Preparing for Sunday, 10/28/12

Hi guys,
we're preparing to gather as a church family tomorrow morning, for a time of gathered, corporate worship. Hope you're thinking ahead, to make the most of that time. If you look back one post, there's a quote from David Mathis, about coming to church ready to serve others rather than be served. Always good to consider in our process of preparation how we'll serve and edify our brothers and sisters. Hope this post can be a short resource to help you prepare in other ways too.

Start with the Scripture passage that Jordan will be preaching on. Follow the link to read the passage ahead of time, hopefully making some observations and prayerfully asking God to reveal new treasure from this passage tomorrow morning. Jordan will be preaching on 1 Corinthians 7:25-35, focusing on being single and serving Christ. Keep this in mind for tomorrow: being single is not a second-best option for a Christian's life.

In addition, we'll take communion together after the preaching tomorrow, as a response to the proclamation of God's Word.

We'll sing the following songs:

1. Blessed Be Your Name
2. Before The Throne Of God Above
3. The Wonderful Cross
4. Christ Is Risen (after communion)

I want to point out something in just one of the songs this week. In "The Wonderful Cross," we'll sing the sometimes-neglected 3rd verse, that says, "Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast/Save in the death of Christ, my God/All the vain things that charm me most/I sacrifice them to His blood." This verse is a prayer for God to help us never boast in anything, except what Christ has accomplished for us on the cross. Our righteousness is not ours, but Christ's, that is substituted to us if our faith is in Him as our Savior. And so, the verse ends saying that the vain things in life that we like to boast in and find pleasure in, we sacrifice them to God. We give control over all things to Christ, holding everything loosely because whether we have blessings in this life or not, we have the ultimate blessing - life in Christ - that cannot be shaken or removed. 

Let's rejoice together tomorrow in the abundant life that Christ secured for His own, by His death and resurrection. See you then.