Hello all,
God has blessed us with a new day and we praise Him!
“And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28
GIVING THANKS:
- Thanks to all for your generous contributions over the past few months of benevolence. The new outreach for the next few weeks is to collect toiletries for the battered women’s shelter.
- Thanks to Ashley Stephens for all of her work on updating the directories! The new directores are on the table. Please take one per family.
- We give thanks that Toni Bonadio and Greg Cerminara remain stable. They are both undergoing tests.
- Several people who received encouraging cards from The Barnabas Project wrote heartfelt notes of thanks for the prayers being offered on their behalf:
- Angela’s neice Sarah Brown who started chemo
- Teri Fernandes who started her first round of chemo this past week.
Thanks to Mary Lou for coordinating this effort. Anyone who would like to be part of this encouraging ministry, please see Mary Lou.
REMINDERS:
- This Sunday after worship will be a 150th planning meeting. Things are moving along nicely so thanks to all for your help! Flyers will go out soon announcing registration details. Also, we are blessed by having two past ministers come to lead devotionals that weekend! Can anyone guess who they might be?
- The Spooner house has specific ongoing needs for towels, washcloths, pillow cases (gently used is fine); Tooth brushes and tooth paste as well. Thanks to Paula Slauson for being our liaison and for her many hours of volunteering there.
MAY:
- The next Tuesday morning ladies bible study lead by Lisa and Mary Lou, will be on May 3rd at 9:30. Watch for the zoom link.
- Jay will be speaking at the New England Lectureship May 6th – 8th.
- The next Friday evening Ladies bible study will be held on May 13th at the building. Thanks to Laney we are able to offer virtual zoom option as well! Join us as we finish the book of Ephesians and learn how we are Lavishly loved by God.
- There will be a GAME NIGHT on Saturday, May 21st from 7pm to 9pm at the building. Bring your favorite game and munchies to eat!
JUNE:
- Friday evening June 10th will be the last night for our Friday evening Ladies bible class. All ladies and teen girls are invited to our home at 7pm for singing, praising God and sharing our canvas’s. It will be a fun evening!
- There will be a building clean- up day here at the building on Saturday June 18th from 9 to 12:00 noon or so. Goals for the day are to clean up the property outside & indoors. We will need magic erasers, cleaning supplies, rakes, paper towels, etc. that would be great.
- The Kent Men’s retreat will be held on June 24-25. The food is great and all men are encouraged to attend! See Patrick Keller for registration details.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
- Prayers for Dorothea and family as they grieve the loss of her sister Debbie. The funeral was yesterday.
- Prayers for Donna Post as she begins a new alternative chemotherapy regimen, prayers for Bruce as well.
- Nadine asked for prayers for Claudette Graham a cousin of Karen Wong’s (member of the Bridgeport church of Christ). Claudette had a stroke, pray for her recovery.
- Jay asked for prayers for a fellow preacher from Caribou ME, whose brother-in-law passed away. His name was John Oberlin. Our prayers go out to the Oberlin family.
- Pamela Pimpton’s friend Delwin Wallace is still in pain and undergoing dialysis as an initial step to treat his condition.
- Our daughter Jody is scheduled for a cesarian section on May 25th. These last few weeks have been difficult for her. Thanks for your prayers that she can hang in there and that all goes well.
- Continued prayers for Flo as she waits on God for further information on her health struggles, and for Jay’s job search.
- Prayers for Rose Raslavsky who just got out of the hospital and has a long road ahead.
- Prayers for all of our young people as they finish up their school year, and look forward to summer! They are all to be commended for being the beacon of lights that they are in such a challenging school environment.
It’s that time of year where many people get their gardens going. Gardening is a lot of work, but the effort put forth is so worth it as in the end, the crops will reap delicious results!
Every gardener needs to give a whole lot of LOVE and provide tender loving care to get their garden producing good fruit & vegetables.
As we study the life of Jesus and the New Testament, we see how Jesus poignantly uses simple stories with heavenly meanings to help us understand more about our faith walk. Please join us on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights for a greater insight of JESUS and His teachings.
In looking at the grapevine, we glean so much from Jesus’s words in John chapter 15: 1-17
The grapevine is a perennial coming up every year. There is quite a process to growing grapes. The vine must be lifted up off the ground, to produce healthy branches that will bear the grapes. The vine’s main function is to draw water and nutrients to provide the shoots with everything they need to spread and climb.
John records for us in Chapter 14 Jesus’ appeal to the disciples to trust Him and to love Him. In vs. 9 Jesus says to Philip “Don’t you know me Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me, has seen the Father.” He goes on in vs. 15 saying, “If you love me, you will obey what I command” and in vs. 23 “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching.”
Obedience is an integral part of our faith walk. Staying connected to the vine – Jesus – is essential in our Christian walk, since the primary goal is to produce good fruit! Our life has purpose…to glorify God.
Jesus goes on in John Chapter 15 to give us a vivid example of Jesus being the vine and Christians being the branches… 15:5 “ I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me, and my words remain in you; ask whatever you wish, and it will be given to you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit.”
Pruning the vines is essential. If the weak and declining branches are not picked back, they become unmanageable and draw energy away from main plant. The more you prune, the better the grapes will grow. This is because grapes require a lot of sunlight. If they are shielded by the vines’ leaves, they won’t grow to their full size. In the end, the goal is to produce beautiful clusters of grapes. Some sweet and some even sour. Amazing discoveries can be found by studying the grapevine, not to mention the spiritual symbolism here.
Jesus says that God, the gardener will prune the vine. John 15:2 “He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit.”
Pruning in our lives means that there will be pain, trials and sorrow. But we can use these trials to build our character and faith. God prunes US so that we will be even more fruitful, which ultimately glorifies HIM!When we are apart from the Vine, we are useless. Dead branches are useless to the vine. A dead branch is not only useless to the vine, but it can also infect the rest of the vines. In Galatians 5:19 “ I warn you, as I did before that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
We were not created to be self-sufficient, or apart from the vine.
We WERE created to live by being connected to God, and to each other! He is our life source.
The Gardner is God who created all things.
Jesus is the vine. Through Him we receive everything we need to thrive and be strengthened in the faith. Separated from the vine, we wither and die. Connected to this vine, we can bear much fruit.
We are the branches. Yes..he uses each of us to further the work of his kingdom. Even with our flaws, even with our quirks and our baggage and brokenness, we are precious and useful to him.
In John 15:8-9 “This is to My Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.”We must remain in His love.
We must remain connected to Jesus Christ!
We must abide in Him!
As we read on in Chapter 15, Jesus goes on about …Love.
Vs. 10-17 “If you obey my commands you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear good fruit – fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love one another. ”
The apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 3:16 “From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”
God – who is LOVE – grafts us into the true vine, His son Jesus Christ. He is the vine from which all power flows.
It is up to us to remain in Him and be fruitful. Things done for the kingdom of God. Things that matter for eternity.
In Galatians 5:22 we read about the Fruit of the Spirit. The Fruit of the Holy Spirit is the result of the Holy Spirit working in our lives. We are called to say “No” to sin and seek to put on Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness & Self-control. These are the fruits that we will produce if He remains in us, and us in Him. This fruit separates us from the world. Apart from Jesus Christ – the true vine-, we fail miserably in these pursuits.
In Christ, He is the one who produces this good fruit in us!
Notice the first fruit of the spirit is LOVE!
As Jesus said in John 13:34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this, all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another.”
Jesus commands us to love one another in both word and deed. We are called to serve one another, to bear each other’s burdens, & to care for one another.
We need to Connect with Jesus. A branch to the vine, and a vine to the branch. Prayer and worship allow us to stay connected. Studying His word helps us to know Him, and to Love Him.
We draw strength from Him.
We get our nutrients from Him.
We are a part of Him.
Our life comes from Him!Apart from Him, we can do nothing.“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16Stay connected…
Keep Growing….
Keep LOVING!
Keep SINGING!
WITHOUT HIM
Without Him I could do nothing.
Without Him I’d surely fail.
Without Him I would be drifting,
Like a ship without a sail.
Jesus, Oh Jesus,
Do you know Him today?
You can’t turn Him away,
Oh Jesus!
Oh Je-sus…
Without Him, how lost, I would be!
Without Him I would be dying,
Without Him I’d be enslaved.
Without Him life would be hopeless,
But with Jesus, thank God I’m saved!
Jesus, Oh Jesus,
Do you know Him today?
You can’t turn Him away,
Oh Jesus!
Oh Je-sus…
Without Him, how lost, I would be!
I AM THE VINE AND YE ARE THE BRANCHES
I am the vine and ye are the branches,
Bear precious fruit for Jesus today,
The branch that in me no fruit ever beareth,
Jesus hath said, “He taketh away.”
I am the vine and ye are the branches,
I am the vine, be faithful and true.
Ask what ye will, your prayer shall be granted;
The Father loved me, so I have loved you.
Now ye are clean, through words I have spoken,
Abiding in me, much fruit ye shall bear;
“Dwelling in thee, my promise unbroken,
Glory in heaven with me ye shall share”.
I am the vine and ye are the branches,
I am the vine, be faithful and true.
Ask what ye will, your prayer shall be granted;
The Father loved me, so I have loved you.
Yes, by your fruits the world is to know you,
Walking in love as children of day;
Follow your Guide, he passed on before you,
Leading to realms of glorious day.
I am the vine and ye are the branches,
I am the vine, be faithful and true.
Ask what ye will, your prayer shall be granted;
The Father loved me, so I have loved you.
“For God so Loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” John 3:16
The harvest is RIPE and the world needs to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ!
May God be glorified.
Our Love in Him,
Bruce & Paula
“I am the Vine and ye are the branches”
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