Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. (John 15:4-5 – NASB95)
I love to worship the Lord through song. I love a variety of styles (anthems, hymns, contemporary songs…) and a variety of themes (the cross, the church…). But I think I mostly love songs that focus directly on God, His character, attributes, and works. There is something profoundly refreshing that happens in my life when I focus on how great, gracious, mighty, loving, kind, forgiving, and worthy my Lord is. When I turn my eyes and heart upon Jesus, who is my life (Col. 3:4), the things of earth grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace. After all, God created me to know, love, serve, and worship Him forever. Jesus said in John 17 that eternal life was knowing God (in a personal, relational, saving way). If you get to know Him better you will love Him more and proclaim that you would rather have Jesus than anything the world could possibly offer you.
How well do you know God? When was the last time you searched the Scriptures just to discover and meditate upon His glorious attributes? Right now, when people are emotionally distraught over viruses, mandates, recalls, the economy…, we desperately need to refocus our attention on knowing Jesus Christ and making Him known. Jesus is the answer for the world today, above Him is no other, Jesus is the way! How well do you know Jesus? Do you know Him better right now than you did 3 months ago? Are you spending a lot of time with Him in His Word and in prayer? Do you talk to Him throughout the day? Is it obvious to a watching world that Jesus Christ is your life?
What are you currently doing to get to know Jesus better and worship Him the way He so richly deserves? One way is to read a Theology book, and there are numerous ones available for all ages. “Biblical Doctrine,” by John MacArthur & Richard Mayhue or “Systematic Theology,” by Wayne Grudem for adults. “Everything a Child Should Know about God,” by Kenneth Taylor or “The Ology: Ancient Truths, Ever New,” by Marty Machowski for kids. Incorporate reading a page or two each day into your daily devotions and watch your understanding of God and love for God grow.
Last Sunday we started looking at John 15 (one of my favorite passages of Scripture). This Sunday we will continue focusing on how we can abide in Jesus and bear much fruit. I hope you will prioritize being with us, in person, so we can learn and grow together. The intimacy of our fellowship with one another depends upon the intimacy of our fellowship with Jesus. As we grow closer to Him, He enables us to grow closer to one another, practice the love that shows the world that we are His disciples, and the unity that makes it clear that Jesus was sent by the Father to be the Savior of the whole world.
Speaking of this Sunday (9/19/21), we are beginning our NEW SCHEDULE! Our worship service will be from 9:00-10:30am. Bridge Café from 10:30-11:00am. And LIFE Groups (Sunday School) from 11:00am-12:30pm. What thrills me the most (besides having more time for fellowship) is the fact that the Hispanic congregation will now be able to meet in the morning! They will have their worship service during the second hour starting at 11:00am. What does that mean practically? It will be a quick transition from the English to the Hispanic worship service. They will need to set up all their instruments and sound equipment, run sound checks, etc., in that 30-minute window of time. How can we help? When the English worship service ends, move quickly outside and have fellowship with one another at the Bridge Café (if you have kids in the 1st hour Sunday School, go get them and then go to the Bridge Café). Moving out of the worship center quickly will allow them to set up quickly and be able to start promptly at 11:00am.
How else can you help? Thank you for asking! We continue to have needs in specific areas on Sunday mornings with our:
- Children’s Ministry (contact Xiomara Bueno at the church office – 818-776-1500 ext. 115).
- Greeters (contact Don Rohde – 818-262-2092).
- Parking Team to help people find parking spaces (contact Gary Meier – 818-274-6160).
- Security Team to help keep our people and property safe throughout the morning (contact Ralph Evans – 818-606-8456).
Thank you all so much for your investment of your time, talents, and treasures in our church. The Lord is bearing much fruit through all of you for His eternal glory. It is my prayer that we will continue getting to know the Lord better, loving Him more, worshiping and serving Him with greater zeal, and bearing more fruit in the coming days than we ever have before. To God be the glory great things He has done!