Pastor Hansel

 

 

Yesterday's portrait sittings conducted by LifeTouch, the company that will provide our forthcoming Church Directory, definitely boosted the number of families whose pictures will be included when the directory is published.

However, there are several individuals or families who still have not been able to attend either one of the three days that the photography sessions were scheduled for Gospel Life Community. It will be really good if everyone concerned has their picture included in the directory.

There may be a chance to still get your pictures taken at another local church where LifeTouch may be providing the same service.  Inquiries and arrangements are being made as of this writing to assure access for all who may benefit from this opportunity. We will provide you with further details once we know where and when this might take place.

 
There are many of you whose addresses, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses and other personal but shareable data have changed.

As we prepare to publish a new Church Directory please let us know these changes so we do not carry over wrong information into the new directories.

There will be a place in the church foyer where you can indicate the new addresses and phone numbers you'd like to see printed in the new directories.  Or, you can let the staff know about it by handing us the changes in a piece of paper  or in your business card, or e-mailing us at gospellifecommunity@gmail.com.

Please do this within the next week or two or it will be too late to change for our directory.

 

"That all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in Me and I am in You. May they also be in Us so that the world may believe that You have sent Me." John 17:21

 

What is the greatest power that allows the unsaved to make a decision for Jesus Christ? It isn't prayer, though this is important. It isn't good deeds, though deeds indicate a fruitful relationship with God. It isn't good behavior, though Christ commands us to be obedient as sons. The greatest power God's children have over darkness is unity. Jesus talked a great deal about His oneness with the Father and the importance of unity in the Body of Christ. It is the most difficult command Jesus gave to the Church, because it wars against the most evil aspect of our sin nature -- independence.

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In the last days we are seeing God's Spirit convict His children of the lack of unity among His Church. We are seeing God move between blacks and whites, ethnic groups, denominations, and parachurch groups. There is much work to be done. The walls of division and competition among His Body are a stench in God's nostrils. He sees the competition and the pride of ownership and weeps for the lost who cannot come to Him because they cannot see Him in His Body. When His Body is one, the unbelieving see that Jesus was sent by God. It is like a supernatural key that unlocks Heaven for the heathen soul.

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The key is in the hand of Christ's Church. When there is unity, there is power. Scripture tells us five will chase 100, but 100 will chase 10,000 (see Lev. 26:8). There is a dynamic multiplication factor in unity of numbers. We are a hundred times more effective when we are a unified group. Imagine what God could do with a unified Church.

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Jesus prayed that we all might be one, as the Father and He are one. He wanted the same love God has for Jesus to be in each of us. When this love is in us, we are drawn to each other with a common mission. The walls fall down. The independent spirit is broken. Competition is destroyed. Satan's accusations are thwarted. Our love for each other is manifest to the world around us. Lost souls begin to seek this love that is so foreign to them.

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Have you contributed to an independent spirit within His Body? Are you seeking to break down walls of competition among Christians, churches, denominations, and ethnic groups? Until we walk in the spirit of unity, we will hinder those in whom God has reserved a place in Heaven. Pray for His Church to be unified.
 

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(Today God Is First (TGIF) devotional message, Copyright by Os Hillman, Marketplace Leaders.)

 
On the eve of Thanksgiving, there will be a thanksgiving-oriented "Awakening" service geared for anyone who wishes to express his or her gratefulness for whatever it is that the Lord has done.  The service will begin at 7:00 p.m.  Those of you coming from farther distances such as the Los Angeles area may want to start earlier to compensate for any delay that traffic congestion may contribute to your travel time.

There is a tendency for Small Group Fellowships to become stagnant and unproductive.  This could be true when we think that ministering to others is the pastor's job. We must avoid that mindset, because every believer is a minister. 

As members of small groups you and I must invite seekers -- those longing to become a part of a safe haven, not necessarily just those who look to study God's word.  Rather than inviting people to a "bible study group" why not ask them if they want to join your group to "experience God?"

Small groups do not need to be all about bible study.  It can be doing other things together, meeting at the park, having a field trip of some kind or some other activity that the group decides to do. It is where relationships are utilized to serve as a wedge to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.  It can also serve as a means for personal nurture and growth.

As we face another new year and greater challenges, let's determine to make our small groups even stronger and more responsive to the needs of each member to make his or her experience deeper and wider not only spiritually, but in every other aspect of life.

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