In answer to that we might think of the new heaven and earth where evil has been eliminated, there is no more violence, where the lion lays down with the lamb. When Jesus came he came saying that the kingdom of God, the rule of God, was at hand, that is, coming into view.

The people already knew what an earthly king could be like from centuries of misrule and corruption and the harsh and cruel rule of Herod and the Roman Empire. The Jews envisioned that God’s rule would come with final judgment upon such imposters. The kingdom of God had to be like Solomon’s kingdom when all the earthly kings bowed before the throne and all nations submit to His rule just like Psalm 72 portrayed.

Jesus spoke about the coming judgment, yet he also did things to show what it looks like when the king is present. When lepers came to Him He healed and restored them to the community. He forgave and accepted a rich tax collector and a prostitute. He healed a Gentile’s servant and set demonized people free and commissioned others to do the same. The rule of God came in the form of a servant who exercised His authority to restore the people He loved.

God’s rule differed from expectations! When the disciples saw Jesus ascend into heaven, they must have remembered the vision of Daniel 7:13-14 when one like the son of man ascends to the Ancient of Days to exercise everlasting dominion. King Jesus has ascended to exercise His dominion! The outpouring of the Spirit signals the King is at work!

Faithway Christian School is hosting a community event on Monday, February 27, at 7 p.m. in the sanctuary presented by Rob Cook – a Licensed Professional Counselor, Certified Family Life Educator and ordained Pastor with a Masters Degrees in Counseling and Biblical Studies.

The ABC’s of Parenting: From Tots to Teens ­ a workshop that provides a model for healthy interacting with your kids regardless of age. This approach is different from the usual parenting seminar in that it provides a framework for healthy parent-to-child relationships.

For more information, call the school office at (810) 743-0055.

Rob Cook Bio
The most important thing to know about Rob is that he is an ardent follower of Jesus, has a super cool wife (Sandy) and two great kids, Nicolle (Marc) and Jeremiah. By the way, Rob has a Masters Degree in Counseling and in Biblical Studies and is an ordained pastor, Licensed Professional Counselor in Michigan and a Certified Family Life Educator. In addition to his work with various churches and non-profits, he currently is the Care and Missions Pastor at Gracespring Bible Church, teaches at Spring Arbor University and has taught at William Tyndale College and Koinonia Theological Seminary in the Philippines.

Rob loves the outdoors and enjoys kayaking, hiking, and playing in the mud with his jeep.

The expansion and development of the church is a key feature of the story he tells. Yet there are larger themes running throughout this book. Luke notes that the resurrected Jesus gave orders to His disciples by the Holy Spirit. Excuse me!? Glorified Jesus is still ministering by the same anointing of the Holy Spirit that He received after His baptism? Wow! I thought that was over! Isn’t he just doing His own thing now? Apparently not.

The anointing of the Spirit to minister is now going to be given to His disciples, who in like manner to their master, will give up their own will and lives to carry out the Father’s will by the empowering of the Holy Spirit. The story of Acts is the story of the Holy Spirit guided spread of the good news of God’s rule. That is a story in which we have a part.

In the bulletin today you will find a slip of paper for your email address if you wish to receive a weekly question for consideration of the passage for the next Sunday.

Faithway Christian School is hosting a community event on Tues., Jan. 17th, at 7 pm in the sanctuary to address a growing concern for today’s youth.

The informational night, is entitled, “Emerging Trends in Technology; Protect Your Kids” and will feature Sgt. Scott Nichols of the Michigan State Police who will speak on such issues as cyber bullying, social networks and sexting, among others.

This is a “must-attend” evening if you are parenting (or grandparents of) tweens and/or teenagers, so save the date! For more information, call the school office at (810) 743-0055.

Forty days is a long time for a regular fast, so ask the Lord to guide you in what and how long you fast. If you have health issues that prevent you from fasting food, pick something else to do without. After fasting television or Facebook games or internet surfing you may find that your life is better without those things. After fasting certain foods you certainly will find your appetite for them diminished. The truth is that we need very little besides love. Our 40 days will begin with a Worship Night this Friday, January 13 at 7 p.m. Following the worship time you are invited to stay for as long as you want or sign up for an hour or two throughout the night in the Faith Prayer Room. That will conclude with an hour of prayer power at 8 a.m. with the elders.

Clean out the closets!

Galatians 4:4

The Message (MSG)

_4-7 But when the time arrived that was set by God the Father, God sent his Son, born among us of a woman, born under the conditions of the law so that he might redeem those of us who have been kidnapped by the law. Thus we have been set free to experience our rightful heritage. You can tell for sure that you are now fully adopted as his own children because God sent the Spirit of his Son into our lives crying out, “Papa! Father!” Doesn’t that privilege of intimate conversation with God make it plain that you are not a slave, but a child? And if you are a child, you’re also an heir, with complete access to the inheritance.

Read at BibleGateway

1 Thessalonians 5:14-23

New International Version (NIV)

14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil.

23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Read at BibleGateway

Today some have new governments and others are under even more oppression, but the new governments have not proven to be what the protesters had hoped. More protests have broken out in Egypt to call for more change. People want something different.

Something, rather, somebody is at work in the earth: the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that when the Spirit comes He “will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness, and judgment.” (John 16:8) The Spirit has come into the world, the whole world, and His job is to make people know that things are not as they should be. A longing rests in the heart of every person that this world is not what was intended. There is something better.

For us the Spirit is God’s promise of Jesus coming again and a new heaven and earth. Sin has twisted and ruined, but God is redeeming. That is where we come in.

The Spirit is at work in any place and in every person and God has sent us to speak and live the truth that the something better is both here now and coming soon. We live in the power of that future and we proclaim that it is coming! Above all people, we have reason to look forward and say, “Happy New Year!”

Yet the birth of Jesus was not marked by festive family gatherings or beautiful lighting displays. Jesus was born virtually unnoticed in less than an ideal setting. His birth was announced to a few men of questionable reputation. In that, not much has changed. We are not the rich, or the powerful, or even the especially good, but we are here celebrating the greatest gift ever given.

The gift of Jesus speaks to us of God’s goodness, His rich love, and His unfathomable mercy and compassion, yet it also poignantly speaks of our need. When Mary rejoiced that God was using her in His plan, she rejoiced in God her savior. When Zacharias prophesied of his son John, he spoke of God’s redemption, the forgiveness of sin. The angelic messengers announced the birth of a Savior. Simeon took the infant Jesus in his arms and said, “My eyes have seen Your salvation!” All spoke of Jesus with an acute awareness of their need. God saw our need and He has come.

Through many disasters and disappointments, generation after generation of faithful Jews held on to the conviction that God was keeping His promises, that the unfaithfulness and wickedness of men could not invalidate what God said he would do. They ordered the way they lived according to a future that they could not see, but that they firmly believed was coming, maybe not in their lifetime, but coming nonetheless.

In the eyes of the world they were a strange lot. They did not integrate into the larger society very well, stubbornly hanging on to their own customs in foreign lands and under oppressive foreign rule and persecution. They lived in the present according to the future that they were convinced God had promised. They were custodians of God’s promise.

What about us? On Christmas we reflect upon and celebrate the reality that Messiah Jesus has come, and that He is coming again. Yet we are more than just custodians of that promise. The outpouring of the Spirit has made us full participants in God’s action to redeem the world. The Spirit means that He is coming again and that we are both the proclaimers of and actors in God’s redemption drama. Christmas reminds us that we are part of His pageant of people who live their lives according to a new age of eternal life that has invaded this present age of sin and death.