Sermon Preview
Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,
On Sunday, as we take one final look at Colossians 4:2-4, we will again be considering the subject of prayer. And as we focus upon verses 3-4, we find the Apostle Paul laying out two specific requests that he asks the Colossians believers to remember in their prayers. What’s remarkable about these points of intercession is what Paul does not include.
Of course, he is in prison in Rome, and we might well expect him to request prayer for his release, and that he will not be sentenced to further imprisonment, or even death by the Roman tribunal. What we find instead are these two concerns:
One, “that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison.”
And two, “that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.”
If we compare these remarkable words to similar things he requested from the Philippians–who were also exhorted to pray for Paul at the same time–we can gain even more insight as to Paul’s primary concerns:
“for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:19-21).
In both of these passages, where the Apostle is laying out his deepest desires regarding himself, we discover a similar theme. He is most concerned about bringing glory to Christ through the accomplishment of his commission to preach the Gospel, and even if this means death.
The practical matter we will explore this coming Lord’s Day is how this ultimate concern of the Apostle Paul instructs us as we learn to pray, and to practice the kind of persistent intercessory praying commanded here. How does this ultimate concern for the gory of Christ, particularly by the extension of the Gospel, impact our daily praying for our Church, our families, and for our own lives?
I look forward to exploring this Scripture passage with you on Sunday!
Before I go, let me offer a word of encouragement to all of our men concerning our upcoming Spring Men’s Retreat, March 29-30, at the Lake Guntersville State Park Lodge. One of the most blessed events in the life of any Church is a time of concentrated fellowship and Bible study with fellow-brothers in the Lord. This will be special occasion, and I hope that all of our brothers will plan to come and will also invite visitors, especially those who may not know our Lord. Details are in the bulletin and on the website, and I hope you will plan to go! Make sure to sign up this Sunday!
I love you all and find the greatest joy in being your pastor and brother in Christ,
Mike
Upcoming Events:
March 3, 4:30 PM – Youth Group
March 5, 9 AM – Senior Fellows Breakfast
March 5, 9 AM – Mother’s Morning Bible Study
March 5, 6 PM – Women’s Evening Bible Study at the Church
March 6, 10 AM – Women’s Morning Bible Study at the Church
March 7, 11:30 AM – Women’s Monthly Lunch at Timbers Edge Clubhouse
March 8, 11:15 AM – Senior Fellows Downtown Rescue Mission feeding
March 9, 2 PM – Bridal Shower for Gibson Family
March 10, 2 PM – New Members Class
March 12, 10 AM – Senior Fellows Bags of Blessings
March 17, 12 PM – Second Sunday Fellowship Lunch
March 19, 10 AM – Senior Fellows visit Huntsville Museum of Art
March 20, 6 PM – Deacons Meeting
March 29-30 – Men’s Retreat at Guntersville State Park
April 26, 6 PM – Parents Night Out
April 28, 4 PM – Church Picnic at Monte Sano State Park
May 19, 5 PM – End of School Cookout at Church House
Order of Worship:
You can access this week’s Order of Worship by clicking here
If you’d like to sing the songs with your family beforehand, the songs for this week are:
A Mighty Fortress Is Our God – Hymn 92, all 4 verses
Hallelujah, Praise Jehovah
Have Thine Own Way – Hymn 688, all 4 verses
God of My Life to Thee I Call
Announcements:
Childrens’ Ministry Update: I just wanted to send a quick update from our Children’s Ministry. So many exciting things to look forward to over the next six months. Our ministry thrives because our church body is so supportive! Thank you!!! Our nurseries are always growing and changing. We have been blessed with so many new, young families, and also many visitors. Almost every week we have a family visiting with small children. To be our main support, we have seven paid staff members who work in our three nursery/classrooms or to assist me each week. I also have a member volunteer in the baby nursery to supplement our staff. But, there is always a need to rock babies! I still have some slots needed for Spring: Click HERE to volunteer for the next few weeks.
Need: Nursery Backup Team There are times where I am scrambling to get a volunteer due to sickness or absence. I need women who would be able to sub in nursery on a last minute basis. This might mean a Saturday night text. But, with 6 women on my list, it would happen very infrequently. Ideally, this would be non-baby/toddler moms 🙂 Additionally, I am interested in finding any women who have experience with special needs children. This may mean that you have job experience or that you simply have a heart to serve and pray for this component of our ministry. Click HERE to sign-up to be on my nursery team. And email me at children@christpreshamptoncove.org if you have a heart for special needs (in any way, shape, or form). Please prayerfully consider serving in this way – not much of a commitment to you except to support this ministry!
Senior Fellows: On Tuesday, March 5 at 9:00 AM the Senior Fellows will enjoy breakfast, fellowship and a devotional at the Church House. Guests are welcome. On Friday, March 8 the Senior Fellows will meet at Entrance 2 of the Downtown Rescue Mission at 11:15 AM and start feeding at 11:30 AM. The feeding and clean up should take about 2 hours. On Tuesday, March 12 at 10:00 AM the Senior Fellows will meet at Sam’s Club on South Parkway to transport food to the CARE Center. On Tuesday, March 19 at 10:00 AM the Senior Fellows will visit the Huntsville Museum of Art for a one hour docent led tour through the Our Shared Heritage and Jared Small exhibits. The group will have lunch at Pane e Vino afterwards. Admission is $8 per person. Wives and guests are welcome.
Youth Group: Youth Group for ages 13-18 meets March 3 at the church at 4:30 PM.
New Members Class: The Next New Member’s Class will be on Sunday March 10, from 2:00-6:00 PM at the Church, with supper provided. Please sign-up in the Narthex and indicate if you need childcare.
Bridal Shower: The women of the church are invited to a bridal shower Faithann Gibson is throwing for her brother’s fiance at the church on March 9 at 2 PM. The evite to sign up is here.
Men’s Spring Retreat: I am enthusiastic to share the plans for our Spring Men’s Retreat at Guntersville State Park Lodge. Mike will be leading four sessions on the theme: Counsel and Encouragement from the Apostle Peter. Session One- (1 Peter 1:1-2) “Living With Purpose”, Session Two- (1 Peter 1:3-5) “Living With Hope”, Session Three- (1 Peter 1:6-9) “Living With Joy” and Session Four- (1 Peter 1:13-16) “Living With Purity”. Logistics for the retreat are outlined below.
When: Friday night and Saturday morning, March 29-30.
Lodging and food plan: The cost per man is $75 which includes logging for Friday night (double occupancy), supper Friday night and breakfast Saturday morning. We will have a signup sheet for attendance and roommate name this Sunday and for the next three Sundays; or you can email Mark Cooper at cooperma777@gmail.com. Please pay by check made out to Christ Presbyterian Church noting Men’s Retreat on the memo line – deposit checks in the offering boxes by March 24.
This retreat is a great opportunity to have fellowship as brothers and be uplifted by God’s word.
Our preliminary outline for the event is as follows:
Friday Night
Arrive and Check In: 4:00 to 6:00 PM
Dinner: 6:00 – 6:45 PM
Music: 7:00 – 7:15 PM
Session 1: 7:15 – 8:00 PM
Session 2: 8:15 – 9:30 PM
Saturday Morning
Checkout before 11:00 AM
Breakfast: 8:00 – 8:45 AM
Music: 9:00 – 9:15 AM
Session 3: 9:15 – 10:15 AM
Fellowship and Check-out: 10:15 – 10:45 AM
Session 4: 10:45 – Noon
There is planning underway for a golf outing by Ben Calvert. Other possible activities, such as hiking, are being considered.
If you have questions please contact Mark Cooper.
Food Help for RUF UAH: We have the opportunity to help RUF UAH (college ministry) provide snacks for their large group sessions on Monday evenings. We are taking on two Mondays remaining in this semester. Please consider helping! The dates are March 25 and April 15 but the food items need to be brought to the church the Sunday prior to those dates (March 24 April 14). Someone will be in the kitchen area to assist the collection. Judi Fikes will be in the narthex area for the next few Sundays to sign you up so we know what we have. Items will be finger foods and can be homemade or bought… Cookies, mini brownies, chips, pretzels, cheese cubes, etc. They usually have around 100 students and leaders! Look for Judi and the RUF logo this Sunday! If you can’t be there you may email: judifikes@gmail.com
Prayer Requests:
Healing: Please pray for the health of the following individuals: Andy Trent, Bill Cowley, Larrabee Kirkland, Cynthia Dent, Katie Dyer, Robin Holloway, Chris Smotherman, Elizabeth Holton, Janet Chou, Ramona Edwards, and Nolan Osmer.
Expecting: Please pray for the Bryant family, expecting in September.
Ministries: Please pray for the following missionaries and ministries: Seth and Jessica Lewis (Ireland); Steve and Rita Williams (New Zealand); Vinnie and Molly Athey (RUF at UAH); RUF at Alabama A&M; Ken and Angie Burnett (FCA); Franky Garcia (seminary student).
Emails:
general inquiries: admin@christpreshamptoncove.org
benevolence needs: benevolence@christpreshamptoncove.org
counsel and ministry needs: matthew@christpreshamptoncove.org
men’s ministry: men@christpreshamptoncove.org
women’s ministry: women@christpreshamptoncove.org
children’s ministry: children@christpreshamptoncove.org
youth ministry: youth@christpreshamptoncove.org
senior fellows: seniorfellows@christpreshamptoncove.org
Address:
288 Old Highway 431
Owens Cross Roads, AL 35763