Sunday Church Report – 6 April, 2014

Good Afternoon everyone and welcome to 'The Nathan Report' blog! First of all I feel very sad, since I spent a quality time on writing today’s report and forgot to save it and it got deleted. So I am writing again. Does not matter, I am happy to do it as many times.  

First of all HAPPY SUNDAY TO YOU ALL! Today is cloudy, which has made today's weather pretty amazing. And guess what, FIDDLER IS IN THE BUILDING. We started off with Sunday worship and praise with four absolutely fantastic numbers. Fiddler was really on his high today. Here is the list:

Come Thou Fount, Come Thou King - Gateway Worship

How To Worship The King - Gateway Worship

Hosanna - Hillsongs United

We will worship the land of Glory - Dennis  Jernigan

Worship was great as usual and actually we are falling short of seats at Church, isn’t that awesome. I hope every Sunday our church stays filled with people. We move to the announcements as well as offerings. Pastor James Joute requested for a continuous prayer of our ongoing 21 prayer and fasting event, as I mentioned last sunday. We have a new guest this Sunday, may we get surprises every Sunday. Another prayer request made for our upcoming tour next month, so please remember that in your daily prayers.

Alright, we have pastor on the microphone and he started off with a verse from Psalms 150:6, "Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!" Amen! Pastor told about the importance of corporate prayers and that we follow HIS ways. If someone is not aware, Corporate prayer is an important part of the life of the church, along with worship, sound doctrine, communion, and fellowship. The early church met regularly to learn the doctrine of the apostles, break bread, and pray together (Acts 2:42). When we pray together with other believers, the effects can be very positive. Corporate prayer edifies and unifies us as we share our common faith. The same Holy Spirit who dwells within each believer causes our hearts to rejoice as we hear praises to our Lord and Savior, knitting us together in a unique bond of fellowship found nowhere else in life.


As you all know, every month we have a theme, this month we have - "THE CROSS AND THE POWER OF BLOOD". Apostle Paul used to take pride in preaching Crucifixion as well as being unashamed of Gospel. We have a reference from Matthew 26:26-28, "Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." We will be discussing about this more later. 

We have a story from pastor, here it is: "At a great parliament of religions, held in Chicago many years ago, practically every known religion was represented. Majority of them spoke of good deeds, Charity, how to live life and balance situations. During one session, Dr. Joseph Cook, of Boston, suddenly rose and said: “Gentlemen, I beg to introduce to you a woman with a great sorrow. Bloodstains are on her hands, and nothing she has tried will remove them. The blood is that of murder. She has been driven to desperation in her distress. Is there anything in your religion that will remove her sin and give her peace?” A hush fell upon the gathering. Not one of the company replied. Raising his eyes heavenwards, Dr. Cook then cried out, “John, can you tell this woman how to get rid of her awful sin?” The great preacher waited, as if listening for a reply. Suddenly he cried, “Listen. John speaks: ’The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sins’ (I John 1:7).”

   Not a soul broke the silence: the representatives of Eastern religions and Western cults sat dumb. In the face of human need, the Gospel of Jesus Christ alone could meet the need. The sin of the race demanded the blood of Calvary." 

This story can be read in the book "How Then Should We Think: In Pursuit of the Mind of Christ" by Julian M Motley. You can click here to buy this book. Trust me you wont regret at all.

As we move further, we heard today that there are 22 sermons in the book of Acts. All of these sermons talk about Death, Burial as well as Resurrection. Why is death of Jesus so important? Let me explain in these points:

1- God says that the person who sins must die (be punished). The wages of sin is death.The sinner needs to escape the righteous judgment of God, or he will face damnation. But, no sinner can undo an infinite offense since to please God and make things right, he must obey the Law, which is the standard of God's righteous character.

2- Sinner cannot fulfill the law because he is sinful (in the flesh). Since the sinner cannot fulfill the law and satisfy God, it follows that only God can do this.

3- Jesus is God in flesh. 

4- Jesus was also a man under the Law.

5- Jesus became sin for us and bore our sins in His body on the cross--thus fulfilling the Law.

References for point 5: 

        2 Cor. 5:21, "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

        1 Peter 2:24, "and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed."

        Rom. 8:3-4, "For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, 4so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit."

6- Therefore, salvation is by grace through faith since it was not by our keeping the Law but by Jesus, God in flesh, who fulfilled the Law and died in our place.

Okay, now talking about Blood, as we mentioned earlier. Pastor asked, why do you do what you are doing? Are we saved by fasting for 21 days like we have been doing now or the 40 days fasting? Few people forbid meat eating during the days of fasting likewise there are various practices. Unless we don't have faith in Christ and unknowingly following these things as a tradition (family, culturally etc), these things are nothing but empty practices. We are not redeemed by traditions, practices or even by paying gold, silver etc., as they are perishable, but only by the blood of Christ. From the book of Genesis to Revelation, we will find that that blood has an importance. Here are few bible verses supporting today's theme as suggested by pastor:

Ephesians 1:3-7:  "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace."

Revelation 1:5: "And from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood."

Colossians 1:14: "In whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."

1 Peter 1:18-19: "Knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot."

Hebrew 9:12: "He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption."

Hebrew 9:26: "For then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself."

Hebrew 10:12: "But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,"

Hebrews 7:27: "He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself."

Hebrews 10:16-19: "“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,” then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. Therefore, brothers,[a] since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus,"

Galatians 5:1: "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery."

Colossians 1:13: "He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son."

Revelations 12:11: "And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death."

Exodus 12:13:  "The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt." 

We are coming to the closing, but we have Holy Communion today. We had a quick prayer and started with the communion, the worship team started with a beautiful number, here it is: 

Nothing but the Blood of Jesus - Jesus Culture

 

We come to a closing with a closing prayer followed by meet and greet. I encourage all of you to pray and seek Lord's protection with His blood. I also would like to invite you to our service, trust me, you would be encouraged. I hope you enjoyed this service, how was yours? Please comment below. God Bless!