Weekly Newsletter 4/26-5/3
FBC Marysville Weekly Newsletter
This past week:
- Business/Members Meeting: on Wednesday the 22nd, we held one of our regular meetings where members gather to discuss finances, new members, and the vision of our church. One exciting item brought up in this recent meeting was our three newest members! Donald and Laurie Cuddington have been welcomed into our family, and Taylor Roberts will be baptized into our fellowship soon!
Announcements:
- Missions Month: Our special time of missions giving is coming to a close, but we will leave the giving open through the end of this Sunday. If there is a burden on your heart to provide for these missionaries in a practical way, please let us know or give one more time this Sunday.
- Cohorts: Our discipleship courses we have designed for our church family will start back up again on the first Sunday in June. The descriptions of what these cohorts are and why we provide them are posted in the Next Steps room located just outside the Sanctuary.
- New Path Pregnancy Center Walk: Saturday, May 2nd. Registration is at 9:30am and the walk begins at 10am.
- Fellowship meal: May 17th after our regular Sunday Gathering. There are sign-up sheets in the foyer.
Prayer Requests:
- Russ and Betty Williams: Continue to pray for Russ and Betty as they recover and return back to our gatherings.
- The Madison family: Sally, Patti's mother, has been placed on hospice as she is dealing with cancer.
- Gospel Opportunities: Pray for times when we can share the gospel with those who we interact with throughout the week, and for opportunities to invite them to church.
Weekly Devotional from Acts 21:1-14
On Sunday, our study picked up with Paul and friends departing from the Ephesian elders who had met him at Miletus. From there, the group travels around the coastal areas of the Mediterranean Sea with the goal in mind that after a few stops to visit some believers, they would deliver Paul to Jerusalem. The first major stop was in Tyre, where the believers knew what awaited Paul, but after begging him not to go they blessed him and sent him on his way. The second major stop in this passage was in Caesarea. After meeting Philip, his prophetess daughters, and Agabus, the believers once more beg Paul not to go to Jerusalem. The apostle's response is both chilling and inspiring.
After Agabus the prophet bound himself with Paul's belt, spoke in the power of the Holy Spirit, and told him that this would happen to Paul at Jerusalem, "Paul answered, 'What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.' And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, 'Let the will of the Lord be done.'"(Acts 21:13-14 ESV).
We have discussed how Paul was not being disobedient to these Christians or to the Lord because their prophecies, pleas, and petitions, were not of prohibition, but of precaution. They knew what would come of their friend, but what they did not take into account was that Paul knew as well. Paul had told the elders in chapter 20 that trouble would meet him wherever he went, but his life was meant to be one poured out for Jesus and His message. Now, due to us talking at length about Paul's obedience, his willingness to do what is hard, and willingness to even die for the sake of the Kingdom, we can focus on the believers at the end of the passage. The writer says, "And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, 'Let the will of the Lord be done.'"(v.14).
I think we can all relate to these believers who have an overwhelming moment of love for Paul and they simply do not want to lose their friend. This begging towards Paul was simply a human response to the idea that Paul was going to have to do a really hard thing. These friends were similar to the military parents who hug their child and are reluctant to let go because they know the danger that awaits them, but they ultimately give that last kiss and send them on their way because duty calls.
This being said, Paul could not be persuaded because he was serving the will of the Lord. These believers who had at first discouraged him from going to Jerusalem, after some conversation, finally acknowledge the will of God, and are prepared to send him on his way. The Ephesian elders in chapter 20 did not like this very much, but they wept with him, prayed with him, and blessed his journey. The church at Tyre did not like this, but they knelt and prayed with him before sending Paul away. Now, the Caesarean believers are not the biggest fans of this plan, but their desire is not what is comfortable, what is convenient, or what best supports their agenda. Their desire is that God's will is done. May it be the same for you and I. What would your week look like if God shaped your calendar, clock, and compass? What would your career, church involvement, family, hobbies, free time look like if God's will was placed above your own desires?
John Calvin said it this way, "They do not cease to love Paul dearly, and yet they do not resist the will of God. This is the true proof of godliness, when we prefer His will before all our affections."
Anthony Lampron, Pastor