EChurch@Wartburg – 9.16.12

Welcome to Our Gathering of EChurch@Wartburg


Enhanced Rainbow by Barb Ver Sluis

A Prayer of Ambrose (c 339-97) link

O Lord, who hast mercy upon all, take away from me my sins,
and mercifully kindle in me the fire of thy Holy Spirit.
Take away from me the heart of stone,
and give me a heart of flesh,
a heart to love and adore thee,
a heart to delight in thee,
to follow and to enjoy thee,
for Christ’s sake.
In Jesus name,
Amen

A Prayer By Thomas Cranmer link

"This collect was written by Thomas Cranmer and is based on 1 Corinthians 13. Cranmer was Archbishop of Canterbury during the reign of Henry VIII and was finally executed during the reign of Henry's daughter Mary." link

Lord God,
you have taught us
that anything we do without love is worth nothing,
for whoever lives without love
is counted dead before you;
send your Holy Spirit,
and pour into our hearts
that most excellent gift of love,
the true bond of peace and of all virtues;
grant this for the sake of your Son Jesus Christ
who is alive with with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God now and for ever.
Amen.

If you are new to EChurch, please click on this link for an explanation

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 11:13-14 (NASB Bible Gateway)

All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own.

The Friendship Prayer link

Father, I ask you to bless my friends reading this right now.
I am asking You to minister to their spirit at this very moment.
Where there is pain, give them Your peace and mercy.
Where there is self doubting, release a renewed confidence in Your ability to work through them.
Where there is tiredness, or exhaustion, I ask You to give them understanding, patience, and strength
as they learn submission to your leading.
Where there is spiritual stagnation, I ask You to renew them by revealing Your nearness,
and by drawing them into greater intimacy with You.
Where there is fear, reveal Your love, and release to them Your courage.
Where there is a sin blocking them, reveal it, and break its hold over my friend's life.
Bless their finances, give them greater vision, and raise up leaders and friends to support and encourage them.
 Give each of them discernment to recognize the evil forces around them,
and reveal to them the power they have in You to defeat it.
I ask You to do these things in Jesus' name.
Amen 

Jude 24-25 Benediction

To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before His glorious presence
without fault and with great joy—  
to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority,
through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore!
Amen.

Thank you for spending your precious time worshipping the Lord.

Comments

EChurch@Wartburg – 9.16.12 — 15 Comments

  1. Oh wow…just when you’re sure a service can’t possible be any better, the next one surpasses all expectations. 🙂

    Pastor Wade, your sermon was so powerful for me. It put the conflicts of life in perspective. As we journey through this life it’s natural to encounter differences in customs, languages, values, etc. because we are foreigners here. You made a point that was very valuable for me about the wisdom of understanding how the customs differ from those of us who are merely passing through.

    Thanks once again to you, Deb and Dee, for this safe place.

  2. Victorious,

    I am so grateful that Wade’s message encouraged you. I have listened to it twice and may do so one more time later today. I learn something new every time I hear it.

    We are so blessed to have him here. 🙂

  3. This message from Hebrews and the entire New Testament is the HIGHEST of all truths, for it reveals The Truth. I have explored different religions and different philosophies and I have to (I am compelled from within) to say that this is the HIGHEST of ALL truths. They are contained and revealed by the work and performance of Jesus Christ. There is none compared to His Truth.

  4. Victorious and Thy Peace,

    I agree with you both. “The message from Hebrews is the highest of all truths, for it reveals the Truth.” Well said, Thy Peace. I am grateful that Dee and Wanda are just as interested in promoting the Scriptures as they are exposing error.

  5. Ryan,

    Yes, that is a wonderful prayer.  I enjoyed visiting your website.  I have two daughters, so you and your wife are going to enjoy the addition of a daughter to your family.  Blessings!

  6. Oh wow…just when you’re sure a service can’t possible be any better, the next one surpasses all expectations.

  7. Whoops! My post seems to have posted itself before I was finished! 🙂

    The above quote was from Victorious – “Oh wow…just when you’re sure a service can’t possible be any better, the next one surpasses all expectations.” My thoughts, exactly!

    Thy Peace,

    I kept thinking throughout the whole message that it was so powerful because Wade focuses on The Truth – both the content and the Person (not that they can be separated!).

  8. Wade,

    I feel like I have finally come home! (My postings from 9.2.12 will help this make more sense.) After getting involved with a church that, as it grew and the culture changed, gradually morphed into a patriarchal system, I feel like I lost my way. What was presented as truth was no longer Truth. Spiritual abuse was alive and well in both my home and my church and I ended up losing both my marriage and my church. I had a significant trauma response to deal with (not caused solely by religious abuse) and church had become such an unsafe place for me that I stopped attending church altogether. Where once I used to think of my church family as my real family and I loved being at church, now even thinking about church caused much pain and anxiety. I lost all hope of ever finding a healthy church – nor did I want to. I’ve hovered around TWW pretty much since Dee and Deb started blogging but it took a long time for me to be able to click on the e-church link and, then, only occasionally. Gradually, mostly because your sermons have been so compelling, Wade, and you have focused on Jesus without adding to the gospel, God has been healing my heart in this area. I now find my self hungering for the Word and awaiting with great anticipation your next message. I am beginning to dream of finding a church with face-to-face fellowship. I feel like I have found my first love again! Wade, thank you for your faithfulness in preaching the true gospel. Deb and Dee, thank you for providing a forum where I can heal.

  9. Abigail,

    Your comment was so heart-warming that I had to share it with my hubby.  I remember our lunch conversation a couple of years ago, and I am rejoicing with you in the spiritual healing you are experiencing.  God bless you!

  10. Deb,

    I’ve learned a lot along the way and am a better person for it but it is nice to have the sun come up again (or should I say Son? 🙂 )

  11. Robert

    I liked the Corinthians quote. Today, I saw a bimper sticker advertising a local megchurch. I’ve seen a lot of these lately for different churches. Funny thing, a couple of decades ago, the bumper stickers advertised Jesus. Now they advertise churches.There is a post in here somewhere. Thinking…