Shippensburg First Church Of God Blog Site: Message Delivered

Sunday is Coming!

Have you ever been entrusted with something important or valuable that you were directed to deliver to someone else?

This week when I opened my packet of information at ERC Annual conference, I found an envelope inside that was addressed to my wife, Jen. I made sure to safely deliver it to her when I got home (it was a card of encouragement from the Conference Pastoral Health commission, thanking her for her important role as Pastor’s Wife!).

As followers of Jesus, we have been entrusted with a valuable message to deliver. A message so big it can’t fit in an envelope!

In the New Testament, we can see that when we place our faith in Jesus, we are given a divine message that is meant to be stewarded well and passed on safely and freely to others, just as Paul has done for us in the book of Ephesians.

Paul is a good model for us as a messenger, and he helps us to understand how big and wonderful the message really is!

“For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles— Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly.

--Ephesians 3:1-3 (NIV)

We find in the center of this letter that Paul gets a little personal. His thoughts take him to his own personal experience, alluding to his own journey as “Servant of the Gospel.” Central to this passage are these words in Ephesians 3:7 –

“I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power.”

It is noteworthy how Paul phrases this. He says that he serves the Gospel—Not the other way around!

Let us acknowledge that the Gospel is not a means to a selfish end. Christians must serve the Gospel, not the other way around!

The Good News of Jesus is Not meant to be a path to popularity, Not a prop for worldly power, and Not a weapon for oppressing others.

We must not take the Words of Scripture or the name of Jesus “in vain” and use it to serve our own selfish ambitions (the third commandment, Exodus 20:7)

Like Paul, Christians today are meant to serve the Gospel of Jesus—to steward it well, and pass it on to others for their good and the Glory of God.

When we take this responsibility seriously and personally, as Paul did, we will find that the Good News of God’s Love is immeasurably greater than we could ever imagine! It’s not something that can be folded up into a tiny envelope, but it must overflow into the lives and communities around us!

“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”

--Ephesians 3:17-21

This Sunday

8:25 Traditional Worship

We will share our welcome and announcements at 8:25, followed by a musical prelude for a time of quiet reflection.

O The Deep, Deep Love of Jesus #352

God So Loved The World #350

Love Lifted Me #508

My Jesus, I Love Thee #79

9:45 Sunday School for all ages.

Check out our Care Groups & Sunday School Classes on our website, or visit the welcome desk to learn more.

11:00 Contemporary Worship

Contemporary Spotify Playlist

Great Things

Praise

Living Hope

A Thousand Shores

*While we love and encourage good conversation and fellowship in the Gathering Place, please remember to quietly respect the worship services as you are entering or exiting near the beginning or ending of the services. Thank You!

ERC Conference

This week was the annual gathering for our Eastern Regional Conference of our Churches of God denomination. Pastors, ministry leaders, and delegates from around the conference gathered at Camp YoliJwa for worship, strategy, prayer, and connections. One highlight of the week was seeing Pastor Mike Poe (who calls SFCOG home) recognized for 25 years of Ministry Service alongside his wife, Natinha. Along with those recognized for milestones, Pastor Gary and Joyce Hornbaker were acknowledged for their retirement.

Spring Congregational Meeting

The Shippensburg First Church of God will hold our annual Spring Congregational Meeting on May 3^rd. You will find the dockets in your church mailboxes this weekend, or you may pick one up in the gathering place and find them posted around the building. This meeting is a time of information & celebration, and you will hear some updates from the council about some things we are working on and looking forward to as a church family.

Foundations Class

A new Elective Sunday School class, Foundations, is continuing for a limited number of weeks. It is held in room 205, behind the balcony. Anyone is welcome to participate. The topics for the class will be the foundations of the Christian faith - The Bible, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and more. Please join us to gain a better understanding of what Christians believe and why we believe it. Sam Byers is teaching, and Bev Shumway and Matthew Hower are supporting Sam.

SHAPE Seminar

SHAPE is returning! This four-week study will help you explore how your Spiritual gifts, Heartfelt passions, Abilities, Personality, and Experiences make you uniquely designed and equipped by God to serve in His Kingdom. It will begin on May 6^th at 6:30 in the Annex, and meet every Wednesday evening in May. To help with planning and preparations, please sign up at the gathering place or in your Sunday School classroom.

Community Night

This is the final month of Wednesday Night ministry before our summer break. It’s not too late to come check out Kinetics, Ladies in Step, Fresh Start, or our Children, Youth, & Young Adult classes for a mid-week Bible Study boost! They all meet every Wednesday at 6:30 until the end of April. Learn more at this link:

Shippensburg First Church of God | Wednesday Community Night

Youth Group will continue in May at the regular time with some special activities.

Our Children’s AWANA program will have a closing ceremony for kids and their families in the children’s ministry area next week, on April 29^th.

Bible Quiz

This Sunday is the final Quiz Meet of the local season. It is being held at Camp YoliJwa at 2:00pm. Anyone is welcome to come cheer on our team!

Shippensburg University Art Event

Next week we will also be participating in a Stained-Glass Walking Tour being offered by the Shippensburg University Art Department on April 30, at 3:30pm. It is being offered to art students for extra credit, but is also open to community members who would like to participate. Meet Art and Design Faculty, Sara Swacina, by the large, red “SHIP” letters near Old Main to begin an afternoon of exploring nearby churches' stained-glass windows. Our building will be the second-to-last stop on the tour, at approximately 5:15.

Church Center

We have been gradually rolling out a new database tool called “Church Center.” It will be utilized for scheduling, record-keeping, giving, and many other ministry functions. You will be hearing more about it in the coming months as we implement new aspects of this resource, such as a directory feature and upcoming changes to our Children’s Ministry check-in system. You can begin learning more and start exploring it by visiting this page on our website to create your own log-in:

Shippensburg First Church of God | Church Center

Communications Updates

Bulletins and newsletters are available for you as you enter for worship—you can find them right outside the main doorways into the sanctuary on a table or stand for easy access. Some are usually available at our welcome desk also, but we encourage you to keep access to our welcome desk (and our handicapped accessible seating) open and available for those who may need it.

*Be sure to check out our Activities Calendar and the Events page on our website to learn about more upcoming opportunities!

*If you or your small groups, committees, etc., are planning special events involving the facilities, please be sure to communicate with the church office so we can best accommodate your needs and coordinate planning details between various ministries—Thank You!

The latest monthly edition of our “FYI” Newsletter is available in the Gathering Place or as you enter into the Sanctuary. The FYI contains information about upcoming events, care group opportunities, giving and attendance information, and more.

If you have events or information you would like to communicate, communication request forms are available from the church office, in the Gathering Place, or online.

Let us continue to celebrate our Risen Savior together in the Sanctuary or Online this Sunday!

Pastor Rodney Bistline

Shippensburg First Church of God

seniorpastorbistline@shipfcog.org