HYMNS: ~ Come, Christians, Join to
Sing (Trinity 302)
~ Rise Up, O Men of God! (as altered by Pastor H, see below)
~ Blessed Assurance (Trinity 693)
SONGS: ~ Come and see!
DEVOTIONAL: Christ is Winning! by Pastor Waters
With Pastor Hutchinson and family traveling this weekend (please pray
for them), it falls to me to send out our worship service information
and to write a brief devotional. As noted above, we have the
opportunity to hear the Word preached by our brother Brian Sanders who
will be preaching from several passages from the Revelation to John.
The sermon will then be followed by the installation of two elders
returning to service.
After looking at our bulletin for this Sunday, I wondered how I might
connect a sermon on 'hope from Revelation' with the installation of
elders. Immediately, I remembered how one of my professors summarized
the message of Revelation as "Christ has won, is winning, and will
win!" I suppose this could be one way to summarize the whole Bible but
we do get a wonderful picture of the victory of our King Jesus in the
book of Revelation.
Jesus won when he conquered sin and death at the cross and rose from
the dead. Jesus
will win when He returns and consummates His Kingdom, setting all
things right. And Jesus is winning as He gathers and builds the
Church, giving new life to dead sinners, growing His children in grace,
sustaining and strengthening His sheep, ruling and defending as King.
Paul, following Psalm 68, wrote in Ephesians 4 that when Jesus
"ascended on high he led captives, and he gave gifts to men." Our Lord
Christ has won a great victory and from the spoils of victory he has
given gifts to His church. These gifts include the officers of the
church; Christ continues to raise up men to serve as elders and deacons
that the church might continue to flourish near and far until He comes
back. This Sunday as we hear the Word preached and as we reinstall two
of our elders, remember that Christ has won the victory and give thanks
for the many gifts we have in Him. Jesus has won, is winning, and will
win!
Pastor Waters
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RISE
UP, O MEN OF GOD
Rise up, O men of God!
Have done with lesser things;
Give heart and soul and mind and strength,
To serve the King of Kings.
Rise up, O men of God!
His Kingdom tarries long;
Bring in the day of brotherhood,
And end the night of wrong.
Rise up, O men of God!
The Church for you doth wait,
Her strength unequal to the task;
Rise up, and make her great!
Lift high the cross of Christ!
Tread where His feet have trod;
As brothers of the Son of man,
Rise up, O men of God!
William Pierson Merrill, 1911; alt. 2005; TUNE: Festal Song