Prestoncrest Internet Ministry

 

January 27, 2008

I read this week, in Acts chapter 2, about the Christians gathering together daily and it got me thinking about our church today about how busy and spread apart we are during the week. I realize that our lives in Dallas now are very different then the lives of the Christians in Jerusalem described in Acts, but I’ll ask the question about how we can “meet together” like they did. Sunday is our time to be together as a church family in person. I also know that technology today gives us the chance to get together in different ways that the early Christians never thought about. We us email, cell phones, text messaging and IM to communicate with one another when we cannot be together face to face.

So this week, I am adding a new feature to the Focus on the First Day that I hope you will utilize to communicate with one another in preparation for Sundays. I have begun posting the Focus on the First Day messages online. I do this for two reasons. First, I want to share with all of you some additional things that I currently cannot put in this email each week. In the online version, I am adding links to additional items I find that I hope will benefit you in your preparation for worship on Sunday. These will now include links to the songs and musical artists that I reference in the message so you can hear the songs and see who these artists are, allowing their musical gifts to bless you and provide additional ways to bring worship to God.

Secondly, I want to provide a place for our church to interact and share our thoughts about worship. So at the bottom of each Focus on the First Day (FOTFD) message, you will see an area where you can post comments. I would encourage you to share your thoughts on the message as well as other comments posted by others in our church. I want to provide a safe place for us to “meet together” as we prepare for our weekly in-person gathering on Sunday.

You may find the FOTFD online here.

I pray that this new feature will provide a place of blessing where we may gather together and share ourselves. Now join me as we “Focus on the First Day.”

God bless,
Mike

How misguided I was in my search to know your love
I was working hard in all the wrong ways
Living life chaotically never sitting at your feet
‘Til you taught me the true meaning of grace
Be still there is peace
In your arms I am free
My heart is all you want from me
So I will be still
 - Be Still – Anthony Evans
  (Click on the media page to listen to part of the song “Be Still.”)

Communion

Matthew 26:42

The symbolism of the cross is powerful in so many ways. One symbol is shown in the 2 beams that make the cross. Look at the vertical portion of the cross and see our relationship with Jesus. While we reach up to Him, He reaches down to us. It is our first, our primary relationship, our anchor of life. Without the vertical portion, the cross could not stand. Now look at the horizontal portion and see our relationships with one another. Jesus told His church to be one, a unified family. When you eat the bread and drink from the cup, look first to Jesus and thank Him for reaching to us. But also, reach out to each other, loving each other as he loves us.

Sermon

“Missing in Action” (Bob Chisholm)
Mark 6:31

Are you tired of being tired? Do you know how to say “no”? Is there any margin built into your daily routine? Many fathers, mothers, husbands and wives are “missing in action” because they don’t know that slowing down is not a suggestion from God, it’s a commandment. Come learn how to protect our most important relationships.

Prayer Time

Acts 2:42-47

Prayertime is now a time for our church to really be the family God calls us to be. Use this time to share your life with our church, the good as well as the bad. Take your burdens and your joys to one another, to our elders, our staff, or to the whole church. We welcome you because Prayertime is open, come as you are.

Sunday Evening

“Virtuous Reality” (Bob Chisholm, Matt Mazza, & Mike Collodi)

God blesses our lives in many ways. Join us Sunday evening, as we look at many of the ways that God uses marriage to strengthen and deepen our spiritual lives.

We are encouraged to be a family of believers that choose to come together each week in worship. Come this Sunday with a desire to not just come to church, but come to truly be the church.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 25th, 2008 at 8:00 am and is filed under FOTFD. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.