TMG
Hello, Crossroads Family!
Try reading the little books of Obadiah and Micah some time! I did this morning as part of an assignment in the “Ten Basic Steps” discipleship series I’m doing with someone in the church. A little phrase — the last line of Obadiah — stuck out to me at the end of all of Obadiah’s prophecies:
“And the kingdom will be the Lord’s” (Obadiah 1:21).
Such a simple statement that reminds us that all things are moving toward a point in time when the Lord will rule, and all will be made right.
Micah gives an exciting description of that coming kingdom:
“It will come about in the last days that the mountain of the house of the Lord will be established as the chief of the mountains. It will be raised above the hills, and the peoples will stream to it. Many nations will come and say, ‘Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord and to the house of the God of Jacob, that He may teach us about His ways and that we may walk in His paths.’ For from Zion will go forth the law, even the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And He will judge between many peoples and render decisions for mighty, distant nations. Then they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks ; nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they train for war” (Micah 4:1-4).
Here are some things going on at Crossroads and in our community that you can be part of:
Home Bible Study
Mark Tice is beginning a Bible study in his home this Thursday night and would welcome anyone from Crossroads to be a part of it. The study will be on the origins of the Bible and will meet from 7:00-8:00. *contact us for more information*.
Nominating Committee
If you would like to nominate yourself or someone else from Crossroads to be part of this year’s Nominating Committee, please let one of the elders know before their next meeting, October 22. The Nominating Committee will have the task of nominating a candidate for the office of Elder. (Shane finishes his term at the end of this year.)
Church Hayride
Mark your calendar for a hayride at the Reedys’ farm in Moundville, Saturday evening, October 28, starting around 4:30.
Fields of Faith
Fellowship of Christian Athletes is inviting all area churches and young people to Fields of Faith next Friday, October 11, 6:30 pm, at Logan Field on the campus of Nevada High School. This is a student-led activity to share the Gospel and to challenge young people to read the Bible and follow Jesus. Eric England, area representative for FCA, says, “We hope to pack the bleachers with churches, youth and FCA Campus Huddles from four counties.” If you have any questions, you can call Eric at 417-214-4077.
Prayer Needs at Crossroads
Please continue to pray for Shane and his family concerning decisions made for his dad. Please continue to pray for healing and successful physical therapy for Heather Hall. And also remember to pray for Julie’s cousin Sherri and for those making decisions for Sherri at this time. Thank you for praying!
Encouragements from France
In Philippians 2:12, Paul exhorts Christians to “work out your salvation ….” In the French Bible, the sense of that phrase is more like, “Put your salvation to work.”
Vincent Wastable is a friend of mine in France who was a young person in our Romans church back in the early 1990s. Today he is serving on the staff of SIM mission for France and Belgium. Recently, Vincent had an opportunity to preach on Philippians 2 at his church, the Centre Evangélique Protestant of Orange (in southeastern France). I thought he gave three good reminders why we should “put our salvation to work”:
1. We put our salvation to work in order to honor God.
“It is God who is at work in you, … for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). Our lives should be ones that seek to measure up to the wonderful calling we’ve received.
2. We put our salvation to work in order to enlighten the world.
We do that through our behavior, our decisions, our attitudes (“Do all things without grumbling or questioning” – 2:14), and through sharing the Gospel with those around us. Again, how wonderful to work out (put to work) our salvation!
3. We put our salvation to work in order that we may rejoice together concerning the coming glory of God.
“I rejoice and share my joy with you all. You too, I urge you, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me” (2:17-18). Whatever our difficult circumstances in life, the best is yet to come, and it’s a joy to know Christ together!
In the remainder of this week — in the big and little things — may we each one put our salvation to work. This coming Sunday morning, we’ll rejoice together about that! I hope to see you there — 10:00, at the Community Center!
— Tom
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