Sunday August 13, 2017

Notes from Sunday's service.  (Thanks, Jean,  😀)

Dr. Spencer Barclay-Something to Think About

Theme: We must have great faith and trust God for physical and spiritual healing.

 Mark 8:22-26

Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him. 23 So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.

24 And he looked up and said, “I see men like trees, walking.”

25 Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly. 26 Then He sent him away to his house, saying, “Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town.”

This is a fascinating passage to look at. Someone took the blind man to Jesus. He did not come by himself, someone in great mercy stopped and took the time to take him. In this passage we think of the physical eyes and also the eyes of the heart and our understanding of Christ. People often wonder why bad things happen to themselves and in the world. We look at things through the physical and earthly sense, yet do not see clearly with our spiritual eyes. This man asked Christ to touch him, Christ did and he received his healing. Jesus took him by the hand and let him outside of the town. Christ touched him twice for a full healing, his vision was restored and he saw clearly.

 Matthew 11:21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

 As a result of the lack of faith in the large cities, Christ took his miracles out side the city. As the people did not recognize and appreciate the small miracles he did in the cities. He did the big ones outside the city.

Roxann Spicer- Theme: Christ waits and is patient with us, even when we lack faith and doubt.

Matthew 14:22-33

 Peter stopped looking at the Lord and looked at his circumstances and began to sink----How human!

Would we be scared if we saw someone walking on the water?

Why did Peter stop trusting and give into fear, emotions and panic?

The disciples faced the wind and the waves as their ship was tossed about in a storm. Scripture says in the fourth watch of the night, which is the darkest hour just before dawn. Jesus came to the disciples by walking on the Sea. When the disciples saw him walking on the water they were full of fear and cried out saying “It is a ghost”. Jesus told them not to be afraid as it was himself. Peter then said Lord if it be you, beckon me to come and join you on the water. Thus Jesus beckoned Peter to come. Peter got out of the ship and began walking on the water to meet Jesus. But when Peter saw the wind and storm he was afraid and began to sink, he called out to the Lord to save him and Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him.

Peter let his fear and emotions take over,  he took his eyes of Jesus and neglected his faith. Walking on the water, being outside the boat was being in the unknown for Peter. Jesus is always with us, even in the unknown. We have to keep using our faith, keep trusting and believing and not give into fear. Peter was seen in his humanity and Christ was seen in glory, power and might by the other disciples. That day the disciples had seen Jesus feed the five thousand, yet it was not till later that night when they saw him walk on the water, did they finally say “Truly You are the Son of God”and worshiped him in the ship. We people today, are often like the disciples, always looking for another sign, more proof to believe what Christ had told us along.

Sunday August 6, 2017

Notes from Sunday's service. (Thanks, Jean)

Dr. Barclay - Something to Think About

Theme: The Word of God is powerful and yet do we even read it?, value it? and study it?

 Matthew 21:42 Jesus said to them,“Have you never read in the Scriptures:

‘The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone.
This was the Lord’s doing,
And it is marvelous in our eyes’?

 Joshua 1:8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Mediation is not just reading,  it is to study,  pursue and follow through.

How should we meditate—James 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

To meditate, is to put away everything else, to focus and concentrate. We must receive scripture with meekness, humbleness and not a know it all attitude. Our souls are saved by faith, but our faith is watered by the Word of God. Many people plan, study and invest in a career that will last perhaps 40-50 years or less. But do we plan, study and invest for eternity, like we do for this earthly life? Here in the western world the bible is easily accessible and yet do we value this wonderful blessing and asset we have? Knowing there are many people in other parts of the world who struggle and go through such great hardship, just to get their hands on a bible and to be able to read and understand it.

Pastor Caroline Barclay

Theme: Destination Heaven

Are we preparing for eternity? In our everyday lives, are we thinking only about this earthly life  only ? or are we thinking ahead with great anticipation toward eternity and life with Christ? Are we focused on the temporal? or what is eternal?

John 14:1-5 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

To be saved from eternity in hell, only God’s grace through faith can do this. If we do not confess him as Lord and acknowledge his finished work on the cross as the way for salvation than we will not spend eternity with him in heaven.

How do we prepare for eternity in heaven:

-- Accept Christ as Lord and accept his gift of salvation through faith and confess our sins.

--Repent from sinning and ask Christ’s forgiveness.

--Trust Christ everyday for his help and guidance and thank him and praise him everyday.

Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

Sunday July 30, 2017

Notes from Sunday's service (Thanks, Jean)

Dr. Barclay - Something to Think About

Theme: Never give up on prayer.

 Many people look to heaven expecting as they pray. But many people are looking to a false god. Today even in the church many times God is robbed from his praise and worship.

James 5:16

Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

Fervent means prolonged persistent and passionate.

Daniel 6:6-24—King Darius signs a decree that if anyone were to pray to a man or deity other than himself for 30 days, would than be cast in a den of lions.

Daniel knew the decree, yet he stayed loyal and true to Jehovah. Daniel knelt and prayed three times a day toward Jerusalem with his windows open, Daniel was faithful in his prayer life. Daniel was eventually thrown into the Lions den, but his life was spared, God sent an Angel to shut the mouths of the Lions.

Who knows what our prayers would accomplish if we prayed earnestly and effectively. Let the life of Daniel be an example to us all not give up praying even when things in life seem to be at their bleakest. God will work a miracle when we least expect it. The Lord sustained Daniel’s life with divine protection. Following Daniel’s example of a faithful prayer life, we can trust the Lord will do the same for us.

Pastor Todd MacDonald

Theme: Letting Go

John 8:1-11

Scribes and Pharisees took a woman onto Jesus who they say was caught in the act of adultery. Jesus said, he that is without sin let him cast the first stone and then he wrote something on the ground, these religious men were convicted by their own conscience and went out walking away one by one. Jesus said to the woman where are your accusers? Has no one condemned you? “Neither do I condemn you: go, and sin no more”.

Christ says to us today, Go and sin no more. Put the sinful things of the past behind you. Move on and walk with your head held high. Christ forgives us, we must forgive ourselves. We cannot give others the authority, to hold things over our head. God does not make junk and does not wants us to feel that way. We are God’s children and we need to know and remember that everyday. When we let things go and give them to God they are completely gone. Christ died on the cross for our sin to be gone and never taken back. We must leave the past in the past and get rid of any negative labels we might have had.

Sunday July 23, 2017

 We hold Alice Boudreau and her family in prayer as they sat with Ludger on Sunday evening, July 23 as he went to be with Jesus. 

When they had to let go, God took Ledger by the hand and said "Welcome home". 

Our thoughts and prayers are with Alice, Darin and Tena, Dakota and Chris and Bryson. 

_________________________________________

Notes from Sunday's service (Thanks, Jean)

Dr. Barclay - Something to think about

Theme: We are to grow and mature spiritually and trust Christ will reveal all things we need to know in his time.

1 Corinthians 13:11-12

11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

Many people do not understand there is a world of spirits just like there is a physical world. There is a great spiritual warfare going on around us. Right now in the present we do not see and know everything. Many times we only see things in the physical world and do not realize what is happening in the spiritual. Some Christians are content to stay where they are and not grow up spiritually. In the Christian life we are to grow and mature and put away the things of a sinful lifestyle and not go back to them. During this temporary, physical life, there are many things we may not fully know, comprehend or understand. However throughout eternity with Christ we will fully know and understand, what was impossible for us to fathom now and could not know previously.

We’ll Talk It Over In The By And By-----Ira Stamphill

Tho' shadows deepen, and my heart bleeds,
I will not question the way He leads;
This side of Heaven we know in part,
I will not question a broken heart.

We'll talk it over in the bye and bye.
We'll talk it over, my Lord and I.
I'll ask the reasons - He'll tell me why,
When we talk it over in the bye and bye.

I'll hide my heartache behind a smile
And wait for reasons 'til after while.
And tho' He try me, I know I'll find
That all my burdens are silver lined.

We'll talk it over in the bye and bye.
We'll talk it over, my Lord and I.
I'll ask the reasons - He'll tell me why,
When we talk it over in the bye and bye.
I'll ask the reasons - He'll tell me why,
When we talk it over
in the bye
and bye.

Sunday July 16, 2017

We will always remember Isabell Riggs and hold her in our hearts. 

She went to be with Jesus on Saturday July 15 2017, entering her eternal home and standing in the presence of her Saviour.  

Our thoughts and prayers are with her loving family and all her friends.  


Notes from Sunday's service. (Thanks, Jean)

Dr. Barclay-Something to Think About

Theme: The devil is out to lie and deceive. God is faithful what he says he means and will do.

 Genesis 3:1-13 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LordGod had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

In the garden the devil took on the form of a snake, planting doubts in the mind of Eve to undermine God. The devil does the same to us today. “Did God really mean what he said?” Satan always tries to plant doubts in the minds of the believers. Satan has deceived the whole world, we see written in Revelation 12:9. Believers can be deceived easily. Sometimes even the church has deceived people. Some people have been deceived into thinking they can say the sinners prayer and then be off the hook and free to live their life as they choose from then on. In the book of Joshua we read we are to mediate on the law day in and day out.

Joshua 1:8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

Psalm 1:2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.

Over time we as Christians have made things too easy on ourselves and compromised too much.

--Is there really an eternity?, are there really consequences?

Did God really mean what he said? Yes he did!!!

Rev. Steve Webb- Theme: We must be bold and courageous and not afraid to tell the Gospel.

 Matthew 9:35-38 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

Jesus spent time teaching the people the love of God having compassion on them and healing them of their various sicknesses. What these people were searching for was right there in front of them all along, and yet still some failed to see he was the one they were needing and waiting for. As we go out into the world teaching people the kingdom of God is at hand. We must realize there will be people out there who do not want to hear our message and do not want us to preach it and will be in opposition to it. But we must not fear or be discouraged, because some one out there- we may never know who, needs to hear about the love of God. Many people in the world today are being imprisoned and killed for their commitment to Christ.

Matthew 10:28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Jesus did not just stay in the synagogue he went out among the people, in their villages on the mountainside- he went to where the people were. The world is ripe for harvest right in front to us, that is why we must tell the gospel whenever possible.

Sunday July 9, 2017

Sunday's service notes. (Thanks, Jean)

Michael Knoll-Theme: Are We Wearing Pressure Well?

 We are all enrolled in the school of the spirit—learning about God everyday till we pass away. We are like newly planted trees, that need steaks to hold them up. We need the bible as a base and foundation and seasoned Christians to support us. We are three part beings body mind and soul. Everyday life equals pressure and it takes a heavy toll on the physical body as well as the spiritual. The pressures of life affect our bodies in different ways. We face pressure in the natural and we face pressure in the spiritual. It is not easy being a christian, yet the verses below help us put everything in perspective, the trials of this life are temporal. Yet Christ is eternal and our inheritance in heaven is worth it all.

2 Corinthians 4:5-18

16-18 16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

We are all part of a spiritual war taking place in the heavenlies and we need to fight spiritual warfare with prayer and scripture (Ephesians 6:10-18).  We may wear pressure well in the natural-- but there is only one answer for the pressure that builds in our soul; full surrender to God, just like Christ showed on the cross, saying to the Father not my will but thy will be done. (Matthew 26:36-42)

Sunday July 2, 2017

          We invite you to join us for a lively faith filled evening of worship, and message of encouragement on his Sunday evening, July 9th.  We will welcome our very special guests,Michael and Naomi Knoll, from Fredericton NB. 

This dedicated husband and wife team are passionate worship leaders, songwriters, and communicators with an anointing to lead people into the tangible presence of God in a very sincere and heartfelt way. They are currently ministering in worship and word through their Hearts of Motion (heartsofmotion.com)ministry as God continues to open doors for them! 

          Part of their passion is also in teaching and equipping others to awaken to an awareness of God's presence in their everyday lives and to remind them that everywhere they go, they carry the power and presence of God with them to bring His love to the world!

Some notes from Sunday's service. (Thanks, Jean)

Dr. Barclay-Something to Think About

Theme: True Godly biblical fear.

 Worry is a form of fear. People worry about many different things. Much of the fear we experience is due to the circumstances we face. Many of the heroes of the bible faced fear such as Moses and Elijah. God called Moses to speak to Pharaoh- to tell him to let the Children of Israel go free. Exodus 4:10 -13 Moses was afraid pleading with God that he felt inadequate and was not a confident speaker and slow of speech. In 1 Kings 19:1-4 Jezebel sends a messenger to Elijah informing him she intends to kill him the next day, he is filled with great fear he runs and hides, sitting under a tree and wishing to die.

Fear is mentioned over 400 times in the bible. Many times we read fear not in the bible (Luke 2:10). We are to have a spirit of faith not fear. Yet we also read in the bible to fear God. To fear God is more than respect; it is a fear of awe, apprehension and reverence. We must remember procrastination has sent many to hell not heaven; true fear of God causes us to act and do what is right, not put off righteous for another time. In the world today we do not have the fear of God that we need. Today we are living in the days of Noah (Genesis 6:5). People are doing what they think is right in their own eyes, regardless of whether it is or not. We need to fear God now more than ever.

 Roxann Spicer- Theme: Never let he crowd discourage you from calling out to God in prayer.

 Matthew 20:29-34

 29 Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.30 And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!”

31 Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!”

32 So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?”

33 They said to Him, “Lord, that our eyes may be opened.”34 So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.

From this scripture we learn these two blind men were consistent. They did not let the crowd deter them, they continued to shout all the more louder. These two men were determined and persistent. Jesus stopped for these two men and asked them what do you want and they replied we want to see. These two men were tired of the way things were, they were ready to move on and desperately wanting change. We all should take a lesson from these two men, times of desperate need cause us to strip away all pride, self reliance and pity and get down to the truth. These men realized they had a one time moment in front of the, Jesus was passing by. This was their divine opportunity for a breakthrough. They overcame their insecurity and doubt, they had a need and it was driving them. Jesus did not rebuke them like the crowd, he simply had compassion on them met them right were they were. These men were honest with themselves and honest with God. Jesus touched their need, opened their eyes and they were never the same. This affected their feeling of uselessness, enabled them to work and be productive and provide for themselves from then on. This is what Christ wants from all of us to cry out to him with our need and not be discouraged by the worldly crowd. Remember he is just as close as the mention of his name.