Jesus told His disciples on the night of His betrayal that He was going away but would send His Holy Spirit to them. We read in John 16:7, “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.” He went on to say in verse 13, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”
The word in the Greek for Counselor is parakletos. We see it translated with several different words. One word is “comforter.” How reassuring it is to those of us who experience great losses to find God’s comfort through the personal work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Another word is “helper.” The Holy Spirit helps you and me see things differently and then act on the counsel He gives. Another word is “advocate.” This is your lawyer who knows what you don’t know and understands what you don’t understand. In a way, the Holy Spirit is all of these. He is your helper. He is your comforter. He is your counselor. He is your advocate. Our text says that he will guideyou into all the truth.
I am grateful for GPS systems that help guide me when I need directions. We need the Holy Spirit to guide us, just like a GPS system guides us, in the midst of challenges in our lives, in times of making decisions, in times when we don’t know which way to go!
We need to remember also that we can grieve the Holy Spirit. We read about that in Ephesians 4:30, our text for this Sunday! We can lie to the Holy Spirit. We see what happened to Ananias and Sapphira when they did that in Acts 5. We can quench the Holy Spirit. We see this in 1 Thessalonians 5:19. How sad to minimize the operation of the Holy Spirit in our lives when He is willing to give us God’s truth, faith, power, guidance, and to enable the free flow of the fruit of the Spirit in our lives as we use the spiritual gifts He gives. May we choose to be aware of the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Sunday Worship
Pastor Glen will continue the sermon series, Ephesians: Our Identity and Purpose! His sermon this Sunday is “Grieving the Holy Spirit” based upon Ephesians 4:30. Please read this text in preparation for worship. REMEMBER: This Sunday, worship will begin at 11:00 at Lake Forest Lodge for our worship service and picnic (SEE BELOW!). The live stream of the service will only be available on Facebook this week.
Adult Sunday School
Our Adult Sunday school class will meet this Sunday at 9:30 a.m. at our church facility in the large Sunday school room. Please join Janet Coiner and others for a wonderful time around God’s Word!! We will be studying Mark 12: Jesus was Rejected and Love! Please bring your Bible!! After Sunday school, everyone is invited to carpool to our ALL CHURCH Worship Service and Picnic!
Fall Church Worship Service and Picnic
Our Fall Church Worship Service and Picnic is THIS SUNDAY at Lake Forest Lodge (AKA McGann’s Cabin) – 21 Page Hollow Lane, Lyndhurst, Virginia (2 miles past the Sherando Lake entrance). You are invited to bring a side dish or a dessert to share, as well as lawn chairs. The church is providing chicken, water and coffee.
Fall Women’s Bible Study
Join other ladies for a journey through a Bible study on Gideon with Priscilla Shirer . . . a 7 week Bible study – September 27th through November 8th . . . Every Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. in the Adult Sunday school room. Please contact Marty Porter (540.471-2619) for more information.
Men’s Bible Study
After a summer break, our Men’s Bible Study will be kicking off again next Tuesday (September 13th). We meet from 7:00 to 8:00 a.m. at Panera Bread in the Community Room. We will continue our study of James. Come on out men!!
Tithes and Offerings
An offering box is available when you enter or exit the sanctuary. Additionally, online giving opportunities are available on the website.
July Financial Report
Offerings: Monthly: $16,821.96 YTD: $116,288.57
Expenses: Monthly: $14,438.34 YTD: $106,870.95
We have also received monies designated for our capital campaign and building fund. In July we received $2,930.84 for restricted giving and $2,215.00 in our capital campaign.
Mission Corner
Brad Huddleston Ministries is our mission focus in September. Brad and Beth use research-based information to assist parents as they navigate online digital use with their children. They have worked with schools and parents in the US, South Africa, Australia, Philippines, and other areas of the world. Brad is the author of Digital Cocaine – A Journey Toward iBalance. Visit their website to learn more about this ministry.
Missions Team is active keeping in touch with our missionaries and other ministries. Please keep updated! You can visit our website and go to the Outreach Page.
Prayer Meeting
Our Weekly Prayer meeting is held at our church facility each Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. We invite you to join with us as we seek the Lord’s face!
September Birthdays
Aileen Wright (9/9); Kristen Holman (911); Pat Layne (9/13); Russell Fisher (9/14); Kerry Keyes (9/16); Christopher Haynes (9/24); Dede Hamilton & Marge Sass (9/26)