Church Family,
I pray you are enduring in the faith and hope of the Lord today! I want to draw your attention to two items today:
TRIAD OF PERSEVERANCE
This past Sunday, we studied three essentials that will mark our lives as we persevere in the faith: 1) drawing near the Lord, 2) holding fast the confession of our hope, and 3) considering how to stir up one another to love and good works (Heb 10:19-26). This triad of perseverance aids us in identifying and nurturing priorities that are deeply rooted in our Savior. You can fashion these essentials into personal diagnostic questions:
1) Am I near the Lord, trusting fully in Jesus's superior sacrifice for justification with God?
2) Am I frequently verbalizing that Jesus is my hope?
3) Does my calendar this week reflect a commitment to gather with the church to encourage love and good works in others?
May these essentials aid us in persevering in the faith. Pray for the preaching of the word this Sunday as we come to the fourth warning passage: Hebrews 10:26-39, "Warning: Do Not Retreat from Jesus.”
FOSTERING
God calls believers in one way or another to care for the vulnerable. James instructs us: “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction” (Jam 1:27). This Sunday, May 1, you will have the opportunity to meet Brian Scoggin with Families 4 Families (F4F).
F4F is a private Christian foster care agency that mobilizes believers to foster and organizes churches to support fostering. Brian will share briefly in gathered worship about this ministry on Sunday and will be with us again on Wednesday, May 4, to share in more detail about ways to support fostering.
We have two goals with Brian's visit. First, we want to encourage families to consider the possibility of fostering. Second, we want all members to appreciate ways that we can come alongside other churches in our community to support fostering families. Brian will be sharing information I hope all members will be eager to hear.
For His Glory,
Pastor Thomas