Living in Joy

I want to thank you all for the warm welcome to NDMC you have extended to Josanne and me. Thank you for all of the encouraging comments and the official congratulations on the licensing service and installation yesterday. As I have demonstrated, I’m willing to give the shirt off my back for this congregation. . . literally! We are looking forward to a season of productive work in God’s kingdom together. Please continue to pray for Josanne and me, the leaders, and our whole congregation as we move into the future together.

This coming Sunday we will focus on living in joy. To live in joy, we need God’s strength at work within us. God created us to be in harmony with his plan and purpose, so we are living to our fullest when we seek his kingdom first (Matthew 6:33). One of the ways we can do this is to gather together with God’s people for worship, and for studying God’s word. Allow me to encourage us all to be regular in our attendance, and also to make the most of the opportunity to attend our Sunday School classes kicking off September 13th. It’s only through studying God’s Word that we can know God’s will, but further studying God’s Word together shapes us to be God’s people. Tremper Longman III wrote, “The Word of God is the single most powerful agent for transforming a life. . . . The Bible ignites the character of Christ within us.”

Remember also that we have choices to make every day to focus on our own interests, or also look to the interests of others. We can choose the way of the “selfie stick” or the way of the towel. Let’s encourage one another to find ways to serve others in the name of Christ.

Finally, let me mention that September 13th will be the Sunday when we switch from our summer to our fall/winter service times. Sunday school will be at 9am, and the morning service will begin at 10:10am. I think this was mistakenly listed as September 6th in the bulletin, but we’ll begin the other schedule September 13th.

May God richly bless you as you live out your faith in joy!

Brian

Philippians 2:12-30--This will be the sermon text for next week.

1 Peter 4--This passage tells us what it's like to live faithfully in a corrupt generation.

Psalm 4--What role does silence have in our ability to live faithfully?

Ephesians 6:10-20--How many times does Paul tells us here to "stand" or "stand firm"? How does the armor of God prepare us to live faithfully?