A weekly look back and look forward from Pastor Wayne
Looking Back: Last Sunday we wrapped up our summer series – “praying with the Savior.” The phrase from the Lord’s Prayer we considered was: “For thine is the kingdom, and the glory, forever and ever.” This phrase is not found in either Matthew or Luke, the two places in the Bible which record the prayer Jesus taught his disciples. We learned that the phrase was added no later than the 4th or 5th centuries. An absolutely biblical phrase, from 1 Chronicles 29:10-13, reminded us that God’s kingdom is forever, and He gets the glory. I trust you will continue praying the prayer our Savior taught because it is a complete picture of prayer!
Looking Ahead: This coming Sunday we begin a new series of messages that will assist us in our growth as followers of Jesus Christ. I’ve titled this series; “Seeking the Savior.” As we will discover from 1 Corinthians 12, the focus of our series on spiritual gifts moves us to “seeking the Savior” from “hey look at me.” To assist us in moving from “hey look at me,” we will be reminded of the source of spiritual gifts. As Paul will teach us, they are from the Spirit. Seeking the Savior always leads to the Spirit and serving Jesus results in the Spirit’s work. There is no divorce in biblical teaching between the Savior and the Spirit. When we operate in the realm of gifts, we are seeking the Savior. May that be increasingly true in our lives! See you Sunday as we celebrate the Lord’s Supper and come for 9.30 as we begin a Sunday morning class focused on the “day of the Lord.”
Looking Beyond: Next Sunday, September 14 as we “seek the Savior” we move on to learn about the significance of spiritual gifts. Spiritual gifts are not just adornment; they are a practical, Christ-centered way of serving the body of Christ.