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NEWSLETTER
Wednesday Edition April 4, 2012 |
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Join Us for our EASTER Service
SUNDAY, APRIL 8 at 11 a.m. |
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Greetings!
Have you thought often about your personal intimacy with God? Did you ever put that on a scale of one to ten and determine where along that scale you are?
Easter, depicting Jesus Christ's glorious resurrection and its symbolism of New Life in you through Him, may not be a bad time to start an honest to goodness assessment of yourself in terms of how close your relationship is to the One who promises that He is always there for you, and that you can come as close to Him as you would like to.
Only you are able to determine whether your relationship with God is towards Him or away from Him because as far as He is concerned He wants you to be as intimate with Him as you would let Him to be intimate with you.
Our theme for the month of April is "Intimacy with God." Since Jesus sacrificed Himself on our behalf, shouldn't we learn more about Him, become more familiar with Him, and invite Him constantly into all aspects of our lives?
The Church Staff |
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Son of God and Man
Invite Someone to Come with You | |
Easter Sunday is only four days away. Have you already invited someone to come with you or meet you at Gospel Life? Our Easter service starts at 11 a.m. Pastor Joannie will deliver our message for the day.
A short Easter program will complement the service under the direction of Natalie Orzame. Members of the cast of the vignette, "Son of God and Man," the Easter choir and the Worship Team are asked to come to church at 8 a.m. on Sunday for their final rehearsal.
Let's make certain our guests for the day are made to feel welcome. Hook up with them so we can follow-up on their visit and invite them again to attend our services, even join us as a church family.
You or I might be the only first impression our guests will ever have of what Gospel Life Community is all about. |
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God's Gift
Identify and Understand | |
Every born again Christian has a spiritual gift, but many if not most do not understand how their spiritual gift relates to their own lives, other people's lives, the church to which they belong or to the body of Christ as a whole. It is, therefore, important to identify and understand our God-given spiritual gift(s) and to give this our highest priority.
God has given you this gift, whether you use it or not. It is your birthday present, given to you at the time of your spiritual birth. Once you open it and examine it, you, too, may be surprised. Don't miss out on the blessings God has for you through your spiritual gift(s).
Your challenge is two-fold: first, to do as commanded in 2 Timothy 1:6, "Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you;" and, second, as instructed in 1 Peter 4:10, "As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." |
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In Full Spring!
OGLC! | |
Not too long ago newspapers and news channels on TV and radio were replete with OWS signs and battlecries. Occupy Wall Street became the singular model of similar movements accross the country, and for many different reasons or causes.
Our Occupy Gospel Life Community (OGLC) version comes from a higher level of inspiration. Luke 19:13 tells us to "Occupy till I come." It is motivational in the sense that we are to be busy and fruitful and not allow ourselves to slack off and become useless.
OGLC means that spring has, indeed, sprung! We have been busy preparing for our much awaited Easter event and beyond that, we will still be busy getting ready for the upcoming evangelistic series that will take all of us, following the directions of the Holy Spirit, to see a measure of success.
Go tell your family about it. Go tell your neighbors. Go tell your friends. Yes, "go, tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere!"
By His grace, things are looking good! |
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Small Group Fellowships
Time to Ask | |
Some of our small group fellowships have members who do not belong to Gospel Life Community. Still some have members who are not church-goers.
It is time to ask them to come with you to church at least on Easter Sunday! They may be waiting to be asked. Perhaps that's the only push they need, and you are the one to push them!
Not only are church events good opportunities to invite your family and friends to go to. They can be a means to get them to become more acquainted with a church, to feel more comfortable, relaxed, and accepted especially when they have been away for so long, or have never been to church before.
Now is the time. |
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DEVOTIONAL
Jesus Sets You Free Forever |
by Tom Holladay
You've no idea how much I have looked forward to eating this Passover meal with you before I enter my time of suffering. It's the last one I'll eat until we all eat it together in the kingdom of God." Taking the cup, he blessed it, then said, "Take this and pass it among you. As for me, I'll not drink wine again until the kingdom of God arrives." Luke 22:15-18 (Msg)
"The picture that some people have of heaven, that it is a boring place, but there will be parties in hell, that's the exact opposite of the real picture."
There is a fourth cup in the Passover meal that I don't believe Jesus drank with his disciples during the Last Supper because he says, essentially, "I'm not going to drink this with you again until we drink together in the kingdom of God."
This cup is full with promise because one day you and I are going to drink together with Jesus in the kingdom of God -- in eternity, in heaven. One day there will be what is called the great wedding supper of the Lamb. That's quite a picture, isn't it? It's really a picture of Jesus Christ having a party with us for all of eternity; that we get to be with him and celebrate with him for all eternity.
So even that night before his death, Jesus says, "There is still promise." There is the promise of how he sets us free. He sets us free from ourselves, he sets us free from tears and fears, and he sets us free from our sin and our guilt.
And this fourth cup is a reminder that Jesus sets us free forever. This isn't a temporary freedom; it is forever. Jesus says, "One day we're going to celebrate together forever." The picture that some people have of heaven, that it is a boring place, but there will be parties in hell, that's the exact opposite of the real picture. That's one of the greatest lies of Satan because Hell is the boring place.
Hell is a place of loneliness for all eternity. Heaven is a place of connection with God for all eternity and it is a celebration connection. We will be celebrating in ways that you and I cannot even imagine.
And on the night before he died, Jesus, along with his disciples, looked forward to this celebration. Jesus says even today, "I'm going to set you free forever." |
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Church Greeters' Schedule
April 8 - Eunice Alinsod | |
April 15 - Lelit & Tony Luciano
April 22 - Ruby & Ding Dijamco
April 29 - Linda & Danny Santos
May 6 - Vonnie & Tito Cabrera
May 13 - Penny & Conrad Miranda |
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Coming Up...
Wednesday, April 4, 7:30 p.m. - Intercessors' Meeting
Fellowship Hall
Friday, April 6, 7:00 p.m. - LOL Youth Meeting - Pastor LJ Dijamco
Sunday, April 8, 10 a.m. - Praise & Worship
11 a.m. - Easter Service - Pastor Joanna Alano
12:30 p.m. - Fellowship Lunch
Friday, May 4, 7 p.m. - Begin Evangelistic Series
Pastor John Tulio | |
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