Luke 4:18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news..."
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We Have One Job to Do

1/20/2019

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Jesus said in Matthew 6:33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Whatever we do in life, whatever causes we become involved in, whatever activities we take up, there needs to be one purpose, one overriding reason for us doing anything. That purpose is to seek God’s Kingdom. That is the compass bearing we set for our lives. It is the North Star to guide our decisions and give us direction and purpose in life. Some aspect of seeking God’s Kingdom should be what drags us out of bed in the mornings.

Now, “Seeking God’s Kingdom” has a nice nebulous ring to it. It could mean seeking the higher good for all mankind. It could mean trying to be a good neighbor or volunteer community worker, or try to make the world a better place, or a whole host of other things.

Jesus is more practical than that. At the end of Matthew, Jesus gave us our marching orders. Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

God’s Kingdom here on earth is people. Sure He owns all there is. He rules over the weather, the seas, the earthquakes, the forest fires, all forms of life. And He makes it all work together for His glory and our good. But Jesus died on the cross to take the penalty of the sins of people on himself. He didn’t die for animals or weather or climate change. He died for people. And His commission to us, His last words to us as He went back to rejoin His Father were to make disciples of all nations.

That is how we seek first His Kingdom here on earth. By leading people to Jesus, see them become Christians, help them to grow in their relationship with God. Paul described the process in 2 Timothy 2:2 The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

It’s not a job for the “professionals”. It’s the job God has given to each one of us. We have one job to do. That’s to seek God’s Kingdom here on earth by building disciples, by teaching them the things God has taught us through people (as Paul taught Timothy), and by learning from His Word directly. Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.

In order to guide people into God’s Kingdom, we need to be worthwhile messengers ourselves. We need to keep seeking God’s Kingdom in our own lives. Proverbs 4:23 Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.

Our countries seem to be falling apart at the seams. Lawlessness and disorder are the order of the day. Our countries are actively following Satan and persecuting Christians. The only way to see that turned around is to seek God’s Kingdom here on earth, and in our countries. That starts with seeing people become Christians, and then disciples. Then they will take on God’s values and standards and way of living. We can become involved in lots of Christian organizations and activities; we can go on marches and become politically active. But unless we are carrying out God’s mandate to us to see individuals turn around, repent and become Christians, one at a time, we’ll just be wasting time and effort.

We have one job to do: Seek God’s Kingdom here on earth. That means we need to evaluate all we do in terms of “How will this help build God’s Kingdom here on earth?” It means starting with our own lives, and going on to disciple others.

P.S. We can’t wait until we are “perfect” ourselves. That will never happen. We need to start now, where we are. We need to stick as close as we can to God’s Word as we go along in life. Jesus’ commission was to make disciples as we are going.

Sunday morning devotion by Pastor Art 
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Our Mission: Sunday Morning recap

1/17/2019

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On Sunday morning, Pastor Dotty spoke. She reminded us of out mission statement at the Huntingdon Oasis:

OUR MISSION STATEMENT
The purpose of the Oasis of Love Church of Huntingdon is to bring people into agreement with God and one another by virtue of an orderly wholeness through the following:

1.  Worship unto God - to grow into a “fully devoted lifestyle” unto Jesus Christ in all areas of our lives.

2.  Discipleship - to reconcile or win believers and unbelievers to God as a disciple (follower of Christ) here on earth.

3.  Fellowship - to create a lifestyle of sharing, support, and companionship; to serve one another and express Christian love in tangible ways.

4.  Service - to develop channels of service to the Huntingdon Community and the body of Christ.


Luk 4:18 MKJV  "The Spirit of the Lord is on Me; because of this He has anointed Me to proclaim the Gospel to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim deliverance to the captives, and new sight to the blind, to set at liberty those having been crushed,

She reminded us of last weeks lesson and the key words, “FOCUS” and “TOGETHER.”  Let’s go into the new year TOGETHER, with the focus of Christ before us and our mission to our community.

Many different ones shared about the outreaches we did last year, Lake Day, Kid’s Klub, Kid’s Activity Day, Camp, Seekers, Tweeners, In School Bible Club, Nursing Home Outreaches, Senior Hour, Etc.  Many different ones reached and touched by going outside our walls.  We were reminded that Isa 62:10-12 (NIrV0 says, “Go out through your gates, people of Jerusalem! Go out! Prepare the way for the rest of your people to return. Build up the road! Build it up! Remove the stones. Raise a banner over the city for the nations to see.  (11)  The LORD has announced a message from one end of the earth to the other. He has said, "Tell the people of Zion, "Look! Your Savior is coming! He is bringing his people back as his reward. He has won the battle over their enemies.'"  (12)  They will be called The Holy People. The LORD will set them free. And Jerusalem will be named The City the LORD Cares About. It won't be deserted anymore.”

This was speaking to the church and the church was reminded the following things:
  1. Open the gates … don’t be secretive or disguised.  Be open before your leaders, and others.  Let God shine through you to everyone.
  2. Repair the road … fix it … so we can help others.  (Jn 11:38-42) … take away the stone, the things in our lives that hinder us from serving God they way He desires.  Level the mountains … God is always at work and wants us to level those mountains in our lives and in others lives that keep us from a steady walk with Him (Is 40:3,4)
  3. Raise a banner for all nations to see … don’t hide your light under a bushel … God is moving, do you see it?  If not, look again, get involved, so you can see it!  Isa 43:18-19 MSG "Forget about what's happened; don't keep going over old history.  (19)  Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand-new. It's bursting out! Don't you see it? There it is! I'm making a road through the desert, rivers in the badlands.
Don’t refuse to get involved!  Do something new … pray more, stretch yourself … let the Church Mission Statement be YOUR personal mission statement!

We were challenged to do something this year that we haven’t done before!  We were challenged to have a “Yes, I will” attitude!  Remember, we are a team, no one can do it all.  And T.E.A.M stands for Together Everyone Achieves Much!  Let’s stay focused and together head into this new year for Christ!
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We go where we focus

1/10/2019

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Last Sunday, Pastor Art shared from Philippians 3:12-4:1 about Focus.

We all have a choice in what or who we focus our attention on. 

We go where our focus is! 

If we focus on the past, it keeps us from moving forward. When we are constantly dwelling on those failures, we miss out on the blessings God has for us in the future. You can’t control what other people do to you or do around you, but you can control how you respond. 

Verse 15 in the Message Bible says, “So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us.” I don’t want to be someone that gives up or slacks off and is always concentrating on the past. I want to finish the race He has designed for me, and finish it strong! We can’t stand strong if we are living in the past. Therefore, He has blessed us with others to help us on this journey. 

As Christians, if we are all running the same course and headed toward the same goal, we need to make sure we keep track of each other and encourage one another along the path. 

As we begin 2019, Pastor Art challenged us to ask ourselves: What is our focus? What are you looking for in 2019? Write the word FOCUS on a piece of paper and put it somewhere you can look at it everyday! Let’s keep on track with God.

​By: Crystal Baker

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focus

1/7/2019

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Okay, so I didn’t get this out in the middle of the week because I was on the road.  We drove (my brothers, Dex and Rod, nephew Jay, and myself) over 3400 miles (Huntingdon, PA to Lexington, KY to Orlando, FL to Lexington, KY to Denver, CO and then from Pittsburgh back to Huntingdon) and flew over 1400 miles, watched Penn State University attempt a comeback, but fall short, and delivered a car to it’s owner in Denver, CO, all in 5 ½ days!  Some would say we are nuts, and for those that say that, I don’t think anyone is arguing with you!  HA!

As I watched the PSU game and then listened to the banter on social media calling for Coach Franklin to be fired, I became concerned about the way we view things.  People complaining about the fake punt on Penn State’s first possession and blaming Coach Franklin for a terrible call that lead to a UK field goal would have been the same ones praising him IF the long snapper would have made a more accurate snap and the runner would not have dropped the ball.  If the ball drop never occurred, the runner would have made the additional half yard needed for a first down.  The game came down to special teams not executing for Penn State and the wide receivers dropping balls.  In spite of quarterback Trace McSorely’s valiant effort to lead the team back to victory while nursing a possible broken foot, Penn State fell short, 27-24.

Okay, why do I start this report this way?  Because last Sunday we read Phil 3:12-4:1.  We talked about the need to let go of the past (the good, the bad, and the ugly) (v.13).  If we don’t let it go, we wallow in it and are not able to execute in the present and future.  We talked about reaching for those things ahead of us (v.14).  We have a goal before us, and that goal is Jesus.  We tend to head towards were we are looking.  So if our focus is on Jesus, it is only natural that is where we are going.

Focus … what a powerful word.  We declared that was the word for 2019 … FOCUS!  We need to constantly check our focus … to make sure we are looking in the right direction, to encourage others to keep heading the right way. 

Heb 12:2 ERV  We must never stop looking to Jesus. He is the leader of our faith, and he is the one who makes our faith complete. He suffered death on a cross. But he accepted the shame of the cross as if it were nothing because of the joy he could see waiting for him. And now he is sitting at the right side of God's throne.

In 2019, don’t get distracted, don’t get discouraged, don’t quit … keep your focus so you can successfully execute our game plan and be MORE than conquerors … we can win!

This is ​an excerpt from Pastor Art's weekly email
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Phone: 814-627-3819
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Oasis of  Love Church
10991 Station Road 
Huntingdon, PA 16652