Thoughts of Grace

Good Morning

Every Labor Day weekend, our church hosts a Fellowship Meeting.
Dear ones, family and friends, come from all over the United States to worship with us.
I am borrowing (and editing a little) what my Daughter posted on Facebook about the meeting.
This is the last service of the meeting.

September 1, 2013, Sunday PM

The pastor from Idaho spoke on ‘Living at the Judgement Bar’

The last night of the Fellowship meeting had us searching our souls. As saints we are to live at the Judgement Bar. To take up residence at the place where God will examine the thoughts, motives, and actions of our lives and live every day as if it was our last. If we are completely honest with ourselves and God, we know how we will appear at judgement day. There will be no surprises. How are you living?

I Peter 4:17-19 states that judgement must begin at the house of God and through it are the righteous saved. Only those that hear and obey the judgements of God will make it to heaven. Judgement is the process of forming an opinion or evaluation by discerning and comparing [the way we have lived our lives].

For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator. 1Peter 4:17-19

The truth of God’s word shines as a light in the darkness of the world. Are you walking in that light of truth? Are you heeding to the light/truth that God has exposed to you? In your personal life when no one else is around, when you are at work or school among others, when you are at the House of God? Are you walking in the light that God has shown you? Is the light of truth shining through you?

The Brother ended the message with a demonstration. Carrying a lantern he walked throughout the darkened sanctuary asking searching questions that we have all heard before. It was definitely a time of personal reflection and examination. How are we living? Do we take into consideration that today could be our last day? Have we taken up residence at the judgement bar?

Considering . . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Good Morning

Every Labor Day weekend, our church hosts a Fellowship Meeting.
Dear ones, family and friends, come from all over the United States to worship with us.
I am borrowing (and editing a little) what my Daughter posted
on Facebook about the meeting.

September 1, 2013 Sunday Am

the Pastor from Arizona spoke on Awake to Righteousness

AWAKE to righteousness and sin not…1 Corinthians 15:34

Sunday morning of the 2013 Fellowship meeting brought a message of awakening. The Church of God cannot afford to drift and fall asleep and the sinner cannot afford to remain in it’s stupor. God is coming back for a lively church, one that takes full responsibility for their salvation.

There are 2 spiritual conditions, the first and preferred is to be in love with God, panting after him, putting him first, keeping your experience up to date, crucifying the flesh, his beloved, awakened. The second, a friend of Satan, panting after the dust and flesh of this world, giving into all filthy and wicked desire, an enemy of God, asleep. There is no middle ground or position to be in. There is no kinda good most of the time, there is one or the other.

Saints of God, we need to remain awake and fresh, no yawning and growing comfortable in our place. We can’t allow ourselves to sit back and let the others continue to work of the gospel, to take a break or short cut. We need to be new every morning, we need to strive lawfully, we need to be current and up to date in our salvation, we need to be awake. If we fail to do so, we will find ourselves falling asleep in the dust and unknown of God.

The parable of the 10 virgins, Matthew 25:1-12, is not just a nice story, it is the way it will be. Just as the account tells us, only those with extra oil to trim their lamps or those that have prepared themselves and kept their souls awakened will be welcomed into heaven. And those that have failed to prepare or have slacked off on their experience will be refused entrance as if they had never known God.

Saints, AWAKE, Awake to righteousness, keep it real and fresh and new each day. Sinners, AWAKE, fall in love with Jesus. Sin not. It is possible to live a holy life with the power of Jesus blood. The Bible says that God is coming back for a pure and holy Church. Will you be apart of that celebration?

With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Good Morning

Every Labor Day weekend, our church hosts a Fellowship Meeting.
Dear ones, family and friends, come from all over the United States to worship with us.
I am borrowing (and editing a little) what my Daughter posted
on Facebook about the meeting.

August 31, 2013 Saturday Evening

The pastor from Southern California spoke – The New man is Still Required

We were then privileged to hear from the sister bring out the thought about the “New Man” and how he is STILL required.

2 Corinthians 5:17 reads, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

When we give our life to God makes us a new man.
All the old ways of being, talking, thinking are gone
and a new man is now in it’s place.
But it isn’t enough to be new 1 time.
This scripture says, “IS a new man”, not was made a new man.
We have to be new EVERY day.
Our experience needs to be current and up to date, TODAY.
We can’t always testify
of how God made us a new 3, 10, 25 years ago,
but how he is keeping us new everyday.
Every day we have to make sure the old man is still in his place,
that he isn’t given room to work in our life.

God requires his Church to prove that the new man is still possible.
While it takes the power of God to remain new, he has promised to keep us.

Renewing . . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Good Morning

Every Labor Day weekend, our church hosts a Fellowship Meeting.
Dear ones, family and friends, come from all over the United States to worship with us.
I am borrowing (and editing a little) what my Daughter posted
on Facebook about the meeting.

Saturday am
Pastor from Chicago spoke – For Zion’s Sake

For Zion’s sake…we can be quiet no longer
The Spirit of the Lord moved in the service Saturday morning through testimonies and the message. The theme they spoke about was the need to be quiet no longer. For Zion’s sake we as Saints of God can no longer be timid or quiet about Holiness. (Isaiah 62:1) We need to expose the enemy and his tricks for the Saints and the world to see.

A Sister from Montana testified about how we need to testify of deliverance. It is easy to speak of God’s forgiveness and mercy. Religion testifies to that. But we need to testify of deliverance, that is what sets the Church of God apart from religion. Yes we are thankful for mercy and forgiveness, but it is the deliverance from sin that makes us who we are.

For Zion’s sake I will be quiet no longer.

The Brother from Chicago spoke of things that we need to expose,
for Zion’s sake, of how we should be living, for Zion’s sake…
It is for Zion’s sake,
for the Church of God that we need to stand up
with the power of God and the witness of the Holy Spirit and be quiet no longer.

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Revelation 12:11

Standing . . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Good Afternoon

Every Labor Day weekend, our church hosts a Fellowship Meeting.
Dear ones, family and friends, come from all over the United States to worship with us.
I am borrowing (and editing a little) what my Daughter posted
on Facebook about the meeting.

August 30, 2013 Friday pm
Pastor from Tennessee spoke on ‘We Are Living Epistles’

The second night of the fellowship presented a searching challenge:
If the Bible were to continue
and the saints turned to the book of “your name”,
would it be for the edification of the saints?
Would they be encouraged by your faith,
your determination to press on,
your faithfulness in Salvation?
Or would they be saddened by a story like the rich young ruler?
One that was given the gospel but turned away?
Would the saints want to read your chapter again and again
to gather strength and encouragement
to keep fighting their own battle.
We need to be living epistles for the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 3:1-5
And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?

We are writing our chapter of the Bible by the way
we live in our private and public lives.
How would your chapter read?

Proofreading . . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Good Morning,

Every Labor Day weekend, our church hosts a Fellowship Meeting.
Dear ones, family and friends, come from all over the United States to worship with us.
I am borrowing (and editing a little) what my Daughter posted
on Facebook about the meeting.

August 29, 2013 Thursday

First night of the Fellowship Meeting. We are off to a great start, with a purpose to worship, to get our souls fed, to be an encouragement to the saints, to see souls saved. All are welcome . . .

Pastor from New York brought the message: Strive Lawfully

In 1 Corinthians 9:24,

Know ye not that they which run in a race run all,
but one receiveth the prize?
So run, that ye may obtain.

Paul uses the example of running a race to describe this life of Salvation. He says that we run a race to receive a prize and in order to do so, we keep our body under subjection. In a literal race or competition in order to compete one must consider all of the conditions of the contest. One has a particular diet and training that they participate in. There is a proper attire, attitude and behavior that must be kept in order to be considered a candidate for the competition.

Salvation is the same. God has outlined the requirements for this race. There is a spiritual diet and training that we need to comply with. There is preparation that we need to be diligent to follow through with. There are conditions we need to meet during the race in order to qualify at the finish. As in a literal race, we can’t take a short cut to the finish line, we need to be in the race 100%. We need to strive (work for, be diligent, devote serious effort or energy, to struggle in opposition) lawfully (according to the conditions set by the governing authority) to make the goal.
We can strive, but if we take a short cut, thinking our way is better than God’s and don’t follow the conditions stipulated, we will not be able to receive the crown.

2 Timothy 2:5 – And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully.

Are you striving for a mastery in Salvation lawfully?
Have you meet the conditions of the race?
Have you attempted to run but have stepped out of the race thinking you can take a short cut?
Renew your focus on the goal
and make what ever changes necessary to meet it.
Try again.
It is possible, through Christ, to strive lawfully in “this present time” to receive a crown in heaven.

Strive . . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie