Prayer & Preparation for July 2nd, 2023
This Lord's Day
Hey church,
Here are some details about this week's service:
Songs: "Come Now Almighty King," "Worthy, Worthy," "Crown Him (Majesty)," "Sovereign Over Us," "Christ Is Mine Forevermore," and in the evening communion service "Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery," How Great Is Our God," "On That Day," and "Blessed Assurance (My King Is Coming Soon)"
Sermon text: Haggai 2:20-23
Sermon title: King of Kings, Lord of Lords
Cross-references: Deut. 7:6-11; Jer. 22:24-30; Eze. 18:30-32, 33:10-11; Haggai 2:6-7; Matt. 1:12-16; Luke 3:23-27; 1 Tim. 6:11-16; 2 Peter 3:11-13; Rev. 17:13-14, 19:11-16
Favorite quotes from my study and preparation:
"We should get on with being faithful to him in the situation in which we find ourselves. It may be that God will use us to achieve great things. It may be that he calls us simply to be faithful. It may be that in the topsy-turvy economy of God's reign what we think of as great and significant has little eternal weight and it is unnoticed acts and the anguished prayers of humble servants that bear fruit for all eternity."
Tim Chester in The Message of Prayer
"Anyone in the building industry knows that a construction project can take a long time, for there are almost always unforeseen snags and delays that postpone the completion date. This is also true for the church. Being built up as a congregation takes time because pastors and churches alike are hindered by their sinfulness, hampered by a lack of unity, and impeded by ignorance and immaturity. There may be a delay in growth because of the church leadership's foolish mistakes or because of the world's hostility or because of the devil's temptations...Every congregation is a work in progress that one day will be finished to perfection."
Reuben Bredenhof in Weak Pastor, Strong Christ
"This remains an important message for us when we are overwhelmed at the global power of nations, multinational enterprises and the ever-growing influence of huge media corporations. It is easy to be intimidated by the progressive secularization of life in the West, the rapid dismantling of our Christian heritage and the relentless sneering of the media at biblical Christianity. But we do not need to tremble for the ark of God as Eli did (1 Sam. 4:13), for Christ is building his church and nothing can prevent that."
Robert Fyall in The Bible Speaks Today Commentary Series: The Message of Ezra & Haggai
By His Grace & For His Glory,
Jeff Tague
