May 29, 2016 - Isaac Marries Rebekah

TONY & MICHELLE PAWLAK

MEMORY VERSE

He who finds a wife finds a great good; he has won the favor of the Lord. 

Proverbs 18:22

Mawridgde...Mawridge is what bwings us togevah today.  Yes, this week we discussed a marriage that happened a long time ago with Abraham's son, Isaac. We know from last week that Isaac's mother, Sarah, was 90 years old when Isaac was born.  When Isaac was 37 years old, Sarah passed away at the age of 127. 

Isaac's father, Abraham, knew that his son needed to be comforted.  He decided that it was time for Isaac to get married.  However, Abraham did not want Isaac to marry a Canaanite woman.  He decided to send his servant back to his homeland to find Isaac a wife from his own people. 

So the servant, along with some other servants and 10 camels, made the long journey to the Chaldeans.  The servant began to wonder how he would know which girl to choose so he decided to ask God. He asked God to send the woman that He chose for

Isaac to him. He would know it was her if she gave him a drink from the well and then watered all of his camels (and camels can drink a lot!).

As he waited by the well, a beautiful girl came by named Rebekah.  The servant asked her to get him a drink. She said, "I will draw water for your camels also,

until they have finished drinking."  (Genesis 22:19)  She then went back and forth to the well until all the camels had all the water they wanted.  Seeing this, the servant knew that this was the girl that God has chosen as a wife for Isaac.  After this, the servant gave Rebekah two gold bracelets and (no joke) put a gold ring in her nose! 

Rebekah then invited the servant back to stay with her family.  There he met her brother, Laban, and told her family about how God had led him to Rebekah and why Abraham had sent him.  This made the family happy but the final decision was Rebekah’s.  She agreed to go with the servant and become the wife of Isaac. Rebekah

then traveled back to Canaan with the servant to meet her new family and future husband.  Once there, she met and married Isaac.  Having Rebekah as his wife comforted Isaac after his mother died. Today, God still wants us to find a husband or wife that He chooses for us.  Marrying the right spouse who loves God will make all the difference when we want to live for Him.  Also, Just like with Isaac and Rebekah, a husband and wife are to be there to comfort and encourage each other in the hard times as well as in the good times.

May 22, 2016 - God Keeps His Promise

TONY & MICHELLE PAWLAK

MEMORY VERSE
Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”
Luke 18:27

What is a promise? Have you ever made a promise? Has anyone ever made you a promise?  Have they broken that promise?  It hurts when someone breaks a promise to us, doesn't it?  Do we ever have to worry about God breaking His promises to us?  What if the promise God made seems impossible?  It then can become hard to trust.

God had made a promise to Abraham that he would have a son and that through his descendants, the whole Earth would be blessed.  The problem was that Abraham was 75 years old when he received the promise and his wife was 65.  If that wasn't bad enough, they waited 24 years and God still hadn't given them the son He promised! Abraham was then 99 years old and he and his wife Sarah had not had a child. would you find it hard to trust God then? Abraham and Sarah did...

One day, three strangers were passing by Abraham's tent.

 Somehow, Abraham knew that these were angels from God. Some think that one of them was Jesus!  Abraham convinced the men to stay and he fed them while Sarah stayed inside the tent and listened.  One of the men then told Abraham that by the same time the next year, he and Sarah would have a son.  Sarah, who was now 89 years old, thought that the idea of having a child at their age was so silly that she couldn't help but laugh.  The man

then asked her, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”  (Genesis 18:13-14) Sarah, embarrassed at being caught, denied laughing but the man said, "Yes, you did laugh."  Not long after, the three strangers left.  

A year later, true to His word, God gave Abraham and Sarah

a son.  Abraham named him Isaac which means "laughter." Abraham was so happy to have a son that he had a great feast to celebrate. Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90 years old when Isaac was born. Abraham loved his son Isaac very much.

One day, God came to Abraham to test him.  He said to Abraham,  “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” (Genesis 22:2) 

Now Abraham knew that God had promised that, through Isaac, God would give Abraham many descendants so Isaac could not die before he had any children of his own.  Abraham believed God so he thought, "If God tells me to kill Isaac, then God will have to bring Isaac back to life to keep his promise!" (ref. Hebrews 11:19) 

So the next morning, Abraham took Isaac, two servants, and a donkey to carry the wood and set off on a three day journey to where God sent him.  When the place was in sight, Abraham and Isaac went ahead and left the servants and the donkey behind telling them that they would be back after they worship God. 

Isaac who was carrying the wood, looked at his father and asked, “The fire and wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham simply assured him that God would provide the lamb. Isaac didn't know that he would be the one sacrificed that day. 

After they got to the site and built the altar, Abraham tied

Isaac up and placed him on it.  He pulled out his knifed and prepared to sacrifice him but the Angel of the Lord said from Heaven, “Abraham! Abraham! Do not lay a hand on the boy. Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” (Genesis 22:11-12) 

So, Abraham passed God's test and God kept his promise to Abraham.  Afterwards they all went home to live...for a while.  Abraham and Sarah were both very old when Isaac was born.  When Isaac was 37, his mother Sarah passed away.  Abraham both a cave

in Hebron and the field that went with it in to bury Sarah in.  It was the first land that Abraham owned in the land God had promised to him and his descendants.

May 15, 2016 - Abram Obeys God

TONY & MICHELLE PAWLAK

MEMORY VERSE

Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as

righteousness. 

Genesis 15:6

What are you willing to do for God?  How far would you be willing to go? It’s a hard question to answer when you know what’s expected of you but what if you didn’t? What if God asked you to go through a door when you had no idea what was waiting on the other side? Most of us would like to say that we would do anything God asked of us but it’s a little harder when it really happens.

This is exactly what happened to a man named Abram a

long time ago.  He had moved with his father and family from his home country of Ur of the Chaldeans to a place called Haran.  There Abram’s father died.  Abram had planned to settle in Haran in his father’s household until God intervened.  God told Abram to leave his father’s household and travel somewhere else.  He was to take his family and go to a land that God said He would show Abram. 

What would you do?  Would you leave your extended family and friends and move your own family and everything you have even though you have no idea where you’re going? Would you have that much faith in God?  Abram did.  Abram believed that God would keep his promises.  What promises?  Read it for yourself.

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

² “I will make you into a great nation,
    and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
    and you will be a blessing.
³ I will bless those who bless you,
    and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
    will be blessed through you.

(Genesis 12:1-3)

Does this mean that Abram always trusted God and did the

right thing?  No.  In fact, when a famine hit Canaan (the land God led Abram to), Abram worried that his people would starve so he left the land God sent him to and moved to Egypt!  As they got close to Egypt, Abram worried that the Pharaoh (King of Egypt) would kill him and take Sarai, his wife.  You see, Sarai was very beautiful and Abram knew it. 

So Abram came up with a plan.  He told Sarai to tell Pharaoh that she was Abram’s sister, not his wife.  When she did this, Pharaoh took her into his palace and made plans to make her his wife!  He even gave Abram many nice gifts.  Do you think this made God happy? Absolutely not!  God was so angry that he made Pharaoh very sick.  Somehow, Pharaoh figured out that Sarai was

Abram’s wife and this was the reason he was so sick. 

So, Pharaoh said to Abram, “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife?  I might have made her my wife because you lied to me!  Take your people and all your stuff and leave Egypt

immediately!”  So Abram and his family had to move back to Canaan where God wanted them in the first place.  They settled in Canaan in the land of Hebron where Abram built an altar and worshipped God. 

Even though Abram made a mistake, he was still a very faithful man. 

The Bible says that when Abram believed God, He counted it as righteousness.  No man has his own righteousness but we can be counted as righteous when we believe in Jesus and accepts His gift of eternal life. 

So, what about you?  Are you willing to do whatever God

tells you to do; go wherever God tells you to go? It probably won’t be easy but we need to believe God will keep His promises to us.  Who knows?  God may lead you on a great adventure!  

May 8, 2016 - Adam Names the Animals

TONY & MICHELLE PAWLAK

MEMORY VERSE
So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.
Genesis 2:20a

In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth.  As He created, God also named many things: He called the light day, the

darkness He called night, the firmament He called the sky, the water He called seas, and the dry areas he called land.  Then He began creating animals.  Some flew, some swam, some crawled, some climbed, etc...  They all, however, had one very special thing in common; God didn't name any of them!  

There was only one creature that God named, the man

Adam.  God put Adam in the Garden of Eden and told him to tend it.  God then brought all the animals to Adam to see what he would name them! Whatever Adam called the animals, that was their name.  But why? 

When God created the Heavens and the Earth, He named them because He was in total charge of them.  To be in charge or in control of something means to have DOMINION over it.  Naming something is a way to show that you have dominion.  However, God put Adam in charge of the animals so He had Adam name them.  But remember, even though Adam had dominion over the animals, God still had dominion over Adam.  

God named Adam because Adam was His and we are still His today.  God even created us in His image which was another way of showing that we are His.  We know God loves us and takes care of us but we must also remember that God has dominion over us.

April 24, 2016 - Heavenly Worship

TONY & MICHELLE PAWLAK

MEMORY VERSE
 Day and night they never stop saying:

“‘Holy, holy, holy

is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.”

Have you ever wondered what Heaven will be like?  What

will it be like to worship in Heaven?  I'll bet the mention of heaven brings images of clouds, winged angels with harps, and maybe streets of gold lined with mansions.  However, this is not the picture that God gave the Apostle John.  You see, later in his life,

John was exiled to an island named Patmos.  It was there that John was given a vision from God of Heaven. It was this vision that we now know as the book of Revelation.  Among other things, he saw a glorious image of worship in Heaven that we rarely talk about!  Perhaps we talk about, or rather sing about, it more than we think.  The Christian singer, Kari Jobe, came out with a song that many of us are familiar with called Revelation Song.  It is called this because most of it, mainly the first two verses, are taken from Revelation 4 and 5.  So lets take a brief look at Heaven using this song.

Revelation 5:6a

Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders.

Revelation 5:9

And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll

    and to open its seals, because you were slain,
    and with your blood you purchased for God
    persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.

Revelation 4:2-5a

At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3 And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. 4 Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder.

Revelation 4:11 

11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created
and have their being.”

Revelation 5:12-13

12 In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” 13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”

Revelation 4:8

8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:

“‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’

who was, and is, and is to come.”

Revelation 4:11

11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God,
    to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
    and by your will they were created
    and have their being.”

I hope you enjoyed this different view of Heaven and Heavenly Worship.  Picture these things the next time you hear or sing Revelation Song.  It may help you to better understand what you are singing and actually take you to a deeper place in your worship. Also, there are many more references to Heavenly worship in the Bible and other pictures of Heaven such as in Daniel or Ezekiel.  It is a fun and rewarding study and I encourage you to do it with your family.

April 17, 2016 - Church Worship - Body of Christ

Tony & Michelle Pawlak

MEMORY VERSE

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 

I Corinthians 12:27

What is the most important part of your body?  Is it your brain? Your heart? Your hands?  What parts would you be willing to do without? Your feet?  Your ears?  What if your feet thought they weren't really a part of your body because they weren't the hand?  How about if your ear thought it wasn't really part of your body because it wasn't your eye?  Sounds pretty silly, doesn't it?  That's because it is.  But we, as a church, do this very thing all the time! Let me explain.

During his second missionary journey, the Apostle Paul came

to a town called Corinth.  Paul, as he always did, tried to preach to the local Jews in the Synagogue about Jesus Christ.  However, he and his message were soundly rejected.  Paul then decided to preach to the Gentiles (non-Jews) instead.  There, Paul met with success.  He, along with his friends Silas and

Timothy, were able to recruit and teach many new believers and set up a church in Corinth.  

After a year and a half, Paul saw that it was time for him to leave and he continued on his journey.  Unfortunately, things did not go exactly according to plan in Corinth. The people of the church began arguing among themselves over who was more important in the church.  They thought that certain

gifts, jobs, and positions were more important than others.  Word of this reached Paul and he decided to sit down and write them a letter.  We know this letter as 1st Corinthians. 

Paul began explaining to the people there that the church was the body of Christ and Jesus Himself was the head.  (He also wrote a similar letter to the Romans.)  Not only that, but each person was like a

different body part doing a different but equally important job.  He explained to them that the body needs all its parts to do the complete job it was meant to do.  

Today, we still make the same mistake.  We think to ourselves that only certain people are important to the Kingdom of Heaven and the rest aren't. People think, "Because I'm not a pastor, a preacher, a teacher, a missionary, etc..., I'm not very important." Others think things such as, "because I AM a pastor, a preacher, a teacher, a missionary, etc..., I am much more important to the Kingdom of Heaven than the others."  

We, as the body of Christ, need to pull together if we ever

want to win this world for Jesus Christ.  God has a unique and important job for each of you and He has given you an special ability and desire to do that job.  We need to seek God and discover what our job and our giftings are.  Then we need to work together with, strengthen, and encourage each other.  You would never get much done if all your body parts were working against each other now would you?