Previous Service
Welcome
“The sculptor was working on the marble. Likewise, the Lord is working in our lives to make us into His likeness; changing, shaping, and blessing us. The more we release ourselves to the Lord the more blessings we receive (2 Tim. 2:21).”
Stella
Worship
Word
Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.
Acts 3:25
Isn’t it something to greatly rejoice about that the ultimate purpose of God is to bless all peoples on earth through His Son! Such blessings include enabling people to leave their lives of sin,
When God raised up His servant, He sent Him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.
Acts 3:26 cf. Gal. 3:28; Genesis 12:2-3
Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them.
Romans 4:7-8, cf. Psalm 32:1-2
It is in God’s nature to bless,
Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
Matt. 25:34
To be blessed means to be fully satisfied. All who put their faith in Jesus Christ are blessed as they are immediately indwelt by the Holy Spirit. As we submit to the Spirit, and do not quench or grieve Him, we are blessed, for
“to be blessed is equivalent to having God’s kingdom within one’s heart”
Spiros Zodhiates
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is [present tense] the kingdom of heaven.
Matt. 5:3
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matt. 5:10
So despite circumstances the believers’ satisfaction comes from God and being blessed by Him. Stephen was so mightily blessed by God as he was being stoned to death,
They were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep …
Acts 7:54-60
… straight into glory, into the immediate Presence of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, eternally blessed!
Quote of the week
“When we get full of this grace we want to see every one blessed–we want to see all the churches blessed, not only all the churches here, but in the whole country. That was the trouble with Christ’s disciples. He had hard work to make them understand that His gospel was for everyone, that it was a stream to flow out to all nations of the earth. They wanted to confine it to the Jews, and He had to convince them that it was for every living being.”
D. L. Moody
Verse of the week
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.
Ephesians 1:3-4 NKJV
Let’s Pray
Father we praise and thank You for Your many and abundant blessings through Your Son. We thank You for the blessing of the Spirit within us. We thank You that world-wide You are building Your church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. We thank you for the numerous and daily blessings You shower upon us. So Lord we pray help us to be a blessing to others in Jesus Christ Name, Amen!