Thanks for "virtually" visiting Osoyoos Christian Centre through our online blog. We hope you find the time you spend here of value and leave feeling uplifted and inspired. Our blog - like life in general - is continuously changing and we would love to have your feedback. We love to recieve comments - there is a comments feature at the bottom of this post. Have a suggestion - perhaps you might have a thought about Pastor Joseph's "Good Word" or you may want to encourage Betty on her message of "unity" this week. At any rate - your voice is what makes this blog a two-way conversation. In today's busy schedules this virtual meeting place can be such a blessing.
This week Pastor Joseph continues along the word he's been providing over the past several weeks - today he will focus on Eli. Again, we highly encourage you to let Joseph know what you might have gained from his words - and questions are always welcome.
Under current events we will invite you to an Inter-Church Good Friday service. It's a special time when the churches of Osoyoos come together to worship at this time leading up to Easter. Why not bring a freind along?
This week's FREE computer scripture wallpaper was requested through our comments - thanks for asking! We have added an extra screen size of 1360 x 768 in case you happen to need this size. You will find this wallpaper under "The Gallery" tab at the top of this page!
In case you do not know just how to download and install our wallpapers on your computer, please email us and we will try to walk you through the process. Send your email to occwomenonline@gmail.com
Be sure to check out a "Spring Cleaning" challenge you can take part in, online and for FREE on our "From The Heart" tab at the top of this page too!
We warmly welcome Joseph's Mother who will be visiting us from the other side of Canada!
We also look forward to Pastor Bart and "The Away Team" as they minister to us with music this Sunday - accompanied by Pastor Joseph who will bring us our Sunday Sermon.
Lastly - we're posting a 10 minute segment of Sunday's worship music under the "Music" tab - enjoy some soothing music in your busy day! Miles leading "Lord I Give You My Heart" & "God Will Make a Way"
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If you haven’t listened to the audio version of my last sermon, that’s alright because I’m I want to briefly touch on one of the points that I spoke about.
In I Samuel 4:13(a) we read the following words:
“Now when he came, there was Eli, sitting on a seat by the wayside watching, for his heart trembled for the ark of God…”
When it comes to the authorship of I Samuel most scholars believe that Samuel himself penned the first of these two books – well, up until the point that he died which is before the end of I Samuel. I raise this point because when we come to I Samuel 4:13 it’s evident that the author (Samuel) had a first person perspective of this event. I have not doubts that he was with the elderly Eli at the very moment in question and this is why he could write that his “heart trembled.” In my mind’s eye I see Samuel beside him as Eli says “Samuel, in my heart I can’t help tremble – I fear for the safe return of the ark (my paraphrase).”
What we see at this time of Eli’s life is a man in great turmoil – look at the use of the following verbs – sitting, watching, and trembled.
Interestingly, if you look down at verse fifteen we read: “Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes were so dim that he could not see.” Do you see the picture of this man sitting there, watching, even though he couldn’t see, but he tries his best to look and to find out what is going on and he does so because he’s in a place of turmoil. He acts in a way that doesn’t make sense—but isn’t this often the case in our own lives? We find ourselves in a place of turmoil and end up doing things that don’t always make sense.
Now, what I really want to bring your attention to is that I don’t believe that this is what God intended for Eli’s life, especially as he is nearing the end of it. Keep in mind that he was the priest of the house of Aaron. Eli knew what it was to enter into the holy of holies and present the sacrifice before God. While the Israelite congregation watched from within the courts of the temple—they could only guess what it was to experience what Eli experienced once a year on the Day of Atonement. I believe that what God wanted for Eli was that he would grow to a good old age and then be gathered to his fathers. I believe that the way he should have exited from this life would have been a time that was not wrapped around in turmoil, but it was.
This truly is a sad story – and it’s meant to be seen as one, and the very fact that Samuel included it when he could have left it out tells me that it is a story that he wanted heard and known.
If you look at I Samuel 2:29 it says there: “Why do you kick at My sacrifice and My offering which I have commanded in My dwelling place, and honor your sons more than Me, to make yourselves fat with the best of all the offering of Israel My people?”
This is a sad story because even though Eli knew what it was to enter into God’s presence, he still put his sons before God and was self serving. What we see in Eli’s life is what the Apostle Paul writes in Galatians 6:7: ”Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” Eli sowed in his sons and in himself and at the last days of his life he reaps turmoil. He made his choices, sowed his seeds—but these were not seeds that honored God or gave him priority.
Now, I’m not going to leave my comments on down note, as true as it may be; the thing is - God DOES NOT call us into a life of turmoil!
We don’t see this anywhere in his holy word. Jesus calls us into a place of abundant life; he calls us to cast our burdens on him and to take his yoke instead, because it is easy and lighter.
When we find our selves in that place of turmoil we really have to take a step back and find out where it came from - what choices, decisions did we make? And, yes it’s true that sometimes we find ourselves in turmoil because of the choices others made. Either way we need to realize that this is not the life that God intends for us.
Does this mean that we’re going to live a life of easy and tranquility? Well, you know the answer to that question just as well as I do - NO!
I believe that when we really get a hold of a right understanding of the life that God wants us to experience through Jesus Christ and with the help of the Holy Spirit, we’ll begin to make those choices that will not reap turmoil. We’ll understand that in Christ we can truly have abundant life and we’ll make the right choices to walk and live in this reality.
Notice I said with the help of the Holy Spirit -you’re not left alone in this process!
Blessings,
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In case you were unable to attend last Sunday, April 10th - you can listen to this inspiriting audio sermon by Betty. Just click the (triangle) button to play.
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EVENTS:
Prayer at Kaye's
Every Tuesday - 10:00 a.m.
7806 Gravenstein
Thursday Night Open Worship Every Thursday - 7:00
Osoyoos Christian Centre
42 Finch, Osoyoos
For more info: 250-495-2550
An intimate time of prayer - personal, community, government and worldwide for the Lord to meet spiritual and physical needs. Bring a friend!
Every Tuesday - 10:00 a.m.
7806 Gravenstein
Thursday Night Open Worship Every Thursday - 7:00
Osoyoos Christian Centre
42 Finch, Osoyoos
For more info: 250-495-2550
An intimate time of prayer - personal, community, government and worldwide for the Lord to meet spiritual and physical needs. Bring a friend!
Inter-Church Good Friday Service
April 22nd at 10:30 a.m.
Osoyoos Baptist Church
6210 97th St
Phone for more info: 250-495-8011
Mariposa Christian Ministry
Mariposa Gardens
8816 97th Street, Osoyoos
Sundays at 2 pm
We welcome you to join us if you are able to assist with your musical talent or to help with fellowship! Email us for more info: occwomenonline@gmail.com
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