“The Gathering” is focused on gathering young adults together and connecting them to God and each other. If you are a young adult and have been looking for a way to connect with other young adults around you, please come and check it out ! See Kevin, Eric or Craig for more info.
Please joins us at Chevys in Gilroy (8440 Murray Ave) on Monday June 14th (from 11am to 9pm) for our youth fundraiser. We are raising money to send kids to youth camp this summer and Chevys has offered to donate 25% of the proceeds from that night to our youth. You must have a flyer and hand it to your server for it to count towards our fundraiser. Please click here to download the flyer. And tell all your friends to come as well !
In our culture, the trashcan is where we collect our refuse—those unwanted and unclean items that we want to be rid of. For many however, the trashcan represents life—a medium through which daily sustenance is found. In the spirit of the ancient practice of gleaning, in which the leftover crops at the edges of farmers’ fields were left for the poor and the stranger, we’ve reclaimed the trashcan as symbol of hope and given birth to a new initiative: A Trashcan Can Make a Difference (TCMD).
We are started a TCMD initiative at The Foothills a few months ago. For our third month we will be collecting dry spaghetti and sauce for the Gilroy Salvation Army. We will be helping them restock their food pantry, which they use to help feed over 300 families a month in Gilroy. If you have any other questions please see Craig Littlejohn.
Laundry love is coming up in just a few week. Remember you can bring your quarters to the jar in the foyer. If you want to help out at this Laundry Love Project please see Craig.
“THEY are being questioned by the authorities”, is a phrase no one ever wants to hear about themselves. Why? Because being questioned by the authorities is pretty scary. Questions from authorities usually means someone’s in serious trouble, and that someone could be you.
THERE is not a greater Authority on earth than the Lord God, and He has questions for us.
DID you know, the first dialogue God had with man after he sinned was in the form of a question? God asked Adam, “Where Are You?”
THE question God asked was not meant to condemn Adam or show him what a jerk he was. God only wanted to reveal what was in Adam’s heart so He could heal him. This is why God has questions for us. Questions like… “Cain, Why are you angry?” - Genesis 4:6; Or, “Where is your brother?” – Genesis 4:9; To Moses, “What is that in your hand?” – Exodus 4:2; God asked Job, “Would you condemn me in order to justify yourself?” Job 40:8; And to Peter He asked, “Who do you say I am?” Matthew 16:15
AFTER the resurrection, there were at least 15 questions posed. All of these questions were not asked in order to get people in trouble, but to reveal their hearts. These questions could all be asked of us today.
ON the first day of the week (Sunday), very early in the morning, a group of women went to the tomb to see the body of Jesus. When the women arrived at the empty tomb, an angel greeted them with this question, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He is risen.” This question got me wondering if I look for life among the dead. This caused me to then ask, “What brings life to a person?” In other words, what makes a person feel like their life is fulfilling, fresh, even fun? What is it that we can do that will make us feel alive with vitality and purpose? To answer this question is to find life among the living.
JESUS said in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Then, in verse 11, Jesus states, “I am the Good Shepherd.” the Good Shepherd is the one who leads us to life and life to it’s fullest.
SO, what are the things that bring us life? This can be answered by our Priorities. A priority is the value of importance we place on something. Our priorities determine our schedule. We give the best times of our day to what we deem as the most important. We all have the same amount of time. How we use our time is what separates the successful from the unsuccessful; the happy from the sad; the fulfilled from the empty.
HERE are some priorities that bring us life. These will keep us from looking for the living from among the dead…
#1) THE SPIRIT. When we place an emphasis on our spiritual life above all other things, God will bring us life. In Matthew 6:25 Jesus says, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life…” He goes on to say in verses 31-33, “Do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
When we seek God first, making our spiritual life the priority for our life is when we will truly have security.
#2) THE SCRIPTURES. Of all the things you can do with your time in a given day, reading God’s Word is essential to finding life. Solomon said in Proverbs 4:20-22, “Listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man’s whole body.” God’s Word is what will bring us the stability to life that we are looking for.
#3) THE SABBATH. More than about a day of the week, the Sabbath is about an attitude. An attitude of setting aside time each week to worship and rest from the work we are called to do. God blesses the Sabbath and He makes it Holy as Moses told the people in Exodus 20:11,
“For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but He rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” When we honor the Lord by keeping the Sabbath, we will find the satisfaction in life we all need and search for.
#4) THE SANCTUARY. This is the place that God has deemed to be where He meets with us. It is His house where we find shelter and safety for our lives. A place of feeding and a place of corporate worship. The writer of Hebrews cautions us with these words, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:25
WHEN these four principles of life, set up by God, are priorities for each one of us, we will be able to answer the angel’s question to the women at the tomb and we will find life among the living.
Pastor Mark
