Emmanuel

Today, the Sunday School department proudly presented The Christmas Play,2010.  It was the story of a family of Shepherds who prayed and looked forward to the birth of the Christ-child.  " Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us" Matthew 1:23

Water turned into wine

 Our speaker during Family Bible Hour was Mr Billy Stevenson of Tampa, Florida.  His message was based on John 2:1-11 :  ¹And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:

 ²And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.

 ³And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.

 ⁴Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.

 ⁵His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.

 ⁶And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.

 ⁷Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.

 ⁸And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.

 ⁹When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,

 ¹⁰And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.

 ¹¹This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

The above passage records the first of Jesus' miracles. There came a moment when they ran out of wine during  the marriage at Cana.  Judaism, when equated to the lack of wine at the wedding,  is mechanical, has no life, and no joy. The Lord Jesus is the "... wine that maketh glad the heart of man..." (Psalm 104:15). The only thing that can fill lives and hearts to the brim is the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the pre-eminent One among the wedding guests, and He must be pre-eminent in our hearts. Mr Stevenson's message, in full and in context, is available on DVD. Please see Romy.

The Great Catch of Fish

 Our speaker during Family Bible Hour was Mr Steve Modrzejewski.  His message was based on Luke 5:1-11 -- And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, 2 And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. 3 And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. 4 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon,Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. 5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. 6 And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. 7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. 9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: 10 And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. 11 And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.
From the above passage, we we can quickly summarize that the person whom God uses :
(A) has to be willing to yield  --- verse 3
(B) follow's God's instruction/command --- verse 5
(C) gives credit to whom credit is due --- verses 6-8
(D) sees God's vision. or sees the bigger picture --- verses 9-10
(E) is willing to sacrifice everything --- verse 11


Mr Modrzejewski message, in full and in context, is available on DVD. Please see Romy.

Luke 17: 11-19

Our speaker during Family Bible Hour was Mr Dan Lim. He and his wife, Cari, are proud parents to Cohen and baby Kaile.  Mr Lim's message was based on Luke 17: 11And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers,which stood afar off: 13And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy onus. 14And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. 15And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back , and with a loud voice glorified God, 16And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. 1And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? 18There are not found that returned to give glory to God,save this stranger. 19And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

In the above passage, Jesus responds to the Lepers' plea for mercy.  However, only one returns to thank Him after being healed. How do we learn to be thankful, or what are the keys to a grateful life -- during Thanksgiving season, and at anytime?  (A) We must first know God in our minds and in our hearts; and accept His provision of forgiveness and fellowship through Jesus Christ alone (B) Our attitudes must be one of thankfulness in ALL circumstances as mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 5: 18  (C) Meditate and remember God's blessings.  Reading the Psalms will help us (See Psalm 9, 75, 105, and 111 as examples) (D) Praise the Lord together with other believers (see Psalm 111:1).  Mr Lim's excellent message, in full and in context, is available on DVD. Please see Romy.
The Lim Family

Deuteronomy 6:1-19

Our speaker during Family Bible Hour was Mr Steve Modrzejewski.  His message was based on Deuteronomy 6: 1-19 -- 

1 Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your Godcommanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it:
2That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments,which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged .3Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey.4Hear , O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:5And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.6And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:7And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up .8And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.9And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.10And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not,11And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged , which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full ;12Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.13Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.14Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you;15(For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God bekindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.16Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.17Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he hath commanded thee.18And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of the LORD: that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest go in and possess the good land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers,19To cast out all thine enemies from before thee, as the LORD hath spoken .

Mr Modrzejewski made a lot of excellent points about the above passage.  His main point was the importance of faith in the family.  Verses 1-3 emphasized that God and His Word should be honored and followed.  Verses 4-9 teaches us to share and teach God's Word.  Verses 10-11 tells us of God's provision.   And verses 12-19 contain warnings about forgetting God and serving idols; and God's blessings when we obey.  Mr Modrzejewski's excellent message, in full and in context, is available on DVD. Please see Romy.

Isaiah 58

Our speaker during Family Bible Hour was Mr Warren Hagey.  He and his wife, Pam, are parents to Bronwyn and Aliyah.  Mr Hagey's message, titled "Word and Deed Evangelism" was based on Isaiah 58:

¹Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.

 ²Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God.

 ³Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.

 ⁴Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.

 ⁵Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD?

 ⁶Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?

 ⁷Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?

 ⁸Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy reward.

 ⁹Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;

 ¹⁰And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day:

 ¹¹And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

 ¹²And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.

 ¹³If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:

 ¹⁴Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

Evangelism is the battle for the souls of men. In Isaiah 58, we see what true evangelism is.  What is the pattern the God would have us follow? First, there is judgement for sin. Next, is the promise of hope and forgiveness.  Then, acts of mercy and manifestation of God's love follow.  This pattern of evangelism results in God getting the glory.  Mr Hagey's excellent message, in full and in context, is available on DVD.  Please see Romy.

Personal Evangelism

 Our speaker during Family Bible Hour was Mr Lee Weber or Rockford. He is shown on the left with his friend, Jason.  The last time Mr Weber was  at PMBC  was 15 years ago. We warmly welcome him back!  Mr Weber's full-time ministry is in personal evangelism.  Believers tend to forget that what is foremost in God's heart is His love for lost sinners.  We are urged to be prayerful and faithful ambassadors in God's work of saving souls.  Below is Mr Weber's outline. Please click on image to enlarge:

Mr Weber's message, in full and in context, is available on DVD.  Please see Romy.

2 Peter 3: 1-18

Our speaker during Family Bible Hour was Mr Steve Modrzejewski. Please pray for him and his family as he will be traveling overseas till the 13th.
His message today was based on 2 Peter 3: 1-18:  

 ¹This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance:
 ²That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:
 ³Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
 ⁴And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
 ⁵For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
 ⁶Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
 ⁷But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
 ⁸But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
 ⁹The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
 ¹⁰But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
 ¹¹Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
 ¹²Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
 ¹³Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
 ¹⁴Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
 ¹⁵And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
 ¹⁶As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
 ¹⁷Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.
 ¹⁸But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen. (2 Peter 3, King James Version)
The above passage was a reminder from Peter to all Believers that the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, though there are scoffers.  It is of the Lord's will that many, many people be saved; thus, He is patient, but know for a certainty that justice is sure. God's patience should also temper our hearts and attitudes as we are faced with the seeming success of un-believers. Mr Modrzejewski's excellent message, in full and in context, is available on DVD.  Please see Romy.

Ephesians 5:18 to Ephesians 6:1-9

Our speaker during Family Bible Hour was Mr Warren Hagey.  Shown in the picture is Mr Hagey with his wife, Pam, and their two beautiful daughters.  God has been truly gracious to this family for the past couple of years, and we are pleased that He has brought them back for a visit.  Mr Hagey spoke from Ephesians 5: 18-33 through Ephesians 6: 1-9, on the marks of a Spirit-filled Christian:

And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.

 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:

 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

Chapter 6

Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;
That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth....

In summary,  a Spirit-filled Christian is one who: 

- is filled with singing and praise to the Lord (vs 19)

- has a thankful attitude  (vs 20)

-is in submission to God-appointed authority (vs 21)

Someone trully filled with the Holy Spirit will make it evident in their daily lives, and in their closest human relationships.  Mr Hagey's excellent message, in full and in context, is available on DVD.  See Romy.