Word for Today, Tue Jan 10, 2006: An Invitation to God's Feast

#1 · January 10, 2006, 9:14 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on January 10, 2006, 9:14 pm
Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Word for Today, Tue Jan 10, 2006: An Invitation to God's Feast
Dear friends,

As we learned in the last weekly edition of Sowing Seeds of Faith, God has made
an invitation to all believers, and all who would believe, to the wedding feast
of the Lamb. Put in plain English, that means God has invited us to share in
eternal life with Him. You see, when our human bodies cease to live, our
spirits live on. Only the body withers and fades away. Our souls are eternal.
God has given us an invitation to His home to live eternally with Him and to
celebrate how His Son has redeemed us for God's own good pleasure.

As we learned last time, though, not everyone will make it to that feast. When
the doors close, it is finished. Those who refuse to accept the invitation
from the Son will be shut out forever, but those who trust in Jesus Christ as
their only eternal hope will be part of the biggest party EVER!

What is one of the first things that Jesus says when He appears to His
disciples? "Go into the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and
teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." (Matthew 28:19-20).

Notice that it includes all nations, but it does not necessarily include all
people. Why? Not because they are not invited. No, because they will refuse
to accept God's gift of love.

Jesus' brother, James, had much to say about what is expected of those who
claim to believe. What we do doesn't secure us anything. Our eternal security
comes from God Himself through what Jesus did on our behalf. However, our
obedience, believing what God says and acting on it, has a lot to say about
what we believe, now doesn't it?

You've probably heard the tightrope illustration and the barrel illustration
before... "Who believes that I can go across this tightrope blindfolded?" OK,
fine, who wants to climb on my shoulders and go across with me? That's faith.

When we serve one another and help those in need, we are good stewards of what
God has given us, and we are also acting in faith, believing that He can
continue to take care of us.

Yours in Christ,
Brian

_____________________________________________________________

Sowing Seeds of Faith...

To read part one of Invitation to God's Feast click here:

"Invitation to Godu2019s Feast" Part 2 Larry Davies

Last week we learned God provides opportunities for us to be the church in a
big way. Our response should be to say 'yes' to the invitation with faith
knowing that serving God is more important than our occupation, our family or
even our very lives. We say yes trusting God for answers, resources and courage
to enable us to do far more than we ever imagined possible.

Can it be that simple? A few years ago, I would be struggling to give you a
good answer. Our church was growing and active in the community but we were not
a mission oriented church. Then several members traveled to Jamaica to offer
medical aid and church construction help. Their stories affected us all. At
this point we were becoming eager for more opportunities.

On December 26, 2004 a massive Tsunami swept the Indian Ocean. More than eleven
countries were struck by the enormous waves with a loss of life estimated at
more than 300,000 people. Quickly, we raised funds. But, now what could we do?
How could we become more directly involved? As we searched for answers, God
began to change me and our church.

The Apostle Paul wrote a letter asking others to help a sister church in
trouble: "For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford but
far more. And they did it of their own free will. They begged us again and
again for the gracious privilege of sharing..." (2 Corinthians 8:3-4) As
followers of God we are judged not by church attendance, Bible study, Hymn
singing or the size of our offering. Pursuing these aspects of our faith will
help us become better Christians. But in the end we will be judged by how
generously we respond to the needy in the world around us.

But giving is about so much more than money: giving is a lifestyle and a
ministry that radically involves your time, skills and enthusiasm. Paul goes on
to write: "Since you excel in so many ways-you have so much faith, such gifted
speakers, such knowledge, such enthusiasm, and such love for us, now I want you
to excel also in this gracious ministry of giving." (2 Cor. 8:7)

As a part of becoming more giving, we chose ten areas to center our priorities:

1. Tsunami Aid - We focused our financial aid toward a specific rebuilding
project.

2. Local Families - We seek to adopt families and provide much more than just
a handout.

3. Our Troops - The Iraq War is taking a toll. We can send care packages of
support.

4. Homeless Shelter - A local shelter provides regular hot meals with our
involvement.

5. Immigrant Relief - We provide language and cultural training in addition
to financial aid.

6. Prayer Ministry - Always a critical foundation for everything we seek to
accomplish.

7. Mentoring Newcomers - As people visit we want them to feel loved and
appreciated.

8. Short-Term Missions - Whether building churches or providing medical aid
we're active.

9. Condemned Housing Repair - This ministry helps families stay together in
their homes.

10. Transportation Aid - Going to church, to the doctor or buying groceries,
we want to help.

We then visited "Gleaning for the World," a local aid agency specializing in
getting equipment and supplies to other areas where needed. Rev. Ron Davidson,
the CEO offered two projects. The first involved receiving and sorting large
bales of used hospital linens then we boxed them to be shipped to third-world
countries. The second involved shipping 40,000 pounds of rice, enough to feed
at least 150,000 people several meals. Rev. Davidson then asked: "Would you
like to go with me and see the rice for yourself, assess the damaged area and
look for opportunities to help Sri Lanka in the future?" Ten days later, I
secured a passport, received my shots and began a series of flights that would
last over twenty-six hours and take us half way around the world.

Amidst the rubble-strewn beach of tsunami-devastated Kalmunai in Sri Lanka, I
picked up a cluster of fishing net to show several fishermen as they described
a desire to go back to work. "We must fish to survive!" one man emphasized. We
later learned that for approximately $3,000 we could buy a new boat made in Sri
Lanka equipped with a motor and nets. Four families with each new boat could
then go back to work. We were beginning to find answers and hope.

-----------------------------

To read part one of Invitation to Godu2019s Feats click here:

Next week: Part 3 of our search for answers. Meanwhile, think about you can
excel in the gracious ministry of giving. For 2006, are you willing to expand
your horizons and take a risk?

Sowing Seeds of Faith... devotions and world-wide prayer ministry reach
thousands around the world but as we expand we find critical need for more
financial aid. If you found this ministry useful then please consider
supporting us by offering a contribution. Sowing Seeds Ministry reaches more
people with fewer donations than any ministry I know. Find out more by clicking
on the following web page:
www.sowingseedsoffaith.com/ministry_partner.htm

--
Brian Masinick, mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: www.geocities.com/masinick/

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
mail.yahoo.com

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Word for Today, Tue Jan 10, 2006: An Invitation to God's Feast
Dear friends,

As we learned in the last weekly edition of Sowing Seeds of Faith, God has made
an invitation to all believers, and all who would believe, to the wedding feast
of the Lamb. Put in plain English, that means God has invited us to share in
eternal life with Him. You see, when our human bodies cease to live, our
spirits live on. Only the body withers and fades away. Our souls are eternal.
God has given us an invitation to His home to live eternally with Him and to
celebrate how His Son has redeemed us for God's own good pleasure.

As we learned last time, though, not everyone will make it to that feast. When
the doors close, it is finished. Those who refuse to accept the invitation
from the Son will be shut out forever, but those who trust in Jesus Christ as
their only eternal hope will be part of the biggest party EVER!

What is one of the first things that Jesus says when He appears to His
disciples? "Go into the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and
teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." (Matthew 28:19-20).

Notice that it includes all nations, but it does not necessarily include all
people. Why? Not because they are not invited. No, because they will refuse
to accept God's gift of love.

Jesus' brother, James, had much to say about what is expected of those who
claim to believe. What we do doesn't secure us anything. Our eternal security
comes from God Himself through what Jesus did on our behalf. However, our
obedience, believing what God says and acting on it, has a lot to say about
what we believe, now doesn't it?

You've probably heard the tightrope illustration and the barrel illustration
before... "Who believes that I can go across this tightrope blindfolded?" OK,
fine, who wants to climb on my shoulders and go across with me? That's faith.

When we serve one another and help those in need, we are good stewards of what
God has given us, and we are also acting in faith, believing that He can
continue to take care of us.

Yours in Christ,
Brian

_____________________________________________________________

Sowing Seeds of Faith...

To read part one of Invitation to God's Feast click here:

"Invitation to Godu2019s Feast" Part 2 Larry Davies

Last week we learned God provides opportunities for us to be the church in a
big way. Our response should be to say 'yes' to the invitation with faith
knowing that serving God is more important than our occupation, our family or
even our very lives. We say yes trusting God for answers, resources and courage
to enable us to do far more than we ever imagined possible.

Can it be that simple? A few years ago, I would be struggling to give you a
good answer. Our church was growing and active in the community but we were not
a mission oriented church. Then several members traveled to Jamaica to offer
medical aid and church construction help. Their stories affected us all. At
this point we were becoming eager for more opportunities.

On December 26, 2004 a massive Tsunami swept the Indian Ocean. More than eleven
countries were struck by the enormous waves with a loss of life estimated at
more than 300,000 people. Quickly, we raised funds. But, now what could we do?
How could we become more directly involved? As we searched for answers, God
began to change me and our church.

The Apostle Paul wrote a letter asking others to help a sister church in
trouble: "For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford but
far more. And they did it of their own free will. They begged us again and
again for the gracious privilege of sharing..." (2 Corinthians 8:3-4) As
followers of God we are judged not by church attendance, Bible study, Hymn
singing or the size of our offering. Pursuing these aspects of our faith will
help us become better Christians. But in the end we will be judged by how
generously we respond to the needy in the world around us.

But giving is about so much more than money: giving is a lifestyle and a
ministry that radically involves your time, skills and enthusiasm. Paul goes on
to write: "Since you excel in so many ways-you have so much faith, such gifted
speakers, such knowledge, such enthusiasm, and such love for us, now I want you
to excel also in this gracious ministry of giving." (2 Cor. 8:7)

As a part of becoming more giving, we chose ten areas to center our priorities:

1. Tsunami Aid - We focused our financial aid toward a specific rebuilding
project.

2. Local Families - We seek to adopt families and provide much more than just
a handout.

3. Our Troops - The Iraq War is taking a toll. We can send care packages of
support.

4. Homeless Shelter - A local shelter provides regular hot meals with our
involvement.

5. Immigrant Relief - We provide language and cultural training in addition
to financial aid.

6. Prayer Ministry - Always a critical foundation for everything we seek to
accomplish.

7. Mentoring Newcomers - As people visit we want them to feel loved and
appreciated.

8. Short-Term Missions - Whether building churches or providing medical aid
we're active.

9. Condemned Housing Repair - This ministry helps families stay together in
their homes.

10. Transportation Aid - Going to church, to the doctor or buying groceries,
we want to help.

We then visited "Gleaning for the World," a local aid agency specializing in
getting equipment and supplies to other areas where needed. Rev. Ron Davidson,
the CEO offered two projects. The first involved receiving and sorting large
bales of used hospital linens then we boxed them to be shipped to third-world
countries. The second involved shipping 40,000 pounds of rice, enough to feed
at least 150,000 people several meals. Rev. Davidson then asked: "Would you
like to go with me and see the rice for yourself, assess the damaged area and
look for opportunities to help Sri Lanka in the future?" Ten days later, I
secured a passport, received my shots and began a series of flights that would
last over twenty-six hours and take us half way around the world.

Amidst the rubble-strewn beach of tsunami-devastated Kalmunai in Sri Lanka, I
picked up a cluster of fishing net to show several fishermen as they described
a desire to go back to work. "We must fish to survive!" one man emphasized. We
later learned that for approximately $3,000 we could buy a new boat made in Sri
Lanka equipped with a motor and nets. Four families with each new boat could
then go back to work. We were beginning to find answers and hope.

-----------------------------

To read part one of Invitation to Godu2019s Feats click here:

Next week: Part 3 of our search for answers. Meanwhile, think about you can
excel in the gracious ministry of giving. For 2006, are you willing to expand
your horizons and take a risk?

Sowing Seeds of Faith... devotions and world-wide prayer ministry reach
thousands around the world but as we expand we find critical need for more
financial aid. If you found this ministry useful then please consider
supporting us by offering a contribution. Sowing Seeds Ministry reaches more
people with fewer donations than any ministry I know. Find out more by clicking
on the following web page:
http://www.sowingseedsoffaith.com/ministry_partner.htm

--
Brian Masinick, mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: http://www.geocities.com/masinick/

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
mail.yahoo.com