If you were to look back again at Psalm 88 from this last Sunday, personally or as a small group here are something I would encourage you to think about. As you take a moment to pray you might pray for someone you know is going through some sad times.

Consider how God has used a sad time in your life?

What has been one of the more difficult times in your life?

Read Psalm 88 through again.

How do the words of this psalm relate to a particular time in your life?

Now read over Hebrews 4:12-14.

How do you see Psalm 88 penetrating and revealing our thoughts and attitudes?  How has a difficult or sad time been revealing or enlightening to you? What have you learned about yourself in that time?  What have you discovered about God through such times in your life?

What kind of suffering do you think Heman of Psalm 88 may have been suffering? (Physical, emotional, Spiritual)

What is good and what is dangerous about expressing our doubts to God or even having doubts about God?

Read Hebrews 10:21-23.  What are to be the conditions of our approach to God?

What does Psalm 88:1 tell us about Heman’s approach to God during his time of suffering?

Suffering is sometimes called a “dark night of the soul” what do verse 3-5, and 15-17 tell us about this experience?

How might we misunderstand suffering from this chapter if we did not know the rest of the bible?

What are some of the things we know are about suffering?

Take a moment to read James 1:2-4. What is one of God’s purpose for allowing suffering?

How might the words of this psalm been applied to Jesus during his life time on earth?

As Jesus Followers on Earth should we expect suffering in the future?

Close your time with prayer for those suffering in various situations.

Thru God’s Grace

Pastor,  Dennis J. Gill

What is God’s Purpose for us in Our Generation?

Paul said of King David; … For David, after he had ver. 22; ch. 20:27served the purpose of God in his own generation, 2 Sam. 7:12; 1 Kgs. 2:10; [ch. 2:29] fell asleep (Acts 13:36). David served the purpose of God in his own generation.  My question is “How can we serve the purpose of God in our generation? That is both a personal and corporate question.  How can I serve God’s purpose in my generation?  Rich Warren in his book “Purpose Driven Life” puts this issue before you and is a good resource.  How can my family and the family of New Life Presbyterian Church serve the Purpose of God in our generation is an important?   As We take a step forward with the building of a larger facility, Now What? At our last family retreat we celebrate the wondrous work God has done in our past to form NLPCA. This new resource affords us the opportunity to look ahead.

As one author points out “David had a purpose for his existence and that purpose was specific to his own generation and location.”   We each of us finds our purpose in Glorifying God. The most famous and powerful catechism question from our constitution is Question One (1) of the Westminster Shorter Catechism, “What is the chief end of man?  A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him for ever? How do we do that here and now?

As a New Life Presbyterian Church we have a clear purpose statement. It is a statement which we adopted some years ago to describe just how we would Glorify God in our location in this generation.

We said then (2001) that; “Our Mission is To Love & Worship God, To Proclaim Biblical Truth, & To Love and Serve others as the Family of God.”

This seems to say that we have a three (3) fold objective which we really believe would glorify God. One is to love and worship God with our whole heart. The second would be to proclaim the truth of the Bible clearly. Third is to Love and Serve others. Interestingly enough we did not narrow that statement as to who those others would be. It could stretch from Penn Township to Slovakia.

Finally, it seems important to us that we want to be a place of Family. This year the importance of family in a small way is found in the session meetings. We the session have committed ourselves to especially pray for the children of each member and those attending.

The challenge is to see how we can do these things in our generation in our location with our resources and opportunities. To be real or true these three things must have a real relationship to our answer; 1. Our generation, 2. Our location, 3. Our resources and opportunities.

My question is “What would it look like if?”  What would it look like if we were to accomplish God’s purpose for us in our time as David did?  Or perhaps better to ask; What will we become as we accomplish God’s purpose for us in our time?

What might  we look like as we Love and Worship God?  What will we become as a church?  A place that…. Or A People who…

What might it look like as we proclaim biblical truth?  What will we become as a church, a person, a family?  A place that…. Or A People who…

What might we look like as we love and serve others?  What will we become as a church? A place that…. Or A People who…

Page Two Project;

Glen Meakem said that 90% is in the details.  What does it look like for us here as we love and serve others?  I think of a recent request as simple as borrowing a few tables for a neighbor’s graduation party. Or there is the dad and two kids practicing bicycle riding in the parking lot right now as  I write this.  These surprise opportunities serve God’s purpose in our generation through our resources (us, you are the primary resource God has placed here). We may not be able to foresee all these details.  However we can fill out  a vision of what it would look like as we plan toward fulfilling God’s purpose. What will we look like?

What will we look like as we do these things Family style?  What will we become as a church? A place that…. Or A People who…

In a recent article Tim Keller is quoted as describing the church he helped start saying; “We want to start a church for you, but also for your friends that you want to introduce to Christ.”  As we accomplish our purpose we want to  become more and more a place to which you feel comfortable inviting your family and friends.

NLPCA a place and people whom you want your family to meet and your friends to get to know, that would be a detail in our dream.  Most especially a place and people who introduce our friends and family to our Father in heaven and His Son Jesus Christ.

This Fall we have one of those family style events planned. The Fall Retreat at Laurelville Church Center is October 9 -11.  As we watch our new building rising from the ground and as we look toward this retreat I would like you to help me with this Page Two Project by answering the Questions, what will we look like if we accomplish God’s purpose fr us in our generation.

At the Retreat we will spend some time Saturday evening talking about answers to this question, “What will we look like as we fulfill our purpose? What will we become as we fulfill God’s purpose for us here and now?”

We will use large white paper and uncritically suggests.  We will seek to detail out some of those Ideas in harmony with our stated mission and the conditions of our generation, our location, our resources.  Some of the answers are seem obvious to me  and simple wait for you to answer God’s call for this moment in your life. For example Pioneer club. There have already been other suggestions for some new ways. Jeff Ford has been designate as the elder to facilitate new ministries.  The other form which helps us shape our vision is “NLPCA a place and people whom you want your family to meet and your friends to get to know”.

I hope many of you will be able to join us at the retreat Saturday evening as we work this process.   I would love to have every one praying about this mental picture.

I could also visit your small group to talk about this vision as it takes shape. Or  you can also email your thoughts and Ideas..  Perhaps you have Idea’s or dreams in one particular area. You are the body of Christ as Paul writes in Ephesians 4:15-16 “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love as each part does its work. We hope  to see where we are going as a whole and what that will look like?  We want to try to focus our aim and aim at something rather than anything.

Sample Sheet for “The Page Two Project”

Three Purpose which will glorify God at NLPCA;

One is to love and worship God with our whole heart.

The second would be to proclaim the truth of the Bible clearly.

Third is to Love and Serve others.

These three things which affect our answer;

1. Our generation, 2. Our location, 3. Our resources and opportunities.

When accomplished what might this look like?

Examples;

1. “NLPCA a place and people whom you want your family to meet and your friends to get to know”.

When family and friends get to know us the meet the Holy Spirit with in us, see the biblical truth lived and from us and gives us the opportunity to love and serve them. This is the most effective way to gain new family at NLPCA. We are the resource, our love and moving toward people not away.  Small groups can be a resource toward this end.

2. Pioneer Club:

Pioneer Club demonstrates and teaches love and worship with a sincere heart for God

Pioneer Club proclaims to young children the truth of the bible

Pioneer Club seeks to serve our children and the community by providing a resource for Children to learn skills and character.

Biblical knowledge is severely lacking in our generation and a Christian world view.

We are located in a suburban neighborhood perfect for raising children and we have volunteers and facilities.

“The Page Two Project”

Three Purpose which will glorify God at NLPCA;

One is to love and worship God with our whole heart.

The second would be to proclaim the truth of the Bible clearly.

Third is to Love and Serve others.

These three things which affect our answer;

1. Our generation, 2. Our location, 3. Our resources and opportunities.

When accomplished God’s Purpose in our location for our generation what might this look like?

3.__________________________________________________________________

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