As we gathered to worship Sunday morning in God's house, we were greeted by Doug Cory, who opened our service with prayer. Special prayers of healing were requested for several.
The adult Sunday school lesson was "I Know My Own." We studied John 10 about our good shepherd, Jesus, who protects His sheep (believers) from the predator, Satan. But we must hear the shepherd's voice, be obedient and follow Him for His protection. The lesson reminded us that "believers can find abundant life through faith in Jesus, can trust Jesus to protect them, and can know they are secure in Jesus' hand."
Linda Abercrombie shared the devotional, "Entrust the Problem to Jesus," and read Psalm 34:4. "When pieces of our life don't fit, identify the problem and bring it to Jesus and leave it. Present the problem; the prayer can be answered and the crisis prevented."
Tyrel Lett and Mitchell Lett served as ushers and collected the offertory as Susan Cory played "Rest Beyond the River." Jerry Abercrombie sang "The Prodigal Son," and Karen Gardner sang "How Great Thou Art."
We were blessed to have Roger and Linda Gill with us as Roger brought us God's message "Learning to Trust God," with scripture reference from 2 Corinthians 1:1-22.
As he began, he told us that "this is the house and hour of the Lord. Listen, hear and allow the word to come into your hearts, live it and give the word to others."
He told us that learning to trust God is a simple and personal decision but an ongoing process. "Paul's writings introduced grace to his people and close with grace and peace to all people. We don't know what will happen tomorrow. The greatest ministry of the church today is living out what God gives us. Live it for people to see. God never quit on us. Don't quit on Him."
As Roger asked, "Can we trust God?" he referred to the stories of Joseph in the Bible and all of the tribulations he had, but God had a plan for Joseph.
"Just like Joseph, God is with you in your affliction today and tomorrow. Things around us test our faith every day. Do you trust God? God desires the best for us. It's a love relationship. He wants that with us. God's wisdom knows the best for us. Because of God, we get comfort overflowing to help us know Him and help prepare us to help others. So many churches don't trust God. God wants your heart and your attention. The world is messed up. You can learn to trust God through all the craziness around us. God's word is truth. We can't take anything out of it or it's not the truth. Every word in it is true. There is no error. That's how we learn to trust God. Everything that God allows to come into our lives is for the purpose of us knowing Him more intimately and serving others more effectively."
Roger told us that we can learn to trust God today, even in the ugliness of this world.
"The scripture tells us that as we are comforted, we gain patience and endurance. Paul's suffering was so he would come to the end of himself and trust God. He was freed from the bondage of his circumstances with no fear of dying because of eternity. The gift of God is eternal life. It was costly for Jesus, but it is free for us. Churches are a minority living in a godless world. We draw from each other's comfort. If we suffer together, we rejoice together in God's comfort. Encourage one another in the household of faith. Take what God has given you in comfort, grow in the Lord's word, worship and comfort others as God has comforted us. The process of faith involves the past, present and future. God has delivered us, He will deliver us, and He will deliver us again. If you don't know Jesus, He wants to know you. He won't disappoint."
In closing, Roger referred to Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." Romans 6:23 tells us, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 10:9 and 13 say, "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you shall be saved ... For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."
We invite you to worship with us at Mill Creek Baptist Church. Sunday school begins at 10 a.m. and worship service at 11 a.m. Bible study is held on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome.
The opinions expressed are those of the author.