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NEWSLETTER WEDNESDAY EDITION April 6, 2011
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Greetings!
If I am a guest visiting Gospel Life for the first time, how will I perceive you, the members and long-time attendees of this church? Will I sense your friendliness, your open arms of acceptance? Or will I feel somewhat estranged, unwelcome or even unnoticed? Many times we get so used to each other that we do not even think about greeting one another if we happen to pass by or "bump into" one another. Perhaps that's okay by you or me, but what about if that person is a guest or visitor? Will he or she feel diminished, unimportant or someone who doesn't matter? Gospel Life is known as a friendly church, but to make friends we have to be friendly. Doesn't that make sense? Stats show that most people join church groups or stay within such networks because of the friendships they find and form in their new environment. Then comes our nurturing and caring as we model our ministry for discipleship. "Kind words are like honey--sweet to the soul and healthy for the body." Psalm 16:24 NLT Let's be a friendly bunch! Long, unsmiling faces are prohibited. :-) The Church Staff |
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Japan Disaster Relief Fund
Drive - Thru |
This coming Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. we are sponsoring this fund drive together with several civic organizations* in the area. A tent will be set up on the driveway at the gate for this purpose. (A united outreach effort of Gospel Life Community - Church Without Walls, Filipino American Chamber of Commerce of San Gabriel Valley, Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association, McLeod & Associates, Chinese American Association of Walnut, Seafood City Supermarket - West Covina, Philippine Emergency Disaster Relief Organization, and other community groups and individuals.)
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MINISTRY CLASS
Saturday morning, April 9, at 9:30 a.m., there will be another Ministry Class to be held at the Fellowship Hall. This is the third and final session on the topic of Homiletics (the art of preaching).
Recently concluded ministry classes were on Soteriology (the study of salvation through Jesus Christ). In a couple of weeks, there will be a ministry class on "Worship". |
SPECIFICS Related to the Fund Drive
Here are details of the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster Relief Fund Drive effort: 1) Relief Fund donations will directly help those who are hardest hit in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture in Japan. 2) All donations will be made out to "Gospel Life." These donations are endorsed to "ESGVJCC" East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Community Center of West Covina, CA and will be directed to the Nanka Miyagi Kenjin Kai who will then forward it to the Miyagi Prefecture. 3) Gospel Life will issue a tax deductible receipt to the donors provided that all necessary information is available. Donations by mail will also be accepted. Please make checks payable to Gospel Life (memo: Japan Disaster Relief). Mailing address is: 436 Crestwood Lane, Walnut, CA 91789. Alternatively, you may send your donations by clicking on the PayPal Donate icon here.  The United Outreach Effort contact person is Johnny Chua, President of the FACCSGV and the CAAW. His email address is johnchua@earthlink.net. |
OUR SHARED VALUES
Our Heavenly Kingdom Authority
"We will create and maintain a culture of walking in the supernatural and freely accessing the heavenly realm in the work of advancing God's Kingdom and in the warfare to destroy the works of His enemy."
(Every Wednesday, we feature one of the ten items in Our Shared Values. This is the 6th of the series, published in the pamphlet, Vision 21: Journey to Divine Destiny, Gospel Life Community) |
DEVOTIONAL
There is No Condemnation in Jesus |
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"When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them." Luke 7:37-38 (NIV)
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"We don't know much about the woman in this story except that we're told she lived a sinful life. The Bible never specifies what her sin is, which illustrates the beauty of God's love for us."
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This week we're going to look at a familiar story, but hopefully we'll see it in a new light as we use it to understand the transforming power of worship.
Luke 7 tells the story of two people, a Pharisee and a sinful woman, who have the same encounter with Jesus. Both of them are untouchable.
The woman is not to be touched by religious people because of the nature and extent of her sin. The Pharisee, on the other hand, has made himself untouchable because he refuses to allow himself to be touched by the brokenness of other people. One of them will be transformed through their encounter with Jesus.
We know the Pharisees were the bad guys in Jesus' life. They were the power mongers of the religious order in Jesus' day. They told everybody how to live, but they were notorious for their own hypocrisy. They didn't like Jesus, yet one of them invited Jesus to his house.
We don't know much about the woman in this story except that we're told she lived a sinful life. The Bible never specifies what her sin is, which illustrates the beauty of God's love for us.
When we come to the Lord with our sin, when we present ourselves openly to him and receive his forgiveness, he doesn't bring it up again or write it down for everyone to see. He forgives it and it's gone.
That's the first lesson I want you to see from this story. If you are wrestling and struggling with some kind of guilt or condemnation for something that happened in your past that you've already brought to the Lord, I can tell you the condemnation is not from God. "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1 NIV). God is not going to keep reminding you and rubbing your nose in the sins of your past.
If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, your sins have been forgiven and God remembers them no more. That is good news! And it is the foundation for the transforming power of worship.
(From connect@purposedriven.com by Rick Warren)
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CHURCH GREETERS' SCHEDULE
April 10 - Ruby & Ding Dijamco
April 17 - Linda & Danny Santos
April 24 - Vonnie & Tito Cabrera
May 1 - Penny & Conrad Miranda
May 8 - Eunice Alinsod
May 15 - Lelit & Tony Luciano
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MEDITATION
"Thank you, God, for another day of living. I pray that I will live it to the fullest; work my hardest; love others with a godly love; and allow you to flow through my being and out into my world to draw people to you. May I be a blessing to you and to others today. I love you, Lord!" |
COMING UP
April 8, Friday, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. - LOL (Living Out Loud) Youth Event
April 9, Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. - Japan Disaster Relief Fund
Drive-Thru, Gospel Life Gate/Driveway
April 9, Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon - Ministry Class in Homiletics,
Fellowship Hall
April 10, Sunday, 2:00 p.m. - Core Group Meeting
April 23, Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon - Ministry Class on Worship,
Fellowship Hall
aPRI
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