Newsletter 2017/2/12

Lord’s Day Message: Ephesians 1:1-14

¹  Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: ²  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

³  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, ⁴  even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love ⁵  he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, ⁶  to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

⁷  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, ⁸  which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight ⁹  making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ ¹⁰  as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. ¹¹  In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, ¹²  so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.

¹³  In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴  who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

Message Outline

A. God’s will and our being faithful in Christ Jesus

B.  Every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places – for this we must praise God and give Him glory

1. The choosing of God

• we should be holy and blameless before him
• we can be the sons of God

2. The redemption of Christ

• Our trespasses can be forgiven
• We can know the mystery of God’s will
• We have obtained am inheritance

3. The sealing of the Spirit – the guarantee of our inheritance

Message Next Week: Ephesians 1:15-23

Church Meetings/Time/Place

Home Meeting/Chinese Speaking Young People:

12/2 Sun. 7:30om., Patrick & Lily’s

13/2 Mon., 7:30pm,  Richard & Flora’s, (Dinner @ 7pm)

Pursuing of Uni Students: 14/2 Tue. 7:30pm, Yulin’s

Sisters Meeting: 15/2 Wed. 10:00am, Lili’s

Prayer Meeting: 15/2 Wed. 7:45pm, David Tan’s (Combined)

Pursuing of Words: 17/2  Fri. 8pm, David Tan’s

Young People Meeting/Home meeting for Adults：

18/2 Sat. 7:30pm, Olsen & Likun’s (Gospel group)

Yulin & Jessica’s (YP & other adults)

Announcements:

1. We welcome all the new ones who are joining us today. May God bless you and lead you into this family of God.
2. This afternoon at 1pm there is also a baptism lesson (2) in the prayer room. We welcome all gospel friends who are willing to receive the Lord and be baptized to join.
3. The church wants to establish the serving before the Lord’s Day meeting which requires two brothers or sisters to arrive 20 minutes before the meeting to do the cleaning, seat arrangement, audio and Lord’s Table preparation. If you are willing to participate, please contact Sister Jessica Chao.
4. This year the Collaroy conference will be held on April 14-17. Brothers Michael Samulak and Benjamin Sheu will be the speakers and they will cover the book of Jonah. This year all the brothers and sisters, young people and adults, can all join together. The registration form is in preparation, however, we hope many brothers and sisters can set aside the time to join the conference.

<Reminder>

1. During the meeting, please turn off your mobile phone or put the volume on silence and not to walk around or to wonder/talk too laud in the kitchen.
2. When you prepare the love feast for Lord’s Day lunch, please do not prepare any food containing nuts as someone may have food allergy.

Please refrain from bringing uncooked food for the love feast so we may lighten the work for the serving ones in the kitchen.

Intercession:

1. May the Lord bless the gospel friends among us that they can know how precious the Lord is and are willing to believe in Him.
2. Pray for the new believers (15 brothers and sisters in 2016). May the Lord establish them in the church life and bless their growth in life.
3. Pray for the brothers and sisters or their relatives  who are weak in body or spirit. May the Lord care for them and give them sufficient grace.

Serving Next Week: (Feb. 19)

1. Message: Yulin Wang & Richard Chen
2. Breaking the Bread: Richard Chen & Jason Wang
3. Serving Bread and Cup: Olsen Yu, Patrick Li, Jason Wang & Chuan Ma
4. Serving before Meeting: Ju-Qing Cui & Mei-Ting Liu
5. Cleaning:  Brett & Linda Family, Sean Dong & Wei Qiong Family, Jessie & John & Peter, Lisa Tao Family, Bill & Christine Family
6. Kitchen: Christine & Lili
7. Children: Supervisor –Hannah, Singing – Nelson & David, Teachers – Sarah & Jono

2017 Church Activities

1. Collaroy Conf. (Apr.14-17)
2. Mother’s Day  (May 14)
3. Visiting US for training (July-Aug.)
4. English speaking Gospel Meeting (Aug.)
5. Church conference (Sep.30-Oct.2)
6. Gospel Meeting with Hymns (Dec. 3)

Attending church conference in  US (YP) (Dec.)