This week is our seventh week for Scripture memorization as a congregation. While it has long been a part of our  Sunday School program for children we have never had a concerted effort for adults to memorize scripture. While we are not handing out gold stars for completion, the rewards of scripture memorization are many and important to spiritual life. Just as our natural bodies need a balanced diet, the spiritual part of us benefits from a spiritual diet that includes reading and memorizing Scripture, the presence of the Holy Spirit (strengthened through prayer and worship) and purity of heart and life, an end result of the first two.

Here’s why memorizing the Scripture will help:

1. It helps to keep us from sin – Psalms 119:11

2. The Word builds faith in our lives – Romans 10:17

3. Assists in sharing your faith – 1 Peter 3:15

4. Fight the enemy with a sharp sword rather than a fragmented sword – Heb. 4:12

5. In times when you don’t have access to a Bible or concordance and need a Scripture.

6. To be prepared for “teaching moments” in life. Deut. 6:4-7

There are many more benefits too numerous to list here. So, this week, exercise your spiritual man – memorize a verse of scripture that will be beneficial down the road.

On Wednesday evenings we have been taking a look at the Works Of The Holy Ghost – how He works in our lives to shape us to be more like Him.

This week our subject was “faithfulness”, one of the fruits of the Spirit which carries with it the idea of reliability and loyalty. While the fruit of the Spirit are the products of His working within as we yield to Him we also should be aware of areas of our lives in need of change.

Some areas to examine ourselves in regards to faithfulness are:

1. Keeping our promises (Ecc 5:5)

2. Honoring marriage (Heb. 13:4)

3. Using our talents and abilities (1 Peter 4:10 NIV)

4. Managing our time (Eph. 5:15-16)

5. Standing by our friends (Prov 17:17)

6. Managing money (Luke 16:10-13 NLT)

7. Being our best at work (Col. 3:23 NLT)

8. Committing ourselves to the church (Rom 12:5)

Awesome!! That’s the way to describe both the crowds and the Spirit present at our Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday night Prayer Meetings this week (when this was written we had not yet had Saturday night). Each prayer meeting was 1 ½ hours – except for Thursday which lasted for 2 hours and included prayer for physical needs, prayer for revival and prayer for kingdom needs and direction. On the peak night (Wednesday) there were around 40 in attendance including approximately a dozen from our teen group. Best of all, God was there in a powerful way ministering into lives.

This week we are continuing with our Prayer and Fasting chart  – with our goal to have someone praying and fasting each meal of the week. Next week we will be challenging everyone to try a “Daniel” fast from Monday until Friday. In a Daniel fast you are not limited by the amount of food that you consume – only the type of food. In this very healthy type of fasting we will avoid sugar, caffeine, dairy, meat, bread and solid fats from our diets. You are probably asking “What can I eat?”. From the “Danielfast.com” website: “Food to be consumed are all fruits, all vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, legumes, tofu, soy products, vinegar and seasonings. Processed foods are not recommended as well as anything with added chemicals.” It is also recommended to begin weaning yourself off of sugar and caffeine for a couple of days prior to the beginning of the fast.

Take the challenge – stock up on fruits and vegetables this week and get ready for a “Daniel Fast”!

We have now experienced the first major snowstorm and the first service cancellation of the winter and while it would be nice to think that this is all we will get it of course would be living in denial! When the weather is bad we try to err on the side of caution when deciding if a service will be cancelled. When a decision is made to cancel we immediately send an email and as promptly as possible place a notice at the top of our web homepage and on our blog. For those without email we work from a call list - if you would like to be placed on it please notify Sis. Price. We also are considering notification by text message on cell phones. If you would like to benotified by text message send an email with your name and cell number to admin@westislandchurch.com

Thanks to everyone who supported Missionary Lynne Jewett last Sunday. Your generosity is appreciated very much.

There’s only about a month left until Christmas – and what a short month it will be. It seems that at this time of the year which is supposed to be dedicated to the birth of Christ even Christians suffer from a bad case of the clutters. Our  schedules get cluttered with deadlines and events and activities. Our “to do” lists overflow with the checkmarks for completed tasks always lagging behind. Energy levels get depleted, emotions run high and stress can become a constant.

It’s then we need to stop and take a deep breath…and recognize that it’s all supposed to be about Jesus. Taking time to assess the crowded conditions of life to make sure that we haven’t lost the baby in the midst of all the clutter.

Phoebe is not a name that comes to mind when we think of Bible characters yet she played an important role in her time. We find her in Romans 16:1-2 (NIV) “16:1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea. 2 I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been a great help to many people, including me.”

This “ordinary” person is believed to have carried Paul’s letter to the Romans (now known as the book of Romans) to the church at Rome. Such a role would only be filled by a trusted friend and in choosing her Paul conferred on her a great honor. Phoebe was a woman of great influence and generosity living in a seaport town known for its wickedness. She was a servant of the church there, the word servant coming from the Greek word diaconos from which we get our English word “deacon”. In the early Church much was made of service, little of office, and it was more of an honor to be referred to as a servant than as a deaconess. Along with serving in the church she was a person who would go out of her way to help others in need, including the Apostle Paul.

Whether Phoebe laid down her life in Rome as so many of the Christians of her time die, or if she went back to Cenchrea we don’t know. We can be sure that her goodness, loyalty, kindness and willingness to work marked her as a woman whose ministry inspired all whose lives were fortunate enough to be touched by her.

Epaphra-who?

Epaphroditus is mentioned in Philippians 2:25-26 and nowhere else. He is one of the “ordinary” people of the Scripture who fill very important roles.

If you were to ask most believers of his day to identify him, you might get that faint look of partial recognition you wear when you can sort of recall a name but can’t for the life of you place the person. Although he remains in relative obscurity due to his brief mention in Scripture, Paul considered him an important part of his ministry. He was Paul’s “brother, coworker, and fellow soldier,” as well as his trusted messenger when the Apostle was in prison.

Many believers like Epaphroditus played key roles in beginning the early church. We may not know their names or their stories but we know that these supporting players no walk the streets of heaven with Jesus, enjoying the rewards of their faithful service.

Not everyone is called to be a “star” in the Lord’s service, but that doesn’t mean that what you do for his kingdom doesn’t catch God’s eye. It does! Your work is important to those you have the privilege of serving!

Back To The Basics          

There are two Christian Disciplines that when practiced regularly will strengthen and establish our relationship with God.

1. Prayer: When we love someone we want to talk to them. Prayer is two way communication with God where we develop our relationship with God. The Bible instructs us to “pray in Jesus Name” as we bring our requests to Him. Prayer can be done kneeling, sitting or standing – what is important is not the posture of the body but the faith and sincerity of the heart.

2. Bible Reading: King David said (Ps 119:11) ”Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” The Bible gives us direction in life and provides a firm basis for our Christian life. Taken on a daily basis the Scriptures build faith in our lives. There are many different translations and paraphrases of the Bible so, for general reading purposes, find one that you are comfortable with (older language/modern language) and then read it.

Congratulations to those who have already completed reading the Bible through this year! You are an inspiration!

This week in our morning devotions here at the church we read the scripture found in Colossians 3:17 “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,…”. I was struck by the all encompassing nature of the verse and its application to our lives. The Bible gives us general principles that permit Spirit-led believers to determine the rightness or wrongness of actions not expressly mentioned in God’s Word. In everything that we say, do, think or enjoy, we must ask the following questions.

· Can it be done to God’s glory?

· Can it be done in the “name of the Lord Jesus”, asking his blessing on the activity?

· Can it be done while sincerely giving thanks to God?

· Is it a Christ-like action?

· Will it weaken the sincere convictions of other Christians?

· Will it weaken my desire for intimate fellowship with Christ?

Good thoughts to think about, good thoughts to provide a guide for all of life.

This is the “in between” weekend, falling between St. Jean Baptiste Day and Canada Day and officially marking the beginning of summer vacation season. It’s always nice to be able to get away and relax and enjoy what hopefully will be nice weather. Just a reminder in the middle of our relaxation that we need to continue to remember God and to honor God in our lives. A good practice while travelling is to find a church to worship in wherever you are. There are a couple of reasons for this, first because we need worship and the habit of worship in our lives. Secondly, it establishes in the minds of our children that we never go on vacation from God. That following Christ involves all of our time whether at home or on vacation.

Just a note: We will be extending the date for the conclusion of our Food Drive to Sunday, July 5^th.

There are two ways to participate in this:

1. Fill a bag (bags are available in the church entry or you can use plastic bags, boxes etc.) and bring it to the church. We will then distribute them to the food bank.

2. Fill a bag and give it directly to someone you know has a need. Then just fill out a card from the table in the entry and drop it in the offering plate so we can keep track of the total number of bags.

Thank you for your participation!

Pastor Price