Prior Editions
December 29, 2005
A
New Year’s Challenge
I want to invite you to experience real power. {How’s
that for an opening line?!}
A
church consultant used to go into local churches, look around, and then
ask, “Why is there such little power here?” The church should
be, and can be, a place of unrivaled power. Not power as the world
defines it, but power as God gives it and defines it through the Holy
Spirit. I believe that all confusion, division, discord, and sin can
be traced back to a lack of God’s power in the church. Jesus said,
“Your problem is that you don’t
know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God.”
[Matthew 22:29]
In
worship over the past several weeks, we’ve talked about the importance
of regularly spending time with God’s Word and meditating on the
Scriptures. There really is no better way to know the mind of God
than a daily dose of His Words. Therefore, I would like to invite
you to join me in a challenge that will lead to real God-power in your
life. Let’s read through the Bible together in 2006!
Many
of you haven’t developed a regular habit of Bible study and prayer
because you’re not sure where to begin.
Reading
through the Bible can break that inertia and start you on the road to
regular Bible reading. Others have a fairly regular habit of Bible
study; I would invite you to deepen that discipline by committing to
joining in this challenge. Consider joining in reading through the
Bible with us in addition to your regular readings or in place of them.
During
the course of 2006 we will be distributing daily readings that will guide
you through the Bible readings for that month. They will be included
in the Sunday Chronicle and a link will be posted to the readings on the
church website. I hope you will join with me in this exciting
journey into God’s Word.
Look
for the daily readings for January 2006 in worship on Sunday or check the
list out ahead of time at www.oneyearbibleonline.com.
There is also a One Year Bible that you might be interested in, it is
available at Christian bookstores.
There
will be other opportunities throughout 2006 to join with others who are on
this journey through the Bible: short-term Bible studies, blogs, teaching
times and more.
Discovering
God’s Word anew will bring much needed renewal and revival to your walk
with God. It will deepen your relationship with Christ; and spill
over into your family, your work, and your church!
Join
in – “Through the Bible in 2006”
Godspeed,
Pastor John
Mid-Week
Musings
An
Occasional bulletin from Christ United Methodist Church