Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
This week, I read a quote from Charles Wesley that caused me to pause and consider how I am living, what kinds of things I am doing. Here is the quote: “Do nothing on which you cannot pray for a blessing. Every action of a Christian that is good is sanctified by the Word and prayer. It becomes not [It’s not fitting for] a Christian to do anything so trivial that he cannot pray over it.”
As I considered this quote, I tried to think of what would be excluded from my activities, if I couldn’t pray for blessing over it. For example, you can’t pray for blessing over thoughts, words, or deeds which you know are sin. God would not approve of or sanction sin; He is too holy to even look upon sin (Hab. 1:13). So, Wesley’s suggested boundary helps us move in the direction of and walk in the path of holiness and righteousness.
Could I pray for blessing over things I do to relax, like playing games or watching football? I can ask God to bless my rest. He commands us to rest and be renewed. Rest is a blessed gift which many of us ignore (to our own peril). But I cannot ask God to cause me to win or to make my football team win. It would be trivial and inconsequential when these activities are just for fun and relaxation.
As you think about your own life, are there activities, thoughts, conversations which you are engaging in which you couldn’t pray and for which you couldn’t ask God’s blessings? If so, those activities, thoughts, and conversations need to go. We need to make changes for the glory of God.
In 2024, we recall how God has blessed us, in order that we may be a blessing. May God redeem our time and make our activities, our thoughts, our conversations to be aligned with His perfect and pleasing will.
Quick note about a free resource. Some of you are eager to learn or use Christian apologetic material. Now you can have and use a free Compendium of Christian Apologetics Resources. It has been put together by the AIIA Institute, which is founded and run by the father of one of my Seminary professors. You can download the pdf here.
Finally, please continue to pray for the nations of Israel and Ukraine. Pray that the wars would end. Here is a suggested list of prayers if you are at a loss for words in how to pray: https://send.org/story/hh_pray_for_ukraine. And https://worldrelief.org/blog-prayer-for-israel-and-gaza/ Thank you for kneeling on behalf of the people of Ukraine and Russia, Israel and Gaza and taking a stand (or a knee in prayer) against the forces of darkness in this present age.
This Week (Jan. 19-25, 2024):
1. Tonight, Jan. 19, 2024, the Living Stones Friday Night Bible Study is meeting from 7:30-9:30 to study the question “Won’t All People Ultimately Go to Heaven?” You can read Matt. 7: 13-29 to prepare. Join in person in Room A-218 or online via the following link at 7:30 pm:
https://zoom.us/j/685376249?pwd=cWtyUk1pckJiRHJxZVZCSGdJZWw2UT09
Meeting ID: 685 376 249
Password: 840840
Join by phone: +1 929 436 2866 US (New York)
2. The Living Stones Sunday School and Grace Ambassadors Sunday School and Empower Sunday Schools are meeting this Sunday. The Grace Ambassadors will continue a discussion of “The Pilgrim’s Progress: Part 2”. The Living Stones will be studying an Overview of the NT in the Koinonia Room (A-216). They will use the following link for those who wish to join online this Sunday:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/491248585?pwd=RnpLcnpjQ01nTGZLSmhaZ3l4L3dKQT09
Meeting ID: 491 248 585
Password: 403767
Join by phone: +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
3. This Sunday, Jan. 21 2024, at 11:25 am, our CrossPoint Community Service will start and Pastor Nathan Willems will be preaching. Pray for him! Join us for worship at CBCGL!
Text: Mark 15:21-39
Title: The Son Forsaken
Live stream via Youtube: https://www.cbcgl.org/live-stream/
4. Each Wednesday, such as this week (Jan. 24) at 7:45 pm, you are invited, encouraged, and requested to join our weekly prayer meeting. We will not grow in Christ without growing in our dependence on God through prayer. The link is found below in the section on prayer.
Administration / Events
1. We have a missions update (so check out the missions tab in the bulletin)! You can provide support for COCM (in England), for James Liang (at UConn), or Vivian Mah who is serving the English Ministry of COCM.
2. Save the Date of Jan. 28! We will be having a CPC Soup and Bread Luncheon. You can sign up for with something to bring via the following link: https://forms.office.com/r/ipBG7LD9XX
3. This summer, the youth fellowship plans to send two short term mission teams to serve in Boston Project and Taiwan Ershui. Praise God for calling the students to participate in these mission trips to spread the good news and experience the life changing power of the Gospel. To support these STMs, we will be organizing various fundraising events throughout the year. The first event is our NianGao sale during the Chinese New Year celebration. Order deadline is 1/27 and they will be delivered on 2/4. Please use the following link to put in an order https://forms.gle/UMMMAVBTSSQMGK7b6 . Thank you for your support to the Youth Ministry!”
Note: We are also including a complimentary box of pickled radish (per order of NianGao) for those who order before this coming Sunday (1/21) to encourage early orders.
4. ***This Sunday***, Jan. 21, CPC is responsible for providing 3 to 4 individuals to help serve and prepare lunch (distributing take out and soup) and for helping to clean the cafeteria at 1:15 pm. If you’re available to help, please sign-up/volunteer with Deacon John.
5. Sunday Lunch Service is available at CBCGL with $5 lunches that are first-come, first-served. We’ll work at ending our service on time so that you can get lunch!
6. All other announcements can be found here (in our CrossPoint Community bulletin).
For Prayer:
1. From Bishop J.C. Ryle – “To be prayerless is to be Christless, Godless, and in the high road to destruction…It will always be found that when prayers are few, grace, strength, peace, and hope are small.” Please join our Wednesday night prayer meeting (7:45 – 9:15 pm) even if you can’t participate the whole time.
https://zoom.us/j/758587937?pwd=aS9sZUdxcm1janNNM2I2aXJ6Smx2QT09
Meeting ID: 758 587 937
Password: 030086
Join by phone: +1 929 436 2866 US (New York)
2. We’d be glad to pray for you. If you need prayer, you can submit your prayer request via the following link: https://www.cbcgl.org/pray/
In Christ, your servant, SDG,
Rev. Dr. Nathan Willems
Associate Pastor of CrossPoint Community – A Ministry of CBCGL