As Daniel Did
/CHURCH EMAIL, OCT 19, 2021
HI NEW LIFE!!
As said on Sunday Morning, October 17 at second service, Daniel "purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the kings delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank" Daniel 1:8. In like fashion, we are encouraging EVERYONE to "purpose in your hearts" to make every effort possible to attend church in person for the last ten Sunday's of 2021. That would be this Sunday, October 24 until December 26.
Can you believe there are only ten Sundays left in 2021? What a great way to end the year...by GOING TO CHURCH!! And, if it is literally impossible for you to attend church in person, due to health, work, or other conflicts, we are asking you to "purpose in your heart" to attend services on Facebook Livestream for these remaining Sunday's.
What we've learned so far in our Wednesday Night In The Word Bible Study is that Daniel was absolutely determined not to be influenced by the pagan world of his new surroundings in Babylon. The king wanted to steal Daniel's identity by giving him a new language, new literature, new food and drink and even a new name! But Daniel knew his God and knew his Godly roots. He was not deterred from serving the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in this new ungodly place. He was determined not to loose his identity! And, by the way, he was a young person at the time!
Can we not do the same? Ten Sundays devoted to God. No interruptions, no conflicts, no sleeping in, no excuses! Jesus said it best in Matthew 6:33 "Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these other things will be added to you." It is a matter of setting priorities and making the right decisions. (Services are recorded and put onYoutube for later viewing if necessary.)
Here's another lesson from Daniel. Daniel asked the steward to "test your servants for ten days" with vegetables and water and not the kings delicacies to see how they would look and function. Well guess what? Daniel 1:15 states "And at the end of ten days their features appeared better and fatter in flesh than all the young men who ate the portion of the king’s delicacies." In the same manner, after ten Sundays in a row of church with no interruptions, you are guaranteed to be in better shape spiritually than you ever were before!!
So, what do you say? Can we do this? I say, absolutely! And I also say, "we must!" As you already know the world is not getting any better, and the Lord is not relenting in His quest to bring us closer to Him. He will not relent! It would do us well to co-operate with Him.
Thank the Lord for nearly 130 people in church and Livestream this past Sunday. Thank the Lord for two Kids Ministry classes at second service. Thank the Lord for the gifts of the Holy Spirit in our midst. Thank the Lord for beautiful times of worship and prayer around the altar. Thank the Lord for the recent new faces and salvations. As the church sign out front says, "God Is Moving At New Life!"
See YOU at New Life! If necessary, Livestreams are found on Facebook: New Life Haverhill. Recorded services can be found on YouTube.com: New Life Haverhill. To God be all glory!! Can I get an AMEN?!
All For Jesus!
Pastor Rick and Pamela
"I was glad when they said to me, 'Let us go into the house of the Lord.'" Psalm 122:1