A New Series
Wide Awake and Ready!
I Thessalonians
Life Hacks are simple strategies to make life flow more smoothly and efficiently. For instance, if you have smelly shoes, a few dry tea bags inside each shoe will absorb the odor! And did you know that a can of coca-cola will work to remove stains from toilets? Just pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl and let it sit overnight. The next morning wash the bowl with soapy water and voila! Stain-free toilet bowl. (This should probably serve as a warning against drinking the stuff).
One of the Life Hacks that I recommend for removing the doldrums from daily living is simple; always have something to look forward to. An ice-cream night, coffee with a friend, or a trip out of town will work. When ruts develop or challenges rise up, take a moment to savor your upcoming moment. As our contentment grows, godliness increases. “For godliness with contentment is great gain.” (I Timothy 6:6)
The event every true believer should long for brings powerful encouragement; the second coming of Jesus Christ. Talk about something to look forward to!
When life is hard and troubles seem to multiply, Christians are commanded to “encourage each other with these words.” (I Thessalonians 4:18)
“For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.”
(I Thessalonians 4:16, 17)
Now there’s something to look forward to!
Hope to see you this Sunday,
Pastor Steve
Wide Awake and Ready - Week One
1 Thessalonians
April 28, 2019 • Pastor Steve Pope
Wide Awake and Ready! Week 7
June 9, 2019 • Pastor Steve Pope
Growth Group Discussion Guide Week of June 9th Q: What bit of “good news” have you received lately? READ FIRST: I Thessalonians 3:6-13 Q: The good news included both their “faith and love.” Why were both important in order for this to be “good news?” Q: What does Paul mean when he says, “For now we live?” What does this reveal about the apostle’s heart? Q: In a time of harassment and persecution, what would it mean to “stand firm in the Lord?” How does “standing firm in the Lord” look today? Q: Paul prayed earnestly that the Lord might cause them to increase and overflow in love for one another “just as we do for you.” How would our church family look and act differently if this prayer were answered at Centerpoint? Q: Paul prays that God might make our hearts “blameless in holiness before our God at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.” What might change in your life if this prayer were fully answered today? Sermon Devotional Wide Awake and Ready! Stand Your Ground! I Thessalonians 3:6-13 I always fill my coffee cup too full at Starbucks. When I add my usual dose of half-n-half, I judge the mixture of coffee and cream by it’s color. Then, when I pop the lid back on my beverage, a puddle forms around my cup. I’m the guy you see cleaning up his own mess with napkins from the dispenser. I guess it’s possible to have too much of a good thing after all. Is it possible to have too much love for God and people? Paul prays for the disciples in Thessalonica that their love would continually increase and overflow for God, the church, and everyone! The love of God is so powerful it even produces lives that are holy and blameless before God and people. We can so thoroughly overflow with love for God and others, that our love splashes onto those around us. When it comes to loving God, we can never have too much. See you Sunday! Pastor Steve
Wide Awake and Ready! Week 6
June 2, 2019 • Pastor Steve Pope
Wide Awake and Ready! I Thessalonians 2:17-3:5 It’s 9am Sunday morning, and after a long work-week, the sunshine arouses us from slumber. Before coffee, we look at one another across the pile of pillows and ask, “want to go to church this morning? I’m pretty tired.” With this confession, our decision is made. Another Sunday morning sabbatical from worship. If we wait until a sleepy Sunday morning to decide the day’s worship priorities, rest will be our foregone conclusion. Sleep it is! The great apostle desired to be with the Body of Christ “eagerly” and with “great desire.” (v. 17) If a way could be made to be with the church “face to face,” wild horses couldn’t drag him away. If we wait until Sunday morning to make our decision concerning worship attendance, the discussion will be submitted to the Tempter (3:5). The conviction of the importance of gathering with the church body for worship is an act of intense spiritual warfare! (2:18) A song written by Keith Green in the 70’s is more poignant today than ever before. Green wrote, “The world is sleeping in the dark, which the church just can’t fight, ‘cause it’s asleep in the light . . . Jesus rose from the dead, and you - you can’t even get out of bed!” Choose today to make worship an unbreakable commitment. If you don’t make this commitment today, the Tempter will lead you another direction on Sunday morning. Can’t wait to see you all! Pastor Steve