Monthly Newletter — March 2012
Family of Faith Christian Fellowship |
London Newsletter March 2012 / Issue 26 |
In this issue:
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Upcoming Events:
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March LetterWe have now entered the season of Lent, the 40-day period leading up to the commemoration of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Much of the Christian world observes this period as a time of spiritual reflection and renewal in preparation for Easter. It is an opportunity for us too to reflect on Christ’s willingness to lay down His life for us. As Christians we have been called to follow Jesus. This is not a one-time call with a one-time response. It is an ongoing call that requires an ongoing response. How are we responding to God’s ongoing call to be conformed to the image of His Son and to display the same kind of sacrificial love? This is a good time to reflect on some of the tough statements Jesus made during His ministry:
These are challenging statements. They serve to remind us of the total commitment we made at our baptism. We gave up our former life in exchange for a new life in Christ. How is that reality being translated into the way we now live our lives? It is very easy for us to settle into a spiritual rut – to get comfortable with the status quo. And yet Jesus is continually calling us into an ever deeper relationship with Him. A life of dying to self and living for Christ, symbolized in baptism, is one we develop over a lifetime as we learn to surrender control of every area of our lives to the Lordship of Christ. The reality is that if our relationship with Jesus is not growing and deepening, it is regressing. It cannot remain stagnant. During this time, as we reflect on the depth of Jesus’ commitment to us, it is good for us to examine the depth of our commitment to Him. Warmest regards, Colin and Sue |
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A Reflection on Self Denial(Excerpted from a lecture on Self-denial by Charles Finney) “He said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). I. What self-denial is not: It is not the giving up of one form of selfishness for the sake of another form:
II. What self-denial is:
III. What is implied in true self-denial:
(Source: http://www.gospeltruth.net/1841OE/410317_self_denial.htm) |
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Things to Pray for: Please continue to pray for:
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Quotations Worth Thinking About “Everything we have and are in Christ both comes from God and returns to God. It begins in his will and ends in his glory. For this is where everything begins and ends. Yet such Christian talk comes into violent collision with the man-centredness and self-centredness of the world. Fallen man, imprisoned in his own little ego, has an almost boundless confidence in the power of his own will, and an almost insatiable appetite for the praise of his own glory. But the people of God have at least begun to be turned inside out. The new society has new values and new ideals. For God’s people are God’s possession who live by God’s will and for God’s glory.” – John Stott (“God’s New Society”) “Grace must find expression in life, otherwise it is not grace.” — Karl Barth “It has been well said that no man ever sank under the burden of the day. It is when tomorrow’s burden is added to the burden of today that the weight is more than a man can bear. Never load yourself so, my friends. If you find yourselves so loaded, at least remember this: it is your own doing, not God’s. He begs you to leave the future to Him, and mind the present.” – George MacDonald |