to it; but still continually keeping before me, that food for my own soul is the object of my meditation. The result of this is, that there is always a good deal of confession, thanksgiving, supplication, or intercession mingled with my meditation, and that my inner man almost invariably is even sensibly nourished and strengthened and that by breakfast time, with rare exceptions, I am in a peaceful if not happy state of heart. Thus also the Lord is pleased to communicate unto me that which, very soon after, I have found to become food for other believers, though it was not for the sake of the public ministry of the Word that I gave myself to meditation, but for the profit of my own inner man.

The difference between my former practice and my present one is this. Formerly, when I rose, I began to pray as soon as possible, and generally spent all my time till breakfast in prayer, or almost all the time. At all events I almost invariably began with prayer…. But what was the result? I often spent a quarter of an hour, or half an hour, or even an hour on my knees, before being conscious to myself of having derived comfort, encouragement, humbling of soul, etc.; and often after having suffered much from wandering of mind for the first ten minutes, or a quarter of an hour, or even half an hour, I only then began really to pray.

I scarcely ever suffer now in this way. For my heart being nourished by the truth, being brought into experimental fellowship with God, I speak to my Father, and to my Friend (vile though I am, and unworthy of it!) about the things that He has brought before me in His precious Word.

It often now astonished me that I did not sooner see this. In no book did I ever read about it. No public ministry ever brought the matter before me. No private intercourse with a brother stirred me up to this matter. And yet now, since God has taught me this point, it is as plain to me as anything, that the first thing the child of God has to do morning by morning is to obtain food for his inner man.

As the outward man is not fit for work for any length of time, except we take food, and as this is one of the first things we do in the morning, so it should be with the inner man. We should take food for that, as every one must allow. Now what is the food for the inner man: not prayer, but the Word of God: and here again not the simple reading of the Word of God, so that it only passes through our minds, just as water runs through a pipe, but considering what we read, pondering over it, and applying it to our hearts….

I dwell so particularly on this point because of the immense spiritual profit and refreshment I am conscious of having derived from it myself, and I affectionately and solemnly beseech all my fellow-believers to ponder this matter. By the blessing of God I ascribe to this mode the help and strength which I have had from God to pass in peace through deeper trials in various ways than I had ever had before; and after having now above forty years tried this way, I can most fully, in the fear of God, commend it. How different when the soul is refreshed and made happy early in the morning, from what is when, without spiritual preparation, the service, the trials and the temptations of the day come upon one! From: Autobiography of George Müller.

Thanks for reading!

Chase

Agape Newsletter, June 26 2009 - Special Don’t come to Agape next Wednesday edition (plus Sunday message featuring a Q and A time).

Hello everybody, and welcome in to another Agape newsletter.

I am excited about the message this Sunday, and there are a couple of reasons why. First of all, I believe the topic is not only important, but will prove to be a very interesting one to cover. I would have to work to make this message anything less than exciting! We will finish up our discussion about tongues, and enter into a discussion about the Spiritual gift of prophecy (as well as pastor/shepherd and discernment if we have time) Along the way, I intend to answer a few questions: 1. Why are we talking about the gift of tongues in a Baptist church? 2. Why spend so much time talking about tongues, when clearly Paul teaches that prophecy is more important? 3. What does New Testament prophecy look like, how is it different from Old Testament prophecy, and why does Paul consider it so important for the church? 4. What does a church look like when all of the gifts of the Holy Spirit are active through all of the people?  Not only will we be addressing those questions, but my intention is to cut the message short by about 15 or so minutes and take your questions and/or comments. It may be that I am not able to answer every question that is asked, but we will write down all of them, and next week (July 5th), we will have an extended question and answer time as well, as a way of wrapping up our Spiritual gifts series.

If you are keeping track, you will note that this Sunday’s message will be the tenth in a row that I have preached on the subject of spiritual gifts - a long series by any reckoning. Why focus so long on this one topic? I hope to give a fuller, more complete answer to that question  over the next two Sundays. For now, I can tell you that these messages are very foundational for where I believe God is leading us at Agape - and they are a large part of the reason why God sent me to you, as opposed to sending somebody else. I am unusually eager to teach these next two messages, and I hope you can join us for them! After these two messages, we will have the priviledge of having our own Steve Sellers here at Agape to preach for the first time in several years. That will take place on July 12th (more info in that week’s newsletter) and then on July 19th, we will begin a brand new series of messages.

Finally, please allow me to push you on an issue: I believe for Agape to fully walk in the destiny and calling that our Father has for us, that we must make corporate prayer more of a priority than it currently is. As such, I invite and urge you to start making it a habit to join us for prayer in the front of the sanctuary every Sunday morning, beginning at approximately 9:15 am. It is a no frills prayer time, where we sit on the steps of the stage and simply seek God as a group. If you haven’t been before, this Sunday might be a great time for you to come! (Children are welcome)

Links worth viewing and reading:

*****     Wow - this is a great article! America is talking about Jon and Kate (plus 8), the tv show about two people who are supposedly Christians that are raising 8 kids together. Unfortunately, the reason America is talking about them right now is not because of their show, but because of some significant failings in their relationship together. I have never watched the show at all, but I have heard quite a bit about it, and what I have heard grieves me. I know a family that right now has 8 kids, and they are nothing like this family portrayed on tv. In fact, they are a fabulous family that I have learned a lot from. This article makes the very important point that not all large families are like the one’s you see on tv! CLICK HERE

*****     Ray Ortlund was a pastor in California for many years (click here to read what John Piper wrote about Ray, the man who pastored the church he used to attend), and he passed from this life in 2007. Recently, his son found a letter written by Ray to his family before he died. The letter is short, powerful, wonderfully sweet and well worth your time to read: CLICK HERE (note: link goes to a PDF file)

*****     What is superbowl quarterback Kurt Warner’s favorite thing about being an NFL football player? CLICK HERE for the answer.

*****     Of the almost 6 million jobs lost in the current recession, 80 percent of them were jobs held by men. Some eye opening statistics: CLICK HERE

I hope to see you Sunday!

Chase

Wednesday night fellowship meal and comedy tour!

Hi everybody,  

Just a quick note to let you know that we will be having our family fellowship meal beginning this Wednesday night at 5:45pm. Food is $5 per person, or $20.00 for a family of four and up, so if you have 20 people in your immediate family, you’d better come out and eat, because this is a great deal for you! 

After our meal together Wednesday night, we are going to enjoy another Christian comedy movie, much like we did a couple of months ago. I’m told that the video I got is very funny, so I’m looking forward to us watching it together. You might be thinking, “a comedy dvd…at church? That sounds kind of fishy!” Keep in mind, that the other Wednesday nights we are going deep into the word, doing some hardcore Bible study and discussion as we go chapter by chapter through the Gospel of Matthew. It’s okay, and kind of nice actually, to take a break and actually laugh and fellowship together. I hope you can come! 

In addition, I have a few more things to let you know about: 

1. Be praying for Christy and Mark Martin this week. Christy’s grandmother passed away Sunday, and it was somewhat sudden and unexpected. Christy and her grandmother are very, very close, and this has been a tough blow for their family. Lift them up this week, and pray for peace, joy and the encouragement of the Holy Spirit! 

2. Also be praying for Sue Sellers as she recovers from surgery this week. 

3. Finally, David has posted a new article on our blog. It is called “The World in our Backyard”, and it deals with the issue of immigration.: Check it out at:http://pinsonchurch.com/blog/2009/03/the-world-in-our-backyard/

Chase

Agape Newsletter - January 22, 2009 - Special Scottish Preaching edition.

Hello all, and welcome in to another info packed Agape newsletter.

Rick Warren’s Inauguration Day Prayer Transcript + Video

And now, here is Rick Warren’s prayer - interestingly (and boldly) he prayed in the name of Jesus, but also strove to be somewhat inclusive. How did his prayer strike you today? (The transcript below is an edited version of the original transcript done by Ted Olsen of Christianity Today)

Let us pray.

Almighty God, our Father, everything we see and everything we can’t see exists because of you alone. It all comes from you. It all belongs to you. It all exists for your glory.

History is your story. The Scripture tells us, “Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God. The Lord is One.” And you are the compassionate and merciful one. And you are loving to everyone you have made.

Now, today, we rejoice not only in America’s peaceful transfer of power for the 44th time. We celebrate a hingepoint of history with the inauguration of our first African American president of the United States. We are so grateful to live in this land, a land of unequaled possibility, where the son of an African immigrant can rise to the highest level of our leadership. And we know today that Dr. King and a great cloud of witnesses are shouting in heaven.

Give to our new President, Barack Obama, the wisdom to lead us with humility, the courage to lead us with integrity, the compassion to lead us with generosity. Bless and protect him, his family, Vice President Biden, the cabinet, and every one of our freely elected leaders.

Help us, O God, to remember that we are Americans, united not by race, or religion, or blood, but to our commitment to freedom and justice for all. When we focus on ourselves, when we fight each other, when we forget you, forgive us. When we presume that our greatness and our prosperity is ours alone, forgive us. When we fail to treat our fellow human beings and all the earth with the respect that they deserve, forgive us. And as we face these difficult days ahead, may we have a new birth of clarity in our aims, responsibility in our actions, humility in our approaches, and civility in our attitudes, even when we differ.

Help us to share, to serve and to seek the common good of all. May all people of goodwill today join together to work for a more just, a more healthy and a more prosperous nation and a peaceful planet. And may we never forget that one day all nations and all people will stand accountable before you. We now commit our new president and his wife, Michelle and his daughters, Malia and Sasha, into your loving care.

I humbly ask this in the name of the one who changed my life, Yeshua, Isa (Koranic term for Jesus), Jesus (Hey-sous, as in the Spanish way of saying Jesus), Jesus, who taught us to pray:

“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. Amen.”

I’d love to hear your feedback…what did you think? I

Chase

Transcript: Joseph Lowery’s inauguration prayer, 2009.

This one is quite controversial - what do you think about it?

God of our weary years, God of our silent tears, thou who has brought us thus far along the way, thou who has by thy might led us into the light, keep us forever in the path, we pray, lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met thee, lest our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world, we forget thee. Shadowed beneath thy hand may we forever stand — true to thee, O God, and true to our native land.

We truly give thanks for the glorious experience we’ve shared this day. We pray now, O Lord, for your blessing upon thy servant, Barack Obama, the 44th president of these United States, his family and his administration. He has come to this high office at a low moment in the national and, indeed, the global fiscal climate. But because we know you got the whole world in your hand, we pray for not only our nation, but for the community of nations. Our faith does not shrink, though pressed by the flood of mortal ills.

For we know that, Lord, you’re able and you’re willing to work through faithful leadership to restore stability, mend our brokenness, heal our wounds and deliver us from the exploitation of the poor or the least of these and from favoritism toward the rich, the elite of these. (derived, partially at least from Matthew 25:31-46)

We thank you for the empowering of thy servant, our 44th president, to inspire our nation to believe that, yes, we can work together to achieve a more perfect union. And while we have sown the seeds of greed, the wind of greed and corruption, and even as we reap the whirlwind of social and economic disruption, we seek forgiveness and we come in a spirit of unity and solidarity to commit our support to our president by our willingness to make sacrifices, to respect your creation, to turn to each other and not on each other.

And now, Lord, in the complex arena of human relations, help us to make choices on the side of love, not hate, on the side of inclusion, not exclusion, tolerance, not intolerance.

And as we leave this mountaintop, help us to hold on to the spirit of fellowship and the oneness of our family. Let us take that power  back to our homes, our workplaces, our churches, our temples, our mosques, or wherever we seek your will.

Bless President Barack, First Lady Michelle. Look over our little angelic Sasha and Malia.

We go now to walk together, children, pledging that we won’t get weary in the difficult days ahead. We know you will not leave us alone, with your hands of power and your heart of love.

Help us then, now, Lord, to work for that day when nation shall not lift up sword against nation, when tanks will be beaten into tractors, when every man and every woman shall sit under his or her own vine and fig tree, and none shall be afraid; when justice will roll down like waters and righteousness as a mighty stream. (from Amos 5:24)

Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get back, when brown can stick around — (laughter) — when yellow will be mellow — (laughter) — when the red man can get ahead, man — (laughter) — and when white will embrace what is right.

Let all those who do justice and love mercy say amen.

Interesting….what do you think? How did it strike you?Leave a comment!

Chase

Agape Baptist Newsletter….Special we now have a blog edition! (Also: Holiness, a call to prayer, and Julio Jones)

Hello, and welcome to another edition of the Agape newsletter - now available online as well as via email! Yes, that’s right - we have now entered the twenty first century with a blog! Rejoice! I’ve already posted all of the past Agape newsletters online, so you can relive them should you have a need to. More on the blog in a moment, but first let’s get to our super fast summary: 

1. Sunday message: The wonderful/terrible fire of God’s holiness. 
2. A CALL TO PRAYER (Sunday morning at 9:15) 
3. A special baby shower…
4. More on the blog Pinsonchurch.com/blog 
5. Wednesday night fellowship dinner
6. The Nest, January 27th

This Sunday (January 18) at Agape, I will be bringing a message that concerns God’s call to His church: “Be Holy as I am Holy”. The Holiness of God is both a wonderful and terrible thing, and His call to the modern American church to be Holy is often either ignored or phariseeized by us. Sunday, as God gives grace, I hope to bring a message out of the unchanging word of God that will call us to challenge our ways, our habits and our words, while at the same time avoiding any sort of ungodly, liberty killing response. “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is Liberty” vs. “Be Holy as I am Holy.” Both are scripture, yet the church tends towards one or the other “extreme”, though we are called to both liberty and holiness. I hope you join us Sunday to find out how we can be both free and holy! 

God is calling us at Agape to make prayer a priority like never before. I believe that to be true with all of my heart. After last week’s 9:15 am prayer time, David challenged us to move prayer from a side section of the sanctuary to front and center. We heard his challenge, and believe it to be from God, so beginning this Sunday, the entire sanctuary will be devoted to prayer from roughly 9:15am up until small groups begin. The Bridge (our coffee and cookies hospitality center) will be moved to the foyer, and also function as a welcome center for guests. I implore and challenge you to come and pray with us at the front of the sanctuary this Sunday, beginning at 9:15. 

This Sunday, we will be having a surprise baby shower for Tameka, one of the Olivia’s house ladies, that has been joining us for worship lately. The shower will take place during Ann Talley’s small group (upstairs, near the sound room), and I encourage all of us to bring items that would be fit for a mom with a newborn. Let’s wrap our arms around Tameka and show her the love of Jesus!

As noted above, we now have a blog. All of these newsletters will be posted there, as well as other thoughts and musings, videos and random things. When you see something interesting there, please forward the link to your friends! The blog can be found at http://www.pinsonchurch.com/blog . It is not currently hosted on Agapepinson.com due to that server not being able to support blogging software. Late last week, while I was setting up the blog, I got a call from my mom, who had been at the hospital with my aunt for her knee replacement surgery. It turned out that Alabama receiver Julio Jones had surgery the same day that my aunt had surgery, and Julio’s room was right next door! My mom spent quite a bit of time talking with Julio and his mom, she told me about it, and I wrote a blog post about it on our new site. One week later, that blog post has been linked to by at least 15 websites, and our site has been visited by almost 2000 people from 8 different countries (including Djibouti and Kuwait). How funny is that? 

Agape Newsletter, 12-29-2008, Special Atheist says Send More Christian Missionaries Edition!

Hello all,

I know we didn’t have an e-newsletter last week, so this week you should get a special bonus - one extra issue. Wow! What a bargain!

I’m writing early in the week to let you know about a few things:

Of primary importance is the fact that this Wednesday night, at 7:00pm we will be ending 2008/beginning 2009 by having a worship and prayer gathering at Agape. We will worship and pray together for about ninety minutes or so, and be led by several different worship and prayer leaders. This should be a great time to put a powerful ending on 2008, and prepare us for all that God is calling us to do in 2009. We must seek first His Kingdom!

When we come together to worship and pray, we are imitating one of the chief activities of heaven. Check out Revelation 5:He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song: ”You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.” (verses 7-9)

As Howard a. Johnston has said, “When the prayer-life of the people of God comes to be the dominant feature of Christian experience, the power of God will sweep the earth with the victories of grace.” Come and Pray!!!

Also, some have wondered about year end giving to Agape. My understanding is that your gifts can count towards 2008 as long as they are brought to the church or postmarked in the mail by this Wednesday, December 31st. Our mailing address (should you need it) is: p.o. box 746, Pinson, Alabama 35126.

I’ll give you a few links to check out here, so nobody feels too shortchanged:

*****     In this month’s Pastor’s Thoughts section on our website, David McConnell shares about how he cried and cried at a recent movie that he and Alyson attended. (I think it was Conan the Barbarian). You should read about it on our website:  http://agapepinson.com/pastors_corner.htm (Warning, I may not be portraying David’s article in as accurate a light as possible, in fact, I’m probably embellishing just to get you to read the article…….my wife made me add this disclaimer)

*****     As goes the family, so goes the church: http://www.crosswalk.com/marriage/11597516/

*****     Me and my dirty mouth! http://www.christianitytoday.com/tcw/2008/novdec/6.22.html

*****     Atheist says, Africa needs God!” (I’m not actually joking here): http://online.worldmag.com/2008/12/29/atheist-says-africa-needs-god/

*****     In other news of the unexpected, a famous lesbian couple in California (Melissa Etheridge and Tammy Lynn Michaels) are defending Barack Obama’s choice of Rick Warren to lead the inaugural invocation prayer: http://christianpost.com/article/20081229/melissa-etheridge-lesbian-spouse-defend-pastor-rick-warren.htm

*****     This is… curious, Satan’s Ministers Await Satan’s Arrival: http://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/johnshore/11597524/

I look forward to seeing you Wednesday night at 7 - be sure and invite a friend!

Chase

Agape Newsletter 10-31-2008

Hello friends and family, and welcome to another Agape newsletter. I’ve promised myself a fresh chocolate chip as a reward for finishing this newsletter, so I’d better get started!

(I added a few people to the newsletter list this week - if you’re one of those people, and don’t want to get this amazingly awesome weekly newsletter, please let me know, and I’ll take you off my list!)

First up: Here’s an ultra-quick summary of what’s inside:

1A. DON’T FORGET about Daylight Savings Time ending this Sunday morning - set your clocks BACK 1 hour before you go to bed Saturday night! 
1. Send in your questions for our economy panel this Sunday!
2. PLEASE invite a friend to come join you at worship this week!
3. Crossroads Sunday Night at 5:00pm (topic: can I lose my salvation, and how do I know if I’m really saved?)
4, Special Prayer Time for the 2008 election Monday night (November 3rd) at 8:00pm. 
5. The children’s Christmas program practice begins Wednesday night, November 5
6. Don’t forget to turn in deacon nominations this week.

Sunday morning we will be having our expert panel on the economy, and addressing all of your questions. Our panel consists of 2 attorneys, an accountant and a banker. In addition to the extended Q and A time, I will be bringing a very brief (10-15 minute) message on how we, as God’s people, should respond to the economic crisis. IF YOU HAVEN’T SENT IN YOUR QUESTIONS YET, please do so! There is still time for you to send in any questions that you might have, and the sooner we get your questions, the better we’ll be able to answer them. Thus far I have about 11 or so questions that have been sent in, and we still have room for a few more. Act Now! Operators are standing by. Free questions to the first twenty callers!

Also - I would like to urge you to invite friends, neighbors and family members to come visit Agape Sunday. The economy is something that is on a lot of people’s minds, and to my knowledge, not many churches are addressing it in a practical and spiritual way - this week would be an awesome time to encourage somebody to visit with you!

This Monday night, beginning at 8:00 pm we will be having a time of corporate prayer in the sanctuary,  focused on the 2008 election, which will be happening Tuesday. This is a critically important election for our country, and we need to join with millions of believers across the nation who will be crying out to God for His will and His wisdom for Tuesday.

Finally, on a bit of a personal note, please allow me to encourage you to go see the movie Fireproof if you haven’t seen it yet. Janet and I watched it tonight, and both of us found it to be a great movie. Let me be very clear: I don’t have a lot of patience for most Christian movies - I appreciate their message, but let’s be frank: most of them stink! Fireproof, however, stinketh not one jot or tiddle, to use King James English. It was an enjoyable movie with a powerful message, and it can certainly be a life changer for a lot of couples. Let me say it one more time: this movie doesn’t stink! I wasn’t actually looking forward to seeing it all that much, having plenty of experience in the past with Christian clunkers like Megiddo,Thief in the Night,  and some of the Left Behind movies (the books are better than the movies) - but this is a really good movie, with an even better message. Guys - take your wives!

My Top Christian Movies:

1. Amazing Grace
2. Fireproof
3. The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (I haven’t seen Prince Caspian yet)
4. Luther
5. The one I’m forgetting right now.

Sunday night: 5 pm Sunday night at Crossroads, David will be teaching on the Gospel again, specifically focused on two important issues of salvation. Here’s his summary: When it comes to the issue of salvation, more than one Christian has dealt with the question of ‘Am I really saved’ or ‘Can I lose my salvation?’ And while it is critical for us to know the condition of our heart, Christ does not want us to walk in confusion or fear over the issue of being born again. Which is why we can and should have the assurance of salvation. Join us November 2nd at 5pm as we seek truth from the word on how we know we are saved.
Monday Night, November 3rd, 8:00 pm - Corporate prayer for the 2008 Presidential election - in the sancutary.

Wednesday night, November 5 7:00 pm- This Wednesday night we’ll be finishing up Matthew 10 - should ministry today look like it did when Jesus sent the twelve out? Was Jesus the Prince of Peace, or did He not come to bring peace but a sword? And why in the world is He telling us to hate our wives, mothers andf fathers in this passage? Could this be the same Jesus that we used to see on the flannelgraphs in Sunday school? Come join us!

This Week’s Links:

*****     Here’s a fantastic new song from Hillsong - Stronger: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZBPD-T20t0

*****     A great holiday is set to be celebrated today, so I’d like to take this opportunity to say “Happy Reformation Day!” To everybody: http://www.crosswalk.com/spirituallife/worship/11583552/

*****    Abortion is one of the greatest tragedies and horrors of my generation. This article demands a response of intercession and a crying out to God for mercy and justice. http://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/viewarticle.php?selectedarticle=2008.10.28_Hendershott_Anne_A%20Dangerous%20Time%20to%20be%20a%20Black%20Baby_.xml I honestly had no idea it was this bad.

*****    Thoughtful and short: Three ways we can spoil the gospel. http://andynaselli.com/theology/three-ways-to-spoil-the-gospel

*****    John Piper on meekness vs. laziness: http://adrianwarnock.com/2008/10/piper-friday-meekness-not-laziness.html

*****     Visualizing the debt of the United States in a clear and easy to understand way (as credit card debt). Who knew we owe Luxembourg so much? http://blog.mint.com/blog/finance-core/visualizing-uncle-sams-debt/

Come and join us Sunday morning as we worship together and encourage each other in Jesus!

Chase

p.s. I ate my chocolate chip cookie about one paragraph into this newsletter. Guess it’s time to work up a message on self discipline…and time to go make some more chocolate chip cookies!    :)

Agape Newsletter 10-29-08: Free Family Movie Night

Sunday night: 5 pm Sunday night at Crossroads, David will be bringing a message that everybody in the church, as well as their friends and neighbors, needs to hear. The title of the message is: When Belief is Not Enough, and here is his description of it: The end of John chapter 2 shows us a group of people who believed in Jesus, yet the Bible says that Christ would not entrust himself to them. He knew their hearts and He knew they were following Him for the wrong reasons. According to scripture, simply believing the Gospel is not sufficient to be saved. Satan believes the gospel. So what does it take to be saved? Jesus said the answer was to be born again - the question is: what does that mean? Join us October 26th at 5pm as we seek an answer.

Tuesday night, October 28: The Nest, homeless ministry at Agape. More information on the Nest: http://agapepinson.com/nest_ministry.htm.

Wednesday night, October 22nd - Back to Matthew this week, as we’ll be tackling the 10th chapter of Matthew - a most challenging, yet refreshing passage of scripture. We will also have food pantry that night, beginning at 6:00.

This Week’s Links:

*****     Here’s a completely free CD of Advent and Christmas songs (the one catch? You have to tell 5 friends about it). It sounds beautiful from what I’ve heard of it. http://www.sojournmusic.com/2007/12/05/advent-songs-2007/

*****     Why is Christianity at it’s best in the midst of disaster: http://www.newmanmag.com/newmanreport/2008/09/christianity-in-midst-of-disaster.html

*****     John (Amazing Grace) Newton on Not Being Afraid (via James Mcdonald): http://familyreformation.wordpress.com/2008/10/21/do-not-be-afraid/

*****    A Civics review: How we elect our president. http://www.welt.de/english-news/article2605119/How-the-U-S-A-elects-its-President.html

*****    Ben Patterson on learning how to pray by using the Psalms: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/october/34.87.html