Practice - October 2023 - New Apostolic Church USA

New Apostolic Church USA

Practice - October 2023

...be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed... train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come (excerpt from 1 Timothy 4:6-8 ESV)

As with any skill or talent, practice, commitment, and discipline are necessary to be good servants of Christ. A strong faith requires time and effort. And our commitment to being a disciple of Christ is made evident in the priority we give to practicing our faith.

This month’s sermon series will focus on six areas of “practice”:

•October 1 - Humbling ourselves in worship and wonder of God the Creator

•October 8 - Speaking to and connecting with God in prayer and solitude

•October 15 - Comforting and edifying one another in our conversation

•October 22 - Finding Christ as we study Scripture

•October 29 - Seeking God and responding to His call

•Midweek - Longing for our Savior and preparing for His return (midweek)

As disciples, let us be examples of these practices, so we can encourage others, as Paul did - What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me - practice these things... (Philippians 4:9 ESV).

He is coming!

Advent - a time of waiting and anticipation: "In Advent... it's the waiting that's hard, the in-between of divine promise and its fulfillment. Most of us find ourselves dangling in this hiatus, which in the interval may seem a waste of time... But the longer we wait... the more joyful our expectancy. With such motivation, we can wait as we sense that God is indeed with us, and at work within us, as He was with Mary as the Child within her grew." From "God is in the Manger" In this month of waiting, we will celebrate the coming of Jesus Christ - the King, the Son of God, the Giver of Mercy, the long awaited Messiah, the Immanuel, or "God with us," and the Christ, who will return to establish His kingdom. May you feel in your preparations, the wonder of Jesus' coming and lead your congregation into experiencing the presence of "God with us" on Christmas Day.

Thank God

This prayer of David continues to inspire our Season of Thanksgiving: Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power and glory, the victory and majesty; for all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and You are exalted as head over all, and You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. Now therefore, our God, we thank You and praise Your glorious name (1 Chronicles 29:11-13). In the month of October, we contemplated the works of God in the past, present, and immediate future: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow. Now, in November, we turn our eyes to the events of our eternal future and express our thanksgiving to God for what He will do, as we continue awaiting Christ's return. Thank God: for His salvation for both the living and the dead, for His promised return as we continue readying ourselves, for His mercy as the kind Judge, for His care revealed in the continuing rhythms of this creation and His promise of the new creation, and for His time, a gift that we receive from His hand.

Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow

This month's sermon theme focuses on how God is working in the world and in our lives... yesterday, today, and tomorrow. In this month, as we stand in awe of what God is doing, let us also join Him in His work, creating(10/6), renewing(10/20), redeeming(10/27), and uniting (midweek). We give thanks for His great works yesterday, we worship Him for who He is today, and we strive to join Him in moving the kingdom forward tomorrow.