July 20, 2014

Sermon – “Whereever You Are, Be There” by Pastor Rusty Rushing

Using Jeremiah 29:4-11, Pastor Rushing shares God’s message to the Israelites when they were in exile in Babylon. This message is for us today. Whereever God has placed you, be there fully and do his work, even in the midst of strife. Are you being deceived by the world and letting the world extinguish your light? Call on the Holy Spirit to guide you into the way of Christ.

www.littlechurchonthelane.com/audio/2014.07.20.mp3

July 25, 2014

Gospel Lesson — 07.27.2014

³¹He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. ³²Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”

³³He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

⁴⁴“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

⁴⁵“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. ⁴⁶When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

⁴⁷“Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. ⁴⁸When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. ⁴⁹This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous ⁵⁰and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

⁵¹“Have you understood all these things?” Jesus asked.

“Yes,” they replied.

⁵²He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”

— Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

July 25, 2014

Epistle Lesson — 07.27.2014

²⁶In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. ²⁷And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

²⁸And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. ²⁹For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. ³⁰And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

³¹What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³²He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? ³³Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. ³⁴Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. ³⁵Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

³⁷No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

— Romans 8:26-39

July 25, 2014

Silent Meditation — 07.27.2014

As “salt”, the Christian is to counteract the power of sin. As “light” we are to illuminate or make visible. Our lives are to be an on-going witness to the reality of Christ’s presence in our lives. When we worship God with pure hearts, when we love others as ourselves, and when we do good without growing weary, we are lights shining. It is important, however to know that it is not our light, but the reflection of the Light of the world, Jesus Christ Himself, that people will see in us.

— Michael Youssef

July 25, 2014

Watchword for the Week — 07.27.2014

God, turn to me and be gracious to me, as is your custom towards those who love your name.

— Psalm 119:132

July 18, 2014

Gospel Lesson — 07.20.2014

²⁴Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. ²⁵But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. ²⁶When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

²⁷“The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

²⁸“‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.

“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

²⁹“‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. ³⁰Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”

³⁶Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”

³⁷He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. ³⁸The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, ³⁹and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

⁴⁰“As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. ⁴¹The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. ⁴²They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ⁴³Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.

— Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

July 18, 2014

Epistle Lesson — 07.20.2014

¹²Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. ¹³For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

¹⁴For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. ¹⁵The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” ¹⁶The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. ¹⁷Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

¹⁸I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. ¹⁹For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. ²⁰For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope ²¹that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

²²We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. ²³Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? ²⁵But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

— Romans 8:12-25

July 18, 2014

Silent Meditation — 07.20.2014

The Christian life is not adding Jesus to one’s own way of life but renouncing that personal way of life for His and being willing to pay whatever cost that may require.

— John MacArthur

July 18, 2014

Watchword for the Week — 07.20.2014

Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.

— Isaiah 44:6

July 13, 2014

Sermon – Love by Mohamed Braima

Mohamed Braima, Moravian Mission Minister in the village of Yiehun in Sierra Leone, West Africa, brings a message of LOVE focusing on 1 Corinthians 8:1-8. Love is the greatest of human qualities. If you love your brother and sister, do what you can not to make them stumble. We were created by God to do his work. Let the love of God work through you to take His word to all who do not know him.

www.littlechurchonthelane.com/audio/2014.06.08.mp3

July 11, 2014

Gospel Lesson —07.13.2014

13 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. ²Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. ³Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. ⁴As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. ⁶But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. ⁷Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. ⁸Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. ⁹Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

¹⁸“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: ¹⁹When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. ²⁰The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. ²¹But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. ²²The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. ²³But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

— Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

July 11, 2014

Epistle Lesson — 07.13.2014

8 Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. ²Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. ³But whoever loves God is known by God.

⁴So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “There is no God but one.” ⁵For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), ⁶yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

⁷But not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. ⁸But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.

— 1 Corinthians 8:1-8

July 11, 2014

Silent Meditation — 07.13.2014

Throughout the ages the church has understood that the most significant manifestation of true faith is love. Faith without love is not faith, only speculation or knowledge or mere intellectual assent. The fruit of authentic faith is always love.

— R. C. Sproul

July 11, 2014

Watchword for the Week — 07.13.2014

There is therefore now no condemnation for those

who are in Christ Jesus.

— Romans 8:1

July 4, 2014

Sermon – An Appeal To Heaven by Rev. Jeff Carter

Rev. Jeff Carter, pastor at Macedonia Moravian Church, Advance, NC brings the message today and serves Holy Communion. Join us as Rev. Carter shares the appeal to heaven of historians George Washington, John Hus, early Moravians, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Ann Graham Lotz, and others. Jesus Christ appeals to us in Mark 8:34-38. Will you sacrifice and die to self to follow Christ?

www.littlechurchonthelane.com/audio/2014.07.13.mp3

July 2, 2014

Gospel Lesson — 07.06.2014

¹⁶“To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others:

¹⁷“‘We played the pipe for you,
and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge,
and you did not mourn.’

¹⁸For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ ¹⁹The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.”

²⁵At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. ²⁶Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

²⁷“All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

²⁸“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

— Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

July 2, 2014

Epistle Lesson — 07.06.2014

¹⁵I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. ¹⁶And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. ¹⁷As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. ¹⁸For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. ¹⁹For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. ²⁰Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

²¹So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. ²²For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; ²³but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. ²⁴What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? ²⁵Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

— Romans 7:15-25a

July 2, 2014

Silent Meditation — 07.06.2014

“True faith means holding nothing back. It means putting every hope in God’s fidelity to His promises.

— Francis Chan, Crazy Love

July 2, 2014

Watchword for the Week — 07.06.2014

The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

— Psalm 145:8

June 29, 2014

Sermon – Behold The Man – ‘Natural Gifts’ by Pastor Rusty Rushing

Pastor Rushing, in his last sermon in the Behold The Man series, speaks about our natural gifts. Psalm 139:13-14 teaches us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. God was personally involved in how we were formed. He gave us different talents and gifts to speak to his glory. How are you using the spiritual and natural gifts God gave you? Are they being used to His glory or are they being wasted on earthly things.

Also, Pastor Mohamed Braima brings greetings from the mission ministry in Sierra Leone West Africa.

www.littlechurchonthelane.com/audio/2014.06.29.mp3

June 27, 2014

Gospel Lesson — 06.29.2014

⁴⁰“Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. ⁴¹Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. ⁴²And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”

— Matthew 10:40-42

June 27, 2014

Epistle Lesson — 06.29.2014

¹²Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. ¹³Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. ¹⁴For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

¹⁵What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! ¹⁶Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? ¹⁷But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. ¹⁸You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

¹⁹I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. ²⁰When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. ²¹What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! ²²But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. ²³For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

— Romans 6:12-23

June 27, 2014

Silent Meditation — 06.29.2014

“God’s gifts are not given capriciously; neither are they given in such a way that the option for their use is left with us. As the gifts are discovered they are to be developed and used to the full in His service and to His glory. God distributes His gifts for His purposes and for the good of His people. His sovereign administration of these gifts must be acknowledged as right and proper by His people, even when they cannot see the good.”

— Jay E. Adams

June 27, 2014

Watchword for the Week — 06.29.2014

Happy are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O Lord, in the light of your countenance.

— Psalm 89:15

June 22, 2014

Sermon – Behold the Man – Redeeming the Time by Pastor Rusty Rushing

Are you a good steward of the time God has given to you? As Pastor Rushing looks at Ephesians 5.15-17, we learn what it means to live wisely and walk according to Godly wisdom. Christ redeemed us through his blood from the bondage of sin. Are you missing the opportunity to live for God by spending time on earthly things? This moment is the only moment we are guaranteed – will you choose to live for God NOW!?

www.littlechurchonthelane.com/audio/2014.06.22.mp3

June 18, 2014

Gospel Lesson — 06.22.2014

²⁴“The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master. ²⁵It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!

²⁶“So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. ²⁷What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. ²⁸Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. ²⁹Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. ³⁰And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

³²“Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. ³³But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.

³⁴“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. ³⁵For I have come to turn

“‘a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
³⁶ a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’

³⁷“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. ³⁸Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. ³⁹Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.

— Matthew 10:24-39

June 18, 2014

Epistle Lesson — 06.22.2014

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? ²By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? ³Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

⁵For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. ⁶For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— ⁷because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.

⁸Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. ⁹For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. ¹⁰The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

¹¹In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

— Romans 6:1b-11

June 18, 2014

Responsive Reading — 06.22.2014

¹Lord, you have been our dwelling place
throughout all generations.
²Before the mountains were born
or you brought forth the whole world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

³You turn people back to dust,
saying, “Return to dust, you mortals.”
⁴A thousand years in your sight
are like a day that has just gone by,
or like a watch in the night.
⁵Yet you sweep people away in the sleep of death—
they are like the new grass of the morning:
⁶In the morning it springs up new,
but by evening it is dry and withered.

⁷We are consumed by your anger
and terrified by your indignation.
⁸You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your presence.
⁹All our days pass away under your wrath;
we finish our years with a moan.
¹⁰Our days may come to seventy years,
or eighty, if our strength endures;
yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow,
for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
¹¹If only we knew the power of your anger!
Your wrath is as great as the fear that is your due.
¹²Teach us to number our days,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

¹³Relent, Lord! How long will it be?
Have compassion on your servants.
¹⁴Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,
that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
¹⁵Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
for as many years as we have seen trouble.
¹⁶May your deeds be shown to your servants,
your splendor to their children.

¹⁷May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us;
establish the work of our hands for us—
yes, establish the work of our hands.

— Psalm 90

June 18, 2014

Silent Meditation — 06.22.2014

“Dare to believe when you cannot see or understand. Decide to trust God instead of dwelling on your fears. This is the powerful force that separates the believers from the unbelievers. Complete knowledge does not require faith. God challenges us simply to trust Him and His word.”

— Lisa Bevere

June 18, 2014

Watchword for the Week — 06.22.2014

Jesus says, “Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.”

— Matthew 10:39

June 15, 2014

Sermon – Behold the Man – ‘Trust & Treasure’ by Pastor Rusty Rushing

It makes a difference when we put God first in everything. Is your security in God or in your treasures? Are you storing up treasures in heaven or on earth where they will rust and decay? Pastor Rushing helps us understand the difference between treasures in heaven and treasures on earth. Where is your treasure? Where is your trust? Will you choose to put God first?

www.littlechurchonthelane.com/audio/2014.06.15.mp3

June 13, 2014

Gospel Lesson — 06.15.2014

¹⁶Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

— Matthew 28:16-20

June 13, 2014

Epistle Lesson — 06.15.2014

¹¹Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.

¹²Greet one another with a holy kiss. ¹³All God’s people here send their greetings.

— 2 Corinthians 13:11-13

June 13, 2014

Silent Meditation — 06.15.2014

Give God His glory by resting in Him, by trusting Him fully, by waiting patiently for Him. This patience honors Him greatly. It leaves Him, as God on the throne, to do His work. It yields self wholly into His hands. It lets God be God.

— Andrew Murray

June 13, 2014

Watchword for the Week — 06.15.2014

O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

— Psalm 8:9

June 8, 2014

Sermon – Behold The Man – Spiritual Gifts by Chaz Snider

Chaz Snider, Director of Youth and College Campus Ministry, brings our message on Pentecost Sunday. God came as the Spirit to dwell with each believer – guiding and empowering them. The Spirit is the source of our gifts. God has made us all unique. How are you using your gifts to show Christ’s love in action?

www.littlechurchonthelane.com/audio/2014.06.08.mp3

June 6, 2014

Gospel Lesson — 06.08.2014

¹⁹On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” ²⁰After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

²¹Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” ²²And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

— John 20:19-23

June 6, 2014

Epistle Lesson — 06.08.2014

Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

⁴There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. ⁵There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. ⁶There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

⁷Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. ⁸To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, ⁹to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, ¹⁰to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

¹²Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

— 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13

June 6, 2014

Silent Meditation — 06.08.2014

“When you strip it of everything else, Pentecost stands for power and life. That’s what came into the church when the Holy Spirit came down on the day of Pentecost.”

— David Wilkerson, The Cross and the Switchblade

June 6, 2014

Watchword for the Week — 06.08.2014

“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord.”

— 1 Corinthians 12:4,5

June 1, 2014

Sermon – A Face of Compassion – Rev. Philip Bauguess

We welcome Rev. Phil Bauguess, retired Moravian Pastor, today as he brings a message of compassion and serves Holy Communion. God showed his compassion when he gave us Jesus Christ. God loves us so much he is willing to forgive and welcome us home any time and many times as shown in Luke 15:17-24, the lesson of the Prodigal Son – a great love story.

www.littlechurchonthelane.com/audio/2014.06.01.mp3

May 30, 2014

Gospel Lesson — 06.01.2014

⁷“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! ¹⁸I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. ¹⁹I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ ²⁰So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

²¹“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

²²“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. ²⁴For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

— Luke 15:17-24

May 30, 2014

Epistle Lesson — 06.01.2014

¹²Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. ¹³But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. ¹⁴If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

⁶Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. ⁷Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

⁸Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. ⁹Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

5:6-11

¹⁰And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. ¹¹To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

— 1 Peter 4:12-14, 5:6-11

May 30, 2014

Silent Meditation — 06.01.2014

“Love may challenge and love may correct but love will never shame. Love may call us out to uncomfortable places but love will never cast us aside. Love may demand but will never demean. Love will never ask us to dim our light lest we shine too brightly. Love will never ask us to be less than we were created to be. By this we know God. By this we follow Jesus. By this we serve one another.”

— Peggy Haymes

May 30, 2014

Watchword for the Week — 06.01.2014

Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.

— 1 Peter 5:7

May 25, 2014

Sermon – “Behold the Man” – Gifts of Grace by Pastor Rusty Rushing

Pastor Rushing continues the sermon series, “Behold the Man” by speaking of the gifts God has given each of us. In grace we are all called to be humble and not think of our self as more highly than another. We are united through diversity as we use our gifts to build up the body of Christ. Do you use your gift to serve others as Christ served? Do you need renewal? Turn to Christ and ask Him to renew your mind. Romans 12:3-8

www.littlechurchonthelane.com/audio/2014.05.25.mp3

May 23, 2014

Gospel Lesson — 05.25.2014

¹⁵“If you love me, keep my commands. ¹⁶And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— ¹⁷the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. ¹⁸I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. ¹⁹Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. ²⁰On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. ²¹Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

— John 14:15-21

May 23, 2014

Epistle Lesson — 05.25.2014

¹³Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? ¹⁴But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.” ¹⁵But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, ¹⁶keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. ¹⁷For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. ¹⁸For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. ¹⁹After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits— ²⁰to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, ²¹and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ²²who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.

— 1 Peter 3:13-22

May 23, 2014

Silent Meditation — 05.25.2014

When we surrender ourselves to the Lord, learning day by day to treat all that comes to us with the peace of soul and firm conviction that His will governs all, He will see to our growth in grace.

— Elisabeth Elliot

May 23, 2014

Watchword for the Week — 05.25.2014

Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name;

give to him glorious praise.

— Psalm 66:1,2

12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

5:6-11

¹²Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.