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Location:
6425 Jefferson Rd. For
directions, click here.
FROM
THE PASTOR From Just
as I began to recover from one
difficult circumstance, I'd get hit
with another. Frankly, adversity has
been pounding me until I feel like
hamburger meat. I
know some of your feel the same way. I
saw you at the funerals. On
top of all that, our finances and
building program at Gateway haven't
progressed as we had hoped for -- and
believed God for. Have
you found yourself (as I have!) asking
God if He still knows our address?
"Lord, are you aware that we're still
on this planet, trying to serve Your
kingdom?" Jesus
said that in such circumstances we
should always pray -- and not give up.
He told a parable to help us
understand: the parable of an unjust
judge. Judges
have the responsibility of protecting
the weak from the injustice of the
powerful, but this judge refused to
enforce justice for a widow, a person
he was charged to protect. Even so, the
widow persisted in her plea -- and
finally got her justice. The
purpose of the parable is not to
compare the unjust judge
and God, but rather to
contrast them. After all,
God isn't reluctant to answer the cry
of his people. He is eager! Jesus
knew injustice and evil would sometimes
seem to have the upper hand. He knew
that at times we would feel like God
has forgotten us. During
those times, Jesus said we should keep
on praying -- and not give
up. Here's
a small sampling of verses that tell us
about God's love for us: Though
my father and mother forsake me, the
LORD will receive me. (Psalm
27:10) He
who did not spare his own Son, but
gave him up for us all -- how will
he not also, along with him,
graciously give us all things?
(Romans 8:32) We
live in a world that has deviated from
the plan and purpose of God. Therefore
bad stuff happens even to good people.
But the fact
of God's love for us, shown to us in
Jesus Christ, can empower us to
persevere through difficult
times. Jesus
made it clear that God won't always
protect us from the consequences of
living in a fallen world. Rather, God's
purpose is that, trusting His love, we
live holy, overcoming
lives
in spite of the
circumstances
of an unjust and unholy
world. God
wants to use us to show the world the
character, nature, and power of the
living God (see Matthew
5:43-48). So as
I start out the new year I'm going to
keep doing what I've been doing. I'll
try my best to love God with all my
heart, soul, strength, and mind -- and
love my neighbor as myself. I'll
try to do what is right and just and
serve His kingdom the best I know
how. I'll
keep trying to live out the love of God
-- a love that "always protects, always
trusts, always hopes, always
perseveres" (1 Corinthians 13:7).
I'm
also going to read Galatians 6:9
regularly, so that I'll remember that
my labor is not in vain: God's
knows our address! God knows we're on
this planet trying to serve His
kingdom! I'm
looking forward to the new year, with
the hope and prayer that this will be
the year of harvest. If
not, I'll keep on praying -- and not
give up! God
loves you and so does the preacher! See
you in church Sunday.
Gateway
Church gathers
for worship
Sundays
at 10:30 a.m.
(Hwy. 129) in Athens,
Georgia.
Ministry
of the
Word:
Recent
sermons
Our quarterly e-magazine
Gateway
Today
For the Gateway family
The
Gateway
Blog
(online
newsletter)
Gateway
Today
The
e-magazine of
Gateway Church
January-February
2003
Persevering
hope
Then Jesus told his disciples a
parable
to show them that they should always
pray and not give up.
(Luke 18:1)
"Always
pray and not give up." These words from
Luke's gospel are what I really need to
hear as we move into 2003.
I
certainly won't record 2002 as a banner
year. My family faced major, unexpected
expenses. But as the year went on,
these financial setbacks proved to be
only minor irritations compared to
grief over sickness and death among
family and friends
by
Jerry
Sermons
'Lord,
did you forget about
us?'
The
fact of God's
love
Circumstances
can be tough at times. But we must not
let circumstances determine our
understanding of God's love for us.
Instead our understanding of His love
must be rooted in what His Word
says.Can
a mother forget the baby at her
breast and have no compassion on the
child she has borne? Though she may
forget, I will not forget you!
(Isaiah 49:15)
Trust
and obeyLet
us not become weary in doing good,
for at the proper time we will reap
a harvest if we do not give
up.
Let's
keep on keeping on
