Thursday, October 26, 2017
Growing Together
As I continue to become more familiar with our congregation here at Faith Moorpark, I frequently ask the question, “How can we grow together?”
As we move forward, I take heed to the words in the book of Acts 2:42, “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayers”. Hearing the Apostles teachings, the early church grew together in God’s Word. They faithfully came together to hear God’s word in the law and Gospel (Lk 24:47). They continued to break bread together (Holy Communion), praying together, “and the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved” (Ac 2:47b). What a great picture of unity within the early Christian church! A model in which we ought to follow, yet we must first ask, what was the mark of their togetherness? How was the early church unified? Were they unified because of their personalities, philosophies, or social networks? Were they unified by team building strategies or other unifying methods? No, they were united in the word. They communicated by the word, lived by the word, had all things in common by the word, broke bread by the word, and prayed by the word. Through the vitality and refreshing gift of the word and sacrament, they were equipped and strengthened by the forgiveness of sins. Walking the walk, the early church grew together in the word which brought great joy to their lives. Not only did they receive great joy in Jesus Christ and His word, they truly understood the importance of sharing this redemptive gift to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth (Ac 1:8).From inside and out, the early church flourished within but their favor and witness continued to grow outward into the community (Acts 2:47a). As the Lord added to their number daily, it is a great reminder how God works through the power of the Holy Spirit and His word.
We too share in the same gifts of joy. At Christ’s church we confess our sins and hear the gracious words of Absolution. We also receive the preached word of the law and Gospel where there too, we are forgiven. Not ending there, we also receive the means of grace in the Lord’s Supper, Christ’s body and blood for the forgiveness of our sins. And thus as we mirror the faith of the early church, we also proceed together in the word of God. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we are strengthened, renewed and restored by His gracious promise in the Gospel. Not only will we grow together in Christ but we also grow outward as we become the united as beacons of light to our community. What a blessed opportunity for all of us here at Faith Moorpark!
Here are several ways we can grow together in the word of God. I highly encourage you to join us!
Sundays
- 9:15am Divine Service
- 10:30am Bible Study on Colossians
Tuesdays (Beginning Nov 7th)
- 7pm Adult Instruction on Luther’s Small Catechism. Bring a friend!
Wednesdays:
- 10am and 7pm
- Study of Luther’s Large Catechism
Have a blessed November!
+Pastor Jeong
The full newsletter can be found here:
http://www.faithmoorpark.com/files/pdf/2017/2017-11-Newsletter.pdf
As we move forward, I take heed to the words in the book of Acts 2:42, “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayers”. Hearing the Apostles teachings, the early church grew together in God’s Word. They faithfully came together to hear God’s word in the law and Gospel (Lk 24:47). They continued to break bread together (Holy Communion), praying together, “and the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved” (Ac 2:47b). What a great picture of unity within the early Christian church! A model in which we ought to follow, yet we must first ask, what was the mark of their togetherness? How was the early church unified? Were they unified because of their personalities, philosophies, or social networks? Were they unified by team building strategies or other unifying methods? No, they were united in the word. They communicated by the word, lived by the word, had all things in common by the word, broke bread by the word, and prayed by the word. Through the vitality and refreshing gift of the word and sacrament, they were equipped and strengthened by the forgiveness of sins. Walking the walk, the early church grew together in the word which brought great joy to their lives. Not only did they receive great joy in Jesus Christ and His word, they truly understood the importance of sharing this redemptive gift to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth (Ac 1:8).From inside and out, the early church flourished within but their favor and witness continued to grow outward into the community (Acts 2:47a). As the Lord added to their number daily, it is a great reminder how God works through the power of the Holy Spirit and His word.
We too share in the same gifts of joy. At Christ’s church we confess our sins and hear the gracious words of Absolution. We also receive the preached word of the law and Gospel where there too, we are forgiven. Not ending there, we also receive the means of grace in the Lord’s Supper, Christ’s body and blood for the forgiveness of our sins. And thus as we mirror the faith of the early church, we also proceed together in the word of God. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we are strengthened, renewed and restored by His gracious promise in the Gospel. Not only will we grow together in Christ but we also grow outward as we become the united as beacons of light to our community. What a blessed opportunity for all of us here at Faith Moorpark!
Here are several ways we can grow together in the word of God. I highly encourage you to join us!
Sundays
- 9:15am Divine Service
- 10:30am Bible Study on Colossians
Tuesdays (Beginning Nov 7th)
- 7pm Adult Instruction on Luther’s Small Catechism. Bring a friend!
Wednesdays:
- 10am and 7pm
- Study of Luther’s Large Catechism
Have a blessed November!
+Pastor Jeong
The full newsletter can be found here:
http://www.faithmoorpark.com/files/pdf/2017/2017-11-Newsletter.pdf
posted by Faith Moorpark
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