10/25/21 IT IS GOOD TO BE BACK TOGETHER

10/25/21 IT IS GOOD TO BE BACK TOGETHER

We had a great time of worship and fellowship yesterday. I had trouble with my laptop, therefore I was not able to reach out to our ZOOM friends (which was a great disappointment). Mark was not able to be home, so we missed him greatly.
But the gathering together was awesome.

The first thing I did was tell my congregation that they are the toughest congregation I know about. Since our facilities have been too small to allow us to gather as we normally would have gathered (all of us together for worship and study and fellowship, and in separate SS classrooms) during the past several months I have held smaller in person and online meetings by combing teaching and preaching sessions (though all of my preaching includes teaching) and worked hard to prepare The Net House folks for the awesome days of ministry and Christian challenge ahead.

This made the preaching teaching sessions (usually three times a week) long, but our local body was very patient, attentive and kind, children and adults. They have always been tough.
Long services have not deterred them. This is true from the youngest to the oldest in our local church.
Some churches have long services but very little preaching/teaching. They mostly have long "praise services" (so-called) led by "worship teams" (so-called) and then some of them spend a good portion of time begging and finagling and bullying and squeezing money out of their people.
Christian giving is an act of worship but I have not actually "passed a plate" for decades. In fact, when we have a special need, I tell folks and then leave it between them and the Lord.
Our congregation is also used to testimony time, but yesterday it was mostly a musical message. I would share short, but poignant thoughts and then introduce special music about: full salvation, Biblical worship and service, evangelism, my vision for ministry, opportunities for serving God in the local body, renewal and restoration.

Most folks won't recognize these songs because our people have written a lot of music. The songs vary in style, but they are all very Scriptural and often address the Christian life in our present world.

Though you may not know most of these songs, I will give you titles, in order to see the direction of the service.

THE CHURCH (the nature and ministry of the church)
Sweet, Sweet Song Of Salvation
Give Me Jesus
BUILDING AN ARK (relating to family and church)
ANCHORED IN THE ROCK (Christ is our rock, hope is our anchor, faith is our cable)
COMPANY OF THE COMMITTED (as soldiers, Christians are committed to our Master, one another and those who need rescuing)
GOD OF NEW BEGINNINGS (not only the life of Christ through salvation, but renewal and restoration for those who drift or fall away)
(FAMILY MEDLEY)
God's Wonderful People
Plenty Of Room In The Family
Feeling At Home

We had a simple but great meal together and a wonderful afternoon of fellowship and fun for all, young and old.

Now that we have enlarged our home situation, we will enjoy even more wonderful times in the Lord together.

Through the years we have met with Christians from Iraq, Romania, Russia and the South Pacific. Our home services are simple, but those believers said it was more like Christian meetings in their homeland. And remember, since the New Testament times, home meetings have been normal for Christians all over the world.

If someone is interested in our home meetings (worship, Bible study, ministry training, fellowship, music ministry, youth ministry) or if you are interested in talking to us about Christ or our Bible beliefs, be sure to contact me.