TMG
Hello, Crossroads Church!
I always leave Wednesday night Immerse with a gratefulness for the unique variety of people at Crossroads, and for your commitment to growing in the Lord! The God of the Bible is a relational God; our attempts to dive deeper into the Word are an attempt to grow in that relationship, a relationship of love.
I believe three of the strengths of Crossroads Church are fellowship, teaching, and worship. Perhaps we still need to grow in mission and outreach, but these three strengths help to make for a joyful, spiritually vibrant church with lots of potential for the future. I’m glad God has developed these three qualities among us in recent years.
Angels were one of the subjects of discussion in the group I was part of at Immerse last night. I woke up early this morning thinking about that discussion (and my own lack of understanding about angels). I’ve included at the end of this email what I hope are some helpful thoughts about angels.
As concerns service and outreach and our usefulness to God, we’ll talk more about this Sunday morning in our sermon series on the Holy Spirit. We’ll look at the unique gifts and abilities God gives to each Christian through the Holy Spirit living in us! I hope to see you Sunday at 10:00!
There are many challenges, changes, joys, victories, and struggles happening in our lives! I’m often amazed when I hear, during the week, what each of you is going through ! Sometimes the words “Hang in there” are all that come to mind. I’m reminded that Jesus once trusted the Father so much He was able to curl up and sleep in the bow of a boat during a storm; yet, at another time He pleaded with God to take away the cup of suffering He was facing but seems not to have received a clear, definite answer to His prayers. Author Mike Mason writes that sometimes the understanding of our circumstances is unclear in order that faith might become utterly faithful by our being stripped of everything except faith itself. These are the moments when understanding is left behind and obedience takes over — when trust rises to perform its unique and arduous task.
There is joy, even though circumstances be difficult, in letting trust and obedience take over. That, I suppose, is the place where God has always meant for us to be!
Announcements & Reminders
Money due for t-shirts.
Don’t forget, if you ordered a t-shirt, to give your money to Michaela by this Sunday. $15 for adult t-shirts; $12 for children’s t-shirts. Thank you!
Immerse next Wednesday.
There are only four weeks left of this session of Immerse! We’ll meet again next Wednesday, the 15th, at 7 pm at the church. Everyone is welcome!
Thank you!
Thanks to the Vestals and to everyone who made our church picnic such a good time of food and fellowship last Sunday! Thanks also to all who have been so faithfully taking care of the yard around the building! There has been a lot to do, and everything looks great! Pray for perseverance and wisdom in the completion of some additional projects at our building: sign, doors, decoration, information station.
Prayer
Let’s be praying for Kourtnee Vestal who will be serving with CentriKid Camps in the Southeastern U.S. this summer starting May 31 ! It’s exciting to have one of our own serving God in a special way! Take a look at the CentriKid website, and consider how you might support Kourtnee through prayer and encouragement.
I’m so grateful for newcomers to Crossroads and for the ways in which many of you have made an effort to connect with those who are new. As God continues to add to our number, let’s be mindful of ways we can be used in each other’s lives on Sunday mornings and beyond!
Some in our church family are still battling illness. Please remember to pray for them this week. Dean Lewis and the Walker children come to mind, in particular.
Congratulations!
Congratulations to all students, teachers, and administrators who are about to finish another school year! We’re blessed at Crossroads to have several public school students, teachers and staff, and others who are working hard through homeschooling. I’m especially proud of my daughter Esther who will graduate this Saturday from the College of the Ozarks with a degree in Public Relations.
Some thoughts about angels
Below are a few thoughts that scratch the surface in understanding angels. You can continue the study on your own!
1. Angels exist.
Thirty-four of the sixty-six books of the Bible refer to angels by the name “angel” while other books of the Bible refer to angels (holy angels and fallen angels) by other names: cherubim, seraphim, archangel, sons of God, powers of the air, etc. Jesus believed in the existence of angels.
2. Their number.
Although no specific number is given, in Revelation 5 John sees many angels worshiping God around His throne: “The number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands” (Revelation 5:11). Daniel makes a similar report in Daniel 7:9-10. (Neither Daniel nor John saw the number of fallen angels, only holy angels at God’s throne.)
3. What are angels? What do they do?
Perhaps the best definition of an angel is given in Hebrews 1:14 — They are “ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation”. What an amazing thought! Here are just some of the things angels do:
In their relationship to God:
- Angels at times have communicated the will of God to human beings (Matt 28:5-8; Luke 1:11-13; Luke 1:19; Luke 1:26-38; Acts 7:53; Galatians 3:19).
- Angels worship God (Revelation 4:8-11; 5:13-14; 7:11-12; Psalm 148:2; Luke 2:13-14).
- Angels have (and will again) administer God’s judgments (2 Samuel 24:15-17; Revelation 8-16).
In their relationship to Jesus Christ:
- They worship Him (Hebrews 1:6; Revelation 5:8-13; Philippians 2:9-11).
- They explained much of His coming to Mary and Joseph (Luke 1, Matthew 1).
- They announced His birth to shepherds in the fields of Bethlehem (Luke 2).
- They warned Joseph that King Herod sought to kill Jesus (Matthew 2).
- They ministered to Jesus in His weakened physical condition after His temptation by Satan (Matthew 4:11; Mark 1:13).
- An angel strengthened Jesus during His agony in Gethsemane (Luke 22:43).
- Angels announced the resurrection of Jesus (Luke 24; John 20).
- Angels attended Jesus at His ascension (Acts 1:10-11).
- Angels will accompany Jesus at His return to the earth (Matthew 24, 25; 1 Thess 4:16-17; 2 Thess 1:7).
In their relationship to the nations:
- Holy and evil angels wage war with each other over the affairs of the nations (Daniel 10, 12; Revelation 12). The influence of these good and evil messengers in the good and evil decisions made by world leaders can easily be imagined still today.
In their relationship to the Church:
- Angels observe what happens in the church (1 Cor 4:9; 1 Timothy 5:21; Ephesians 3:10; 1 Corinthians 11) and appear to learn about the Gospel through these observations of us ! How important does that seem! Our comportment in the church has a bearing on creatures in the spiritual realm.
In their relationship to individual believers :
- They guard and protect (Psalm 91:10-12; Acts 5:17-20; 12:1-11; Matthew 18:10).
- They assist us in our prayers (Revelation 5:8; 8:3).
- They accompanied Lazarus to heaven (Luke 16:22).
Much more could be said, obviously. I feel like an important takeaway for me is the realization of how active the invisible, spiritual world all around us really is. Even when it seems that my life moves along slowly — or maybe even feels at times to be at a standstill! — there is tremendous activity taking place in the invisible world that is a part of moving us toward the fulfillment of God’s plans. The existence of spirit beings called angels is evidence of the existence of God (who is also a spiritual being — John 4:24), and a reminder of the fact that I am a spiritual being with spiritual needs.
May God guide you and encourage you until we meet again this Sunday!
— Tom
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