One Church

Next Sunday is our Sunday with Jerry Rushford! We are inviting folks from our community to join us! Be sure to notice our visitors and greet them. It is amazing to me the connection this church has with this community. It is equally amazing that the people who braved the trip across what we call the United Sates decided one of the first things they needed was to meet as a church! Maybe if we had to suffer the struggles they went through, we as a community, might have a different view of needing God. Be sure to invite your friends personally. We will need to make sure we have some extra food, while I am not worried abut it, I thought I would remind us!
The following week as you know is Easter Sunday! Easter Sunday is the Sunday that most folks who normally do not go to church, GO TO A CHURCH! We are simply going to
have our regular worship assembly but in the process have our Elders pray for the little children. We are going to stretch our assembly out a little, so notice on that Sunday only
we are going to start at 10:30! So come at 10:00 bring some break feast stuff and we will enjoy each others company and be here to welcome our guests.
I appreciate that Erica and Becky want to do a Jewish Sadar. We are doing this for our community as well as anybody in the congregation would like to see what a Passover feast was like. We are doing it as another outreach to get people in our building for us to meet. The Passover feast was for the Jews not something that Christians are commanded to observe. One of the most interesting facts in the Bible about the Passover feast is that it was there that Jesus instituted a new command for His followers, therefore us also. In John 13 Jesus said, Love one
Another! As I have loved you, so MUST you love one another!” (v35) Take it as another opportunity to reach out to your friends. I know it will be a busy two weeks, but make time for the opportunities to share with our friends and neighbors!
If I told you the Bible says there is only one church, would you be offended? Would you think that I said we are the only church that is right? The Bible says there is only one true church or kingdom, any other is of Satan. Remember from Matthew 12 that Jesus taught us that we are either for Him or Satan. As I understand it, we at Pateros are trying to be part of that worldwide One Church. Our sign says it; we who meet at this building are simply trying to follow Christ as part of His church pure and simple, nothing more, nothing less! Today’s lesson also speaks to that point. The term church has become applied to man’s thinking if you ask me. We use it in many ways, but if you apply it the terms as in scripture, it is always singular! It is always used interchangebly with The Kingdom! There is only one Church or Kingdom of God, and our right response is to be part of that Church or Kingdom! Whoever reads this, I am trying to love you with God’s love! Dave