Notes from Sunday's service (December 23, 2018) and a location change

Good Morning!

Please be advised that due to a viewing at Angus on Sunday night, Dec.30th, we are asked to go to H.C.MacQuarrie in Stellarton for service.

Here's the notes from Sunday's service (Thanks, Jean)

Dr. Barclay-Something to Think About

Theme: “Be Not Afraid”

Luke Chapter 2:8-11

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.

Today people are filled with fear. Fear of earthquakes, flood, disease, loss of job, economic turmoil etc. The earth is permeated with fear. In the bible Paul had plenty to be afraid of, he was imprisoned and shipwrecked. Yet Paul tells us the secret of contentment and being at peace with life.

Philippians 4:11-13

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Paul’s great secret was that he had joy. That joy came from his intimate relationship with Christ. There is a difference between happiness and joy. Happiness is transient, we may be happy one day and not the next. But the inner joy that God gives us is lasting and stays with us all the time. The more we pray, read God’s word and trust in God’s faithfulness, we will be filled with his joy, the joy that no man can ever take away. We need not be afraid when we have the joy of the Lord

Christ came and died for us that our joy would be complete. The greatest gift we could ever receive is the joy of the Lord and it is free to all who seek Christ.

Stacy Dlamini-Theme: Magi (Wise Men)

Matthew 2:1-12

Magi was the term applied to men who were astrologers, who had uncommon skills to read the future and interpret the signs of the times. These were wise and highly educated men from Persia.

The three magi brought Jesus very unique gifts each with a significant and important meaning.

Gold -representing Kingship

Frankincense- a symbol of deity.

Myrrh-an embalming oil a symbol of death.

Many people in Judea at that time had no idea that God’s salvation plan had been activated among them. But the Magi from the east were in tune with the times and God and they knew what was going on, they knew a divine King was born here on earth. Therefore, the Magi bowed down and gave their riches to Jesus. God revealed himself and his wonderful plans to the Magi. It is wonderful to know that Christ our almighty King was first worshiped by Shepherds, Angels and three specially chosen wise men.

Sunday November 25, 2018

A few notes from Sunday evening.  (Thanks, Jean)

Peter Mc Laren – Theme: Our Faith Family

Ephesians 4:2-3 with all lowliness and gentleness, with long suffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Hebrews 10:24-25 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

The church family is extremely important, we need to continually build each other up in the faith of Jesus Christ. The devil will will try to divide us, insult us and attack us as he is the accuser of the brethren and we need to fight him together. God calls to minister to each other by prayer, love and encouragement. We need to encourage each other to continue living God’s way and resist the world’s temptation to stray from Christ. It is vital we continue meeting together and serve God in unity, the wrong crowd and bad actors are always out there to pull us away. The family of God needs to keep each other focused and obeying Christ and protected and strong from the enticement and influence of the world.

Sunday November 11, 2018

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

Dr. Barclay – Something to Think About

There will will never be true peace, until the Prince of Peace returns.

Very often we forget the things we should remember, and we remember the things we should forget. We seem to forget the diseases, sickness, vermin, loneliness and dying. Yet we remember parades, pomp, pageantry, names of battles and government leaders. War is all through the bible from the beginning till the end of Revelation. War is something we cannot get away from because we are humans and unfortunately we do forget. Weak and poor leadership is the downfall of many nations and the cause of many wars.

Sadly we will always have war and conflict on this earth until Christ returns and reigns supreme from Zion and we all long for and welcome that glorious day. There will never be peace until the Prince of Peace dwells here among us.

Micah 4:1-3

Rev. Roxann Spicer-Theme: When we work together for Christ we will be blessed.

John 17:6-19

When we know Jesus, it is never just ourselves, it is Jesus and the Holy Spirit working through us. We can know it is “never just me”, life is always bigger than ourselves when we are serving Christ.

Acts 2:42-47

The early church was blessed with signs and wonders and their numbers greatly increased, the church grew exponentially. This was all because they were of one heart, one mind and they were in unity. God blesses our work and efforts when we are working in unity together for him, never for our own glory. It is never about us getting what we want. The christian life is all about obedience and full submission to Christ. We make life complicated ourselves, because are in the world and we use the world’s way of thinking. Living God’s way is never complicated. What is good for the kingdom will always be good for us. We will always be blessed when we put Christ first and give him the honor and glory, never ourselves.

Better Late Than Never - Sunday October 28, 2018

Here's the notes of Oct. 28's service.  (Thanks, Jean)

Dr. Barclay-Theme: We need to be well rounded and balanced in all things.

2 Timothy 1:7

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Halloween started as a Druid festival, celebrating summers end, also the Roman festival Sambra. In the 8^th century the church named this festival All Hallows Eve, followed by All Saints Day, however this was all steeped in paganism. Today the celebration of death, torture and killing is all around us. Many adults and children are playing video games celebrating death and witchcraft.

Sadly today for many people they do not have balance in their lives. Often for people who just watch movies and video games, without a general knowledge of history and the bible, their view of life and the world will not be balanced. When are not balanced with the gospel truth and God’s Word does not play a prominent role in our lives and we are not in fellowship with other believers our lives can take a dangerous turn with disastrous consequences. We need to be be mentally balanced, understanding the world we live in, yet fully serving Christ. Remembering we are in this world but not part of it.

Pastor Caroline Barclay -Theme: Peace

We need to invite God into every area of our lives if we want peace. Only God’s peace can help us bear today’s troubles.

Romans 12:15-18

The devil wants us to live in discord and turmoil, but when we have the peace of God in us, we can get along with our neighbour and be at peace with them. We cannot always have our own way in life, be selfish and prove ourselves right. We are to be at peace with our neighbour and put their needs ahead of our own.

True peace always comes from God and serving him.

Philippians 4:8-9

There is no greater place we can be, than before the Lord, worshiping him and mediating on his goodness. When we are content with who we are and what we have we will be at peace.

Something to Think About - Nov.4/18

Sunday October 14, 2018

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

Rev. Roxann Spicer: Spiritual Warfare. Isaiah 14:12-15 Lucifer believed he could ascend to equal heights as God and be  worshiped accordingly. Only God alone deserves to be worshiped  and there is none equal to him. We are in a spiritual war the moment we are born. The spiritual war  is not a war we can opt out of, although Satan would like us to think  we can. Genesis 3:1-5 Satan is always out to tempt us to do wrong and convince us we can  be equal to God and know everything. We have to be wise to the lies  of Satan and stand up to him and declare God’s truth. Worship is at the center of the spiritual war. It is fought and will be  won with worship. John 4:24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must  worship in spirit and truth.” Father God is seeking people who will worship him in spirit and in  truth. When we labor for God will reap eternal benefits. When we are a slave to this world we will reap no benefits on earth or eternity.  Whoever we yield to,  is who is controlling us. 2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of  fear, but of power and of love and of a sound  mind. The Spirit of God never wants us to give into anger. The spiritual  battle is on all the time whether we recognize it or not, thus we need  to refresh ourselves in the word daily so the Devil will will not get a  foothold in our lives. Through worship we have very close contact with God Isaiah 43:18-19 God does not want us to be stagnant. He is always moving us into  something new. A new season in our lives is as though a spiritual  breakthrough. God is always moving us forward from strength to  strength, from glory to glory. The place God takes us to is always  greater and holier than where we were before. God is calling is to  bridge worship and warfare and know that our worship is warfare.  It’s all about the worship, it’s always been about the worship and  that’s how we win the war against Satan. When we are truly in love  with God we will want and desire to worship him all the time.  Praising and worshiping God will enable us to be triumphant  winners in the spiritual war against Satan. ReplyForward

Sunday September 30, 2018

Here's the notes on Sunday's service (Thanks, Jean) Dr. Barclay-Theme: Christ is the Beginning and the End. Aleph and Tav (Hebrew) Alpha and Omega (Greek) John 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2  He was in the beginning with God.  3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. Philippians 2:7-11 If we respect Christ we will put him above everything in our lives. We will strive not to  disrespect and hurt him or give him 2nd or 3rd place in our lives.  Jesus is the most powerful being in the universe. He comes before and above all things  and everyone, whether it be celebrities, sports or music concerts or anything that we value  in this world. Christ is the beginning and the end and he truly deserves our time and devotion. Pastor Caroline Barclay -Theme: Made in Heaven Psalm 115: 15 May you be blessed by the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. Genesis 1:1-31 God looked at everything he made he was pleased and he saw that it was good.  You and I were made in heaven. God saw our worth before we were born, even in our  mother’s womb. Psalm 139: 13-14 The richest man on earth is really the poorest man, if he does not know Jesus. Psalm 127:3 Jeremiah 1:5 God places great value in and on us, and how wonderful it is that his spirit lives in us.  Unlike earthly designers that come and go, we were made by the greatest designer ever.  We cannot fathom how much God loves us because we are caught up in the hurt and  rejection of this world and we see life through earthly lenses, not eternally as God does.  God loves us so much that he sent his only son to die for our sins and he longs to spend  eternity with us. We are his beloved and his fine craftsmanship. What God has decided and  what he has in store for us. We can trust will be for our best and just what we need.