Welcome to a Gathering of EChurch@Wartburg
Here Is Our Order of Worship
If you are new to EChurch, please click on this link for an explanation
A Prayer by Martin Luther link
Behold, Lord, an empty vessel that needs to be filled. My Lord, fill it.
I am weak in the faith; strengthen me.
I am cold in love; warm me and make me fervent, that my love may go out to my neighbor.
I do not have a strong and firm faith; at times I doubt and am unable to trust you altogether.
O Lord, help me. Strengthen my faith and trust in you.
In you I have sealed the treasure of all I have.
I am poor; you are rich and came to be merciful to the poor.
I am a sinner; you are upright.
With me, there is an abundance of sin; in you is the fullness of righteousness.
Therefore I will will remain with you, of whom I can receive, but to whom I may not give.
Amen.
A Prayer to Jesus for Healing link
Dear Lord, You are the Just judge, Holy and True.
You are the Most High God. You give us life. You hold all power in your hands.
You are the Mighty one from God who carries the world, and is ruler over all the earth.
You Oh Most Blessed One are the giver of life. In you are only good things.
In you is mercy and love. In you is healing of the nations.
In you is freedom of worry and freedom of pain.
Lord Almighty, You loved us so much.
You were sent from your Father, sent to save us from destruction.
We truly can never make it to Heaven without the help of Jesus the Son, who was sent to earth to help us.
You, Lord are full of mercy and grace, please forgive us for our faults.
Lord Jesus, in you all healing is performed. You Lord are the miracle worker.
In your Spirit, your gift of healing is alive.
In you Lord we can put our trust that you can heal us,
and protect us from the enemy, and death of our soul.
You, Lord are miracle worker for the sick, and for the lost souls.
You, Lord forgive us and save us from condemnation.
You cleanse us and make us born again new.
You give us a clean heart full of peace. You Lord are the Light.
In You is all truth. Your way Lord is the way to Heavenly Hope.
Your hands Lord created the universe. You Lord are the True giver of Life.
Every child is a miracle of Life. Life rests in Your Hands.
Wrap us as a close knit family, draw us near to you Lord, and bind us with your Loving Hands.
Let us be drawn closer to You. You are the Vine, dear Lord and we are the branches.
You carry all knowledge and all power. You Lord are our medicine.
Your Words Lord are Truth and Life.
Help us put our trust in You. You Lord are the greatest physician.
You heal, You protect, You care, You love, You are kind, You are patient,
You are thoughtful, You are strength. You Lord are our Creator.
You know our thoughts, our sighings and our cryings and every hair on our head.
You are Wonderful and make all good things for us. Heal us Lord, if it be Your will.
Amen
Scripture Reading: Hebrews 12:28 (NASB Bible Gateway)
Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe;
The Internet Monk did a great post on praying the Psalms link.
Let's pray Psalm 16.(NIV-Gateway)
Keep me safe, my God,
for in you I take refuge.
2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord
apart from you I have no good thing.”
3 I say of the holy people who are in the land
“They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”
4 Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more
I will not pour out libations of blood to such god
or take up their names on my lips.
5 Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup
you make my lot secure.
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places
surely I have a delightful inheritance.
7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
11 You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Amen
Benediction Phillippians 4:6-7 NIV (Bible Gateway)
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Amen
Wade,
Hey,
Minor detail…
After being flogged, Jesus was mocked by Roman soldiers as the “King of the Jews”, clothed in a purple robe, crowned with thorns, beaten and spat on.
Yet,
The sign on the cross was not a form of mockery, as you say in your sermon, but the formal charge for which the crucifixion of Jesus took place, this charge placed upon the cross by order of Pilate, the roman governor.
The Roman charge for crucifixion was placed by Pilate above Jesus’s head upon the cross:
“THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
This Inscription above the cross of Christ was written in four different languages: Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Latin.
Hence the words upon the cross, a formal roman charge, not a means of mockery as you say. Hope this clarifies.
ATB
Sopy
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I give you a link of an atheist who believes the Roman soldiers (and Jews) were mocking Jesus: http://atheism.about.com/od/biblegospelofmark/a/mark15c.htm
I give you a link to the actual Scripture text which says the Jews mocked him as they shouted “Hail, King of the Jews” – http://biblehub.com/john/19-3.htm
I give you a link to the greatest Hebrew and Greek linguist of the 18th century who says the Jews mocked Jesus statement and sign “King of the Jews” – http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/gills-exposition-of-the-bible/john-19-3.html
You have clarified your beliefs, Sopy, but I stand firm that the sign “King of the Jews” was a sign of mockery from both Jews and Romans. You don’t crucify kings. You crucify delusional men who consider themselves kings but have no followers – thus the mockery.
Wade,
Thank you for this message!
My prayer is that many will hear this and realize the difference between church and kingdom thinking.
Wade,
Hey,
You missed the historical point. Pilate ordered both the sign and the language placed upon it. Pilate did not mock Jesus of Nazereth, although the soldiers under his charge did so. Pilate had no desire to kill a king, or the holy man from Nazereth for that matter. History records that Pilate offered the Jews an alternative that would have set Jesus free. History tells us that the Roman governor ordered the charge leveled against Jesus by the Jews placed upon a sign which was then affixed to the cross at the time of the crucifixion upon the place of the skull outside Jerusalem’s city gates. Again history records that Pilate, the Roman governor did not mock Jesus as you say in your sermon. Hope this clarifies.
ATB
Sopy
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Sopy,
If this is an important issue for you, I would encourage you to listen to the message again. I didn’t say Pilate mocked Jesus – I did not even mention Pilate’s name.
I said the Jews mocked Jesus (as did the Roman soldiers).
Thank you for pointing out Pilate did not mock Jesus. Were he even mentioned in the sermon you might have a point. Since he wasn’t, I’m not sure what your point is, but I appreciate you commenting and clarifying your position that Pilate did not mock Jesus.
I agree.
Wade,
I wondered if the renovation of your sanctuary is the reason you’ve not welcomed those in the Refuge center. I notice the absence. 🙂
I agree that the mission of the church is to advance the Kingdom, but it’s also maturing the saints. May I express once again my appreciation of your God-given ability to accomplish both in a single sermon. As a Christian for nearly 40 yrs., I’m keenly aware that there is so much more to learn from scripture, but sadly few who are able to provide the meat of the Word as you do.
Thank you!
Victorious,
Thank you so much for your kind words – and also your attention to detail!
I greet those in REFUGE at the 8:30 service. If you are watching the video and I DON’T greet REFUGE – it is because it is a video of our 11:00 a.m. worship service (which the last two Sundays have been). I preach LIVE at 8:30 – 9:30 REFUGE, 11:00 in the auditorium, and the second REFUGE at 11:00 in the REFUGE worship center watches the video from 8:30 a.m.
Again, if I don’t greet REFUGE, it is the 11:00 a.m. message. If I greet REFUGE it is the 8:30 a.m. message from the auditorium.
Hope that helps.
The remodel of the facility will not begin until Memorial Day 2014 – we are going to pay cash instead of borrowing – and so we are raising the money before the work begins.
The new auditorium will be contemporary, casual and classy. No pews. Chairs. No carpet, concrete stained floors. There will be stone work across the front (no faux organ pipes) and there will be other structural changes (seating increase from 1100 to 1400 for example). When we are done, we will only have three services, not four – at 8:00 a.m.; 9:30 REFUGE and then 11:00 a.m.
Hope that answers your question!
Wade,
I predict there will be more than three services once those renovations are made due to limited seating . 🙂
OK, thanks for that explanation, Wade. I got it now! 🙂
Deb,
You are kind! You have to remember, we are a small community with 50,000 people in the entire county! 🙂
We don’t live in a large metro area – our greatest growth is really through the Internet!
@ Wade Burleson:
When Dee and I visited Enid, we were amazed at the size of your congregation.
It hasn't gone unnoticed that Emmanuel Enid made the list of the 500 largest churches in the SBC, coming in at 348.
Congratulations!
Wade,
Hey,
Thank-you!
I did re-watch the sermon as you requested.
[You are correct, as you did not mention Pilate the Roman governor. ]
Sorry for the confusion. (sadface)
However, please understand, that when you stated that the very sign placed upon the cross was a mockery, –your statement implies that the intent of the sign that Pilate ordered to be placed upon the cross of Jesus, was a form of mockery, –that it’s very purpose was mockery. What I was trying to communicate is that that very sign who’s very wording was fabricated by Pilate himself, was not given by him as a form of mockery, but a statement of the charge in which Jesus was judged and condemned to die on a Roman crucifixion outside the city of Jerusalem. The sign , the words, and its placement upon the cross were solely Pilate’s doing. This was important to Pilate, so much so that it’s message was in four languages, which covered a lot of ground. We understand now that Pilate did not mock Jesus. What I am saying is that neither was Pilate’s sign intended to do so. Hope this helps clarify what I was attempting to communicate.
*
Please note, I enjoy and find solis in you words. Thank you for encourage me to read my bible for myself, and to follow, –to the best of my ability, the Christ who came to save, bringing his lasting kingdom, –which will see no end. How will not God, giving us His very own Son, give us all things?
Faith is still the substance of things hoped for….
Yahooooooooo! 🙂
ATB
Sopy
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