Another beautiful flower

“Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish.” – Isaiah 38:17

“DEAR FRIEND, …”

Third John :11

The name of the friend is Gaius.

We find the skeleton for our sermon in the third letter of John.

We are told what to imitate and what not to imitate.

A.  “… DO NOT IMITATE WHAT IS EVIL, …”

A good sermon and a good story has a skeleton

“Journalists are people who take in other people’s washing and then sell it,” says the Australian writing team Marjorie Bernard and Flora Eldershaw.

“Maybe listening to the news once a day is enough.” Something like that said a visitor we had some time ago.

I remember also hearing over the news the word “copycat murder”.

 B.  “BUT WHAT IS GOOD.”

1.  The church of God in Corinth is told by Paul to imitate him (First Corinthians 4:16).

2.  The saints in Ephesus are told to imitate God (Ephesians 5:1).

3. We are learning that the church of the Thessalonians became imitators of Paul, Silas, Timothy and of the Lord (First Thessalonians 1:6).

4. They also became imitators of God’s churches in Judea (First Thessalonians 2:14).

5.  In this verse we find another “do not” and a “but”.

The readers of the epistle are told not to become lazy, but to “imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised” (Hebrews 6:12).

6. Here the readers are told to imitate the faith of their leaders ( Hebrews 13:7).

“Anyone who does what is good is from God.

Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.”

“shine like stars”

“THE SEASON TO SHINE,” says the poster in one of the shops here in town (postie).

At the right side of the poster I remember seeing a Christmas tree and underneath the poster lots of presents.

To the saints in Christ at Philippi the Apostle is writing that they shine like STARS in the universe. (Philippians 2:15)

“shine like stars”

To his disciples the Lord Jesus Christ says “let your light shine before men”.

For disciples of the Lord it is always “THE SEASON TO SHINE,” always and always.

And we, his disciples, have every reason to shine always, because: “Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, …” (Romans 8:1)

The Question:

Why should every Christian be a soul winner?

There are several answers, but I like especially this answer:

It is the only biblical explanation why a child of God, whose citizenship is in heaven, remains in this world:

• Second Corinthians 5:17-21

• Philippians 3:20

THE CROSS

“‘Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?’

Isaiah 33:14-16

Intr.:

He

1.  who walks righteously and

2.  speaks what is right,

3.  who rejects gain from extortion and

4.  keeps his hand from accepting bribes,

5.  who stops his ears against plots of murder and

6. shuts his eyes against contemplating evil —

End:

this is the man who will dwell on the heights, …”

COMBINED CHURCHES CHRISTMAS SERVICE TODAY IN KAITAIA

CHOIR

THE PACKED HALL

CHRISTMAS REFLECTIONS BY PASTOR MIKE CLARK

CHRISTMAS REFLECTIONS BY PHIL MELLSOP (SALVATION ARMY)