rec0317-112731<\/a><\/p>\n Happy St. Patrick\u201d\u2122s Day!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Did you know that Patrick was NOT Irish.\u00a0 He was from Britain.\u00a0 He was captured and enslaved by the Irish as a teenager and served as a shepherd in Ireland for several years before escaping.\u00a0 Then he went into the priesthood and later responded to a vision from God calling him to go back to Ireland as a missionary, which he did.\u00a0 And he used the 3-leaf clover to explain the Trinity to the pagan Irish as he taught them the Scriptures.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This is how he taught his disciples to share their faith:<\/p>\n A seeker or traveler would be welcomed into the Christian community with the greatest of hospitality. The traveler\u201d\u2122s feet would be washed, he would be given a guest house with comfortable bedding, and he would receive more than enough food and drink. Soon, if the traveler chose to stay with this new tribe he had found, he would be given what was called a \u201csoul friend\u201d and a small group to teach and to learn from, and places for times of solitude, prayer, and reflection.\u00a0 Over time, persons in the community would share the ministry of conversation and prayer with the trekker on a daily basis. After some days, weeks, or months, the former refugee might wake to find himself believing what these Christians believed, and he would commit to Christ, be baptized, and join the community of God. He would commit to more than a belief system, however, but to a way of life modeled for him by those with whom he had been living.<\/p>\n Communities such as these are almost unheard of in our world, at our and the world\u201d\u2122s loss. What we call the church must invite seekers in to participate and eavesdrop on the lives we live. We must create a culture of hospitality that goes beyond coffee and refreshments, where questions and exploration are not only tolerated, but encouraged and expected. This is a fantastic transition from what is common in the church where the Christian message is presented, decisions are privatized with the \u201cbowing of heads and closing of eyes,\u201d a response is immediately called for, and only then are individuals welcome into fellowship.<\/p>\n We have always said \u201cFollow Christ and we will let you in.\u201d We need to learn to say, \u201cCome on in that you might learn from Christ and follow him.\u201d<\/p>\n Leslie Newbigin, asks this question: \u201cHow is it possible that the gospel should be credible, that people should come to believe that the power which has the last word in human affairs is represented by a man hanging on a cross?\u201d And he answers his question by saying: \u201cThe only answer\u201d\u00a6is a congregation of men and women who believe it and live by it.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In short, they loved others to Jesus!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n So, it is fitting that on St. Patrick\u201d\u2122s Day we talk about love.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1 Peter 4:7-10<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1 Peter 4:7 (NLT)<\/strong> <\/p>\n Matthew 24:36, 44 (NLT)<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n 36\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cHowever, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows\u201d\u00a644\u00a0<\/sup>You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n MacDonald<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Peter isn\u201d\u2122t asking us to get frantic; he is insisting that Jesus wants us to live each day as if it were the last before we meet Him face-to-face\u201d\u00a6We live in serious times.\u00a0 This is life and death.\u00a0 This is heaven and hell\u201d\u00a6This is serious business.\u00a0 So when suffering comes to you, be self-controlled and sober-minded.\u00a0 Pain can sweep away shallowness and inattentiveness.\u00a0 Pain creates focus.\u00a0 Trials require that we respond, not based on the feeling of the moment but on self-control and ongoing reliance on God through prayer.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Tchividjian<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Brokenness precedes usefulness.\u00a0 It just does.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Before we can love others, especially when life is hard, we must have a consistent, personal relationship with God through prayer.\u00a0 It\u201d\u2122s THE vital connection that will strengthen us for hard times.\u00a0 And having God\u201d\u2122s power is the ONLY way we can love others in hard times!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 8\u00a0<\/sup>Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Notice:<\/p>\n Love\u201d\u2122s Primacy<\/span><\/em>:\u00a0 \u201cabove all\u201d<\/p>\n Love\u201d\u2122s Intensity<\/span><\/em>:\u00a0 \u201cfervent\u201d\u201d\u201da term used of a horse at full gallop<\/p>\n Earnest, from the heart, extends itself out<\/p>\n Love\u201d\u2122s Responsibility<\/span><\/em>:\u00a0 \u201ccontinue to show deep love\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Peanuts Cartoon<\/strong><\/p>\n That\u201d\u2122s just the way it is when it comes to loving each other!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It\u201d\u2122s interesting, Peter has already said this same thing about love at least twice in this little letter\u201d\u201dwhich means it must be a big deal in his mind!<\/p>\n 22\u00a0<\/sup>You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n 8\u00a0<\/sup>Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 8\u00a0<\/sup>Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n 12\u00a0<\/sup>Hatred stirs up quarrels, \u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Scott taught on this passage last Sunday morning in Bible Study and I\u201d\u2122m going to borrow from his Powerpoint:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hatred<\/strong>\u201d\u00a6<\/p>\n Aggravates old quarrels<\/p>\n Makes mountains out of mole hills<\/p>\n Answers with grievous words<\/p>\n Will not let an issue go<\/p>\n Spreads the knowledge of another\u201d\u2122s sin<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Love<\/strong>\u201d\u00a6<\/p>\n Is tolerant<\/p>\n Doesn\u201d\u2122t pick on a person\u201d\u2122s weak points<\/p>\n Doesn\u201d\u2122t jump to conclusions about others<\/p>\n Is patient and kind and believes the best about others<\/p>\n Is always willing to forgive<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n 8\u00a0<\/sup>Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n MacDonald<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>This is an above-all issue because our tendency is to become self-absorbed and irritable when we suffer.\u00a0 Love can be challenging when you\u201d\u2122re hurting\u201d\u00a6One of the best ways to yield to God\u201d\u2122s will during a trial is to intentionally focus on the needs of others.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n 9\u00a0<\/sup>Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay.<\/p>\n Simple hospitality<\/em> can be one of our greatest expressions of love.<\/p>\n 10\u00a0<\/sup>God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.<\/p>\n Serve in your way<\/em>\u201d\u00a6because your way is God\u201d\u2122s gift to the rest of us!<\/p>\n And\u201d\u00a6it is important to remember this.\u00a0 That other person\u201d\u2122s presence and way of loving and serving may not be how you\u201d\u2122d do it\u201d\u00a6but it is how God is using them in the Body of Christ.\u00a0 So, let them do their thing!\u00a0 And don\u201d\u2122t be surprised when it has good results that bring glory to God just as much as how you serve\u201d\u201dbecause we\u201d\u2122re all hand-crafted by God to show His grace\/love to the world in our own unique and beautiful ways!<\/p>\n 34\u00a0<\/sup>But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees with his reply, they met together to question him again. 35\u00a0<\/sup>One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: 36\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cTeacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?\u201d<\/p>\n 37\u00a0<\/sup>Jesus replied, \u201c\u201d\u02dcYou must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.\u201d\u212238\u00a0<\/sup>This is the first and greatest commandment. 39\u00a0<\/sup>A second is equally important: \u201d\u02dcLove your neighbor as yourself.\u201d\u212240\u00a0<\/sup>The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Conclusion<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em>When I was little, the proximity of Momma to where I was playing affected my behavior.\u00a0 If I was playing with my friend\u201d\u201dand sometimes foe\u201d\u201dSammy, from down the street, I\u201d\u2122d be a different boy if Momma was close.\u00a0 Or, if I was playing with my little sister, I was a different kind of brother when Momma was close.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jesus is close!\u00a0 We are called to love with all our hearts because we\u201d\u2122ll see Him face to face real soon!\u00a0 And that \u201cheart part\u201d is key.\u00a0 I would just do what I needed to do as a little boy and was really just a young hypocrite most of the time!\u00a0 But our Father wants\u201d\u00a6and will enable\u201d\u00a6a deep, from-the-heart love!\u00a0 As you love Him first and walk close to Him in prayer, He\u201d\u2122ll help you to love others in sincerity with HIS love\u201d\u00a6even when life is hard!<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Message by Chad Kelly rec0317-112731 Happy St. Patrick\u201d\u2122s Day! Did you know that Patrick was NOT Irish.\u00a0 He was from Britain.\u00a0 He was captured and enslaved by the Irish as a teenager and served as a shepherd in Ireland … Continue reading Love in Hard Times<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
Nothing is more needful and powerful <\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
than love when life is hard!<\/em><\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n7\u00a0<\/sup>The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers.<\/p>\n\u00a0Nothing is more needful and powerful\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/em><\/strong>than love when life is hard!<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
Lucy<\/em>:\u00a0 There are times when you really bug me, but I must admit there are also times when I feel like giving you a big hug.<\/h3>\n
Snoopy<\/em>:\u00a0 That\u201d\u2122s the way I am\u201d\u00a6huggable and buggable.<\/h3>\n
Nothing is more needful and powerful\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/em>than love when life is hard!<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n
1 Peter 1:22 (NLT)<\/h3>\n
1 Peter 3:8 (NLT)<\/h3>\n
Nothing is more needful and powerful\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/em>than love when life is hard!<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Love\u201d\u2122s Design<\/span>:\u00a0 \u201clove covers a multitude of sins\u201d<\/h3>\n
Proverbs 10:12 (NLT)<\/h3>\n
\nbut love makes up for all offenses.<\/p>\nNothing is more needful and powerful\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/em>than love when life is hard!<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n
Nothing is more needful and powerful\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/em>than love when life is hard!<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n
Nothing is more needful and powerful\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/em>than love when life is hard!<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n
Nothing is more needful and powerful <\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/em>than love when life is hard!<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n
Isn\u201d\u2122t that what Jesus said?<\/em><\/h3>\n
<\/h3>\n
Matthew 22:34-40 (NLT)<\/h3>\n
Nothing is more needful and powerful<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em><\/h3>\n
<\/em>than love when life is hard!<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/h3>\n