Spiritual Focus (from Worship Services)

WHAT IS THE SPIRITUAL FOCUS FOR THE WEEK?
Each Sunday, the minister leading the service introduces a spiritual focus for the week based on the subject of the talks. It is referred to during the adult sermon portion of the service and includes a brief summary of the lesson and practical suggestions for how you might use the spiritual message of the sermon in the workplace, at home, in your marriage, with parenting, friends, etc.
Listed below are many of the recent spiritual focus messages in chronological order. This list also gives an overview of the topics covered from week to week.

7/18/2010- Keys to the Kingdom - WEEK FOUR

Seek

“The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” Matthew 13:45,46

The kingdom of heaven is not just a place to go. It’s a whole world of heavenly experiences to have. And the keys to this kingdom are about getting more love and wisdom into your heart and mind.
One key is called seeking. It’s pictured in the parable of the pearl merchant seeking beautiful pearls. His persistent search led him to find the one pearl of great price, which he valued so much that he sold everything he had in order to buy it.
Everyone is a spiritual merchant in the sense that it is your job to seek the best pearls of love and wisdom and make them part of your experience of heavenly life. As you find new and valuable insights from the Lord, then just ‘sell’ - give up - less worthy information, and ‘buy’ - accept - what’s truly worthwhile. What is the most precious heavenly experience you want in your life? Seek it, find it, ‘buy’ it!

7/11/2010 - Keys to the Kingdom - WEEK THREE

Watch

“Watch...for you do not know when the Lord of the house will come…, lest, when he comes suddenly, he find you sleeping.” Mark 13: 35

There are many types of watch-keepers. Physicians keep watch over our health; law enforcement keeps watch over our safety; parents keep watch over their children. Keeping watch is not a passive activity. It requires willpower and persistence. The disciples found this out the hard way. During the night in the Garden of Gethsemane the Lord told them to “watch and pray lest they enter into temptation” but they fell asleep three times prompting the Lord to say, “the spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mk. 14:38). The Lord wants us to become good “watch-keepers” by acquiring truths from His Word and living according to them. Then we become like “someone who awakens from sleep and becomes alert” (AR 158). As adults, we have a responsibility to “look out” for each other by speaking the truth in the form of encouragement and support. “Blessed are those servants whom the Lord, when He comes, will find watching…” (Lk. 12:37).

7/4/2010 - Keys to the Kingdom - Week Two

Shine

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”  Matthew 5:16

The apostle Paul writes: “I don’t understand my own actions. In my mind I serve God. But there is another force at work in my life. While I want to do what is right, I don’t do it. When I want to avoid what is wrong, I still do it. I am stretched between the two. Here is my intention. Here is my performance. God, who will deliver me?” (Romans 7). We have our intentions (the things we know we ought to do) and our performance (the things we actually do). If we wrote on one piece of paper a list of all the things we intend to do, and on another all the things we’ve done, we know which list would be longer. It’s good to dream big and have lots of plans, but don’t underestimate the forces of evil which sabotage our effort to do good at every turn. Don’t live your life vicariously through others! Don’t wait for someone else to do the very thing you want to do! Let your light shine. Let your good works glorify your Father in heaven.

6/27/2010 - Keys to the Kingdom  -WEEK ONE

Invite

A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, “Come for all things are now ready.” Matthew 14:17

In the New Testament, the Lord develops a theme based on feasts and banquets. Sometimes it’s in the context of a wedding, at other times it’s a feast or dinner party. The common feature in all these parables is the concept of inviting. The groom of the wedding or the master of the house sends out an invitation and the guests either accept or reject the invitation. Spiritually speaking, the feasts and banquets mentioned in these parables represent the spiritual nourishment that heaven and the church provide. The Lord is the groom or master of the house, and we, symbolically, are the guests invited to His table. The friendly, charitable conversation that ensues between “host” and “guests” represents the spiritual community and sense of belonging that a healthy church provides. Let us foster an “inviting spirit,” a spirit that’s generous and expansive toward others, a spirit that’s willing to follow the Lord’s example.