News & Views July 22

JULY MEMORY VERSE
"Give Praise to the Lord, Proclaim his name;
make known among the nations what he has done."
I Chronicles  16:8


JULY 26th WORSHIP -- CHILDREN'S SUNDAY
Connecting Point - 9:30 A.M. - Dining Hall
Worship  - 10:00 A.M. -  Family Center Gym and Online
The stage is set with the VBS theme: Courageous Faith!
Pastor Mark preaching: ACTS Series: "Joining up with Joy!"
Read ahead - Acts chapter 2:42-3:10
NLC Kids will be dismissed at 10:30 A.M. - Rooms 101,103

GRAB & GO MEAL served following the service
Please feel free to pick up a meal from the serving window and
enjoy it with others in the Dining Room after church!

by Pastor Mark

Two weeks ago I began a preaching series from the book of Acts in the New Testament. I'm calling it "An 'Acts' Attitude" because the book of Acts is all about the position (or attitude) of the disciples in relation to God's Holy Spirit. No longer are they arguing with each other about who's the greatest, nor are they present with Jesus as they had been before he ascended into heaven. Now they accomplish the work Jesus gave them by relying entirely on the Holy Spirit to fill them, guide them, and empower them. It's a whole new way of living in the kingdom Jesus launched!

You and I are in the same position now as Jesus' first disciples were then. We have the same mandate from Jesus to go into all the world and make disciples, welcoming them into the family of faith through baptism, and teaching them the commands of Jesus. And we must rely entirely on the Holy Spirit to accomplish these things, just as they did.

 What does it mean to rely on the Holy Spirit? It first means to receive him in our lives, to let him "fill" us. The Holy Spirit filled the disciples at first in response to their prayers, and that became a pattern for others as well. Other followers of Jesus prayed for the filling of the Holy Spirit and God responded by pouring out his Spirit upon them. So if you aren't sure if you've been filled with God's  Holy Spirit, simply ask God to fill you.

Years ago I was invited to a revival event at Oral Roberts University. I was a pastor and believed that I was filled by the Holy Spirit, and yet I was happy to accept the invitation. I worshiped and then watched as many others went forward to be filled with the Spirit. It wasn't something I had seen growing up, and so I told God I was open to him moving in my life in this new way if it was his will for me. The Holy Spirit distributes his gifts as he sees fit and for God's purposes, 1 Corinthians explains, and so I yielded myself to him there. As I waited for the Spirit's prompting, I picked up the ORU worship book as a tool for prayer. It opened to the dedication page near the front, where I read Rev. Oral Roberts' own words of grateful recognition of God's giftedness upon a fellow Mennonite Brethren man who had been a professor of music at the university. I knew this man who had since passed away and rejoiced that someone like Rev. Oral Roberts, known for his ministry of the Holy Spirit, had recognized the same Spirit in my friend. I went home that night rejoicing and confident in God's Spirit alive in me, as well.

You can know that the Spirit has filled your life in several ways. Ephesians 1:13-14 says, "When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. His presence in your life produces several noticeable changes. You will have confirmation that you are a child of God, you'll experience a growing knowledge of God and a hunger and thirst for God's Word, you'll know peace that you find hard to explain, and will show spiritual fruit to others, like patience and love even for those who hurt you.

There are also spiritual gifts that are signs of the Holy Spirit's filling in your life. You may feel compelled to care for those who are hurting, to serve others, to pray for their healing, to teach others the truths of God's Word, or to speak and pray in a language you haven't learned. Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12-14 describe these gifts and more. The Elders are prepared to help you come to know and confirm your spiritual gifts. We see them as essential to the building up of the body of Christ that is New Life Community. And if you don't feel confident of the Spirit's presence in your life, we will be happy to talk and pray with you.

I invite you to read through the book of Acts this month and into August. Ask God to help you see your own story as an extension of the disciples' story, knowing that we share in God's story together with them as led by his Holy Spirit. Ask God to give you an "Acts" attitude, so you can be in the correct position to be used by his Holy Spirit. 

Received Last Week (7/18):…....$4,776
Received this year to date: ..$398,400
Budget to Date: ………..…...... $461,407
Budget Goal: ………........…......$521,591
Needed Weekly: ……….......……$20,532

Note from the Trustees
NLC Trustees thank those who have made donations to purchase the necessary equipment to enable us to launch and operate our web streaming service. We still need to raise another $25,000 for creating our new Welcome Office space--an office located directly off the
church patio that will be visible and accessible to those who come onto our campus.
We invite you to be a part of that effort. For more information please contact Chuck Boldwyn.

Mennonite Central Committee notice
The Annual Meeting for the West Coast Mennonite Relief Sale takes place on Monday, September 13, 2021. All shareholders are invited and welcome to meet together in the Quilt Room upstairs of the West Coast MCC office, 1010 G Street Reedley CA.
Our meeting together will begin at 6:30 p.m.