|
You and I, as followers of Jesus, currently find ourselves living as foreigners in a strange and at time, hostile world. Although we're temporary residents of particular nations here on earth, we're actually eternal citizens of another land. But God has planted us here to be the ambassadors of a different kingdom and to lead others to a better home whose architect and builder is God. Look at what the author of Hebrews writes:
"It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith--for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God." Hebrews 11:8-10 This Sunday, at 9:30am, as we continue our series in I Peter, we will begin to look at the second major section of this letter, and the longest of the three. In this section, Peter challenges his readers to remain focused on the hope of Jesus and the promise of heaven. He urges his audience to take the grace they have received vertically, and extend it horizontally to an unbelieving, sometimes hostile world. Peter shares how this principle is key to living as elect exiles in a foreign land. Join us this Sunday, at 9:30am as we dive into I Peter 2:13-25 Special Announcement: At 10:45am, following our worship service on Sunday, we will have the opportunity to meet with leaders within the Calvary Family of Churches. The purpose for this meeting is to hear more about the vision, mission and purpose behind the Calvary Family of Churches (CFC). They will also be sharing details on how the CFC would come alongside Parkside and provide us with resources in order to help us become a healthy, growing Great Commission, Gospel-Focused church for our community. Note: This meeting will take place in the worship center at 10:45am. For those who attend our service online, the meeting will be available via livestream. Simply stay online at the end of the service and the meeting will begin at 10:45am. Please continue to pray for our church council as we seek God's will and direction for our church family. See you Sunday. Pastor Doug This Sunday at 9:30am, we will return from a one week break and continue our series, Postcards with a Punch.
This week, we will be looking at the shortest (in the Old Testament) and least read book (according to biblegateway.com) in the entire Bible...the book of Obadiah. Why would I preach on such a short and obscure book of the Bible? I think Paul said it best in Romans, where he wrote the following: "Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God's promises to be fulfilled." Romans 15:4 As we will see on Sunday, the book of Odadiah was given to restore Israel's faith in God, who came to the defense of a ravaged nation...families who had lost everything...in order to rescue, restore and return them to a nation filled with hope for a rich and satisfying future. For us, the book of Obadiah reminds us that God is sovereign. That God is watching and that nothing happens outside of his knowledge and plan. Our comfort is found in knowing that God will make all things right in the end! Take some time today to read Psalm 121 and allow the words of the Psalmist to provide you with hope for tomorrow. It's not too late to join one of our Adult Bible Studies. These discipleship opportunities meet every Sunday at 10:45am. Below are the details for each: Study #1: Prayer that Moves Heaven Facilitator: Martha Bailey Time: Sundays at 10:45am Study #2: Psalms and Proverbs Facilitator(s): Mark Hester and Jonella Malinowski Time: Sundays at 10:45am Thank you for being a church body that prayers for one another. See you Sunday Pastor Doug Greetings from sunny California! I hope you and your family had a fun, relaxing, food-filled Thanksgiving.
This Sunday at 9:30am, Rediscovering Christmas kicks-off with week #1 of Advent. I love this time of year...the church is decorated, our gatherings are praise-filled and people are expectant with thoughts of Hope, Peace, Love and Joy. Join us on this first Sunday of Advent as Pastor Norm shares on the topic of Hope. If you think about it, most of us run our lives on hope. Hope gets us out of bed in the morning, it focuses our attention, brings us energy and helps us overcome our fears. I like what Tim Keller says about hope, "Human beings are hope-shaped creatures. The way you live now is completely controlled by what you believe about your future". Hope is seeing our future as good--believing that things will be okay. God's word has a lot to say about the future of His people. Take time to read Revelation 21:1-5 and discover the hope we have as children of God. Believing in God for our future has the power to change everything! As we gather for our in-person service, Parkside church staff and leadership will be wearing masks and we are asking everyone to do the same. Please consider joining us this weekend at 9:30am...and don't forget your mask! It's not too late to join one of our Sunday discipleship classes. We have two studies currently meeting each Sunday morning at 10:45am. See Class details below: Topic: A Study in the book of James Facilitator: Mark Hester and Jonella Malinowski 10:45am to 11:45am In-person ONLY Senior Adult Discipleship Class Topic: A Study in the book of Mark Facilitator: Martha Bailey 10:45am to 11:45am In-person ONLY Thank you for continuing to pray for Parkside Fellowship. See you Sunday. Pastor Doug |
Our PastorDoug Boyd - Sr. Pastor Archives
February 2023
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed