Immanuel Fellowship

We continue our study of some of the lesser known saints. In this message we look briefly at Epaphas, Phoebe, Priscilla and Aquila, and Tychicus. All were bond servants of our Lord Jesus. We have much to learn from these brothers and sisters.

The year 2020 will be famous, or infamous. We don't know what's ahead. Everything is uncertain, but that doesn't mean that God has abandoned us. Philippians 4:6-8 is the Bible passage for taking our anxieties to God no matter what crazy thing this year throws at us next.

In these troubled days it's important to realized that we've been called to stand firm in godly conduct against the onslaught of evil and confusion.

God has called us to be partakers of His grace. But do we really understand what grace is? Actually, God wants to pour out His grace upon us!

Today, under the New Covenant, God is looking for workers, or shepherds, who will care for His flock as under-shepherds. They will love and serve in the same spirit as the Chief Shepherd, their Lord Jesus Christ. Passages covered are I Peter 5:1-5, John 21:15-17, and Acts 20:28-31.

We begin this series by looking at Ezekiel 34 when God gives a severe warning to those who have been called to be shepherds yet are not caring for the flock, not going after the scattered, not healing the hurting. Rather they are feeding themselves! The promise, however, is that God will raise up a perfect and good Shepherd one day....that is Jesus Christ.

 

 

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The Scriptures (2Timothy 3) clearly speak of difficult days ahead when people will become lovers of self, lovers of money, and lovers of pleasure. It is the spirit of this age. Sadly, this is creeping into the Church. Evil men and imposters will go from bad to even worse. They will deceive many. So how do we escape the deception of the spirit of this age? The last part of the chapter (2 Timothy 3) gives us the answer!

We are told in 1 Timothy 3:1-5 that in the last days men will become lovers of self, lovers of money, and lovers of pleasure.  Other words are also describe the condition of mankind in the last days.  While we may see this deterioration of society taking place around us, as Christians, we must stand firm in godly behavior and speech that he has called us to.

Usually bitterness begins with a small misunderstanding or offense. Sometimes bitterness is caused by a legitimate concern of being mistreated. Regardless, bitterness will grow if unchecked, and eventually can cause devastating effects on us. Even more important, bitterness can turn off the flow of God’s grace over our lives. It is essential that we know how to avoid bitterness and how to overcome it.