The Godly Man
Dear friends in Christ,
Greetings to all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
”The gospels do not explain the resurrection; the resurrection explains the gospels. Belief in the resurrection is not an appendage of the Christian faith; it is the Christian faith.“ (J.S. Whale). Resurrection is a victory over death and all the forces of evil. Therefore, we have to live in the experience of risen Christ.
This month we think about the Godly man. The godly man does not object to the thought that his highest vocation is to be a means to God’s glory; rather, he finds it a source of great satisfaction and contentment. His ambition is to follow out the great formulae in which Paul summed up the practice of Christianity — ”glorify God in your body“; ”whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God“ (1 Cor. 6:20; 10:31). His dearest wish is to exalt God with all that he is in all that he does. He follows in the footsteps of Him who could say at the end of His life here: ”I have glorified thee on the earth“ (John 17:4), and who told the Jews: ”I honor my Father . . . I seek not mine own glory . . .“ (John 8:49f.).
He thinks of himself in the manner of George Whitefield who said: ”Let the name of Whitefield perish, so long as God is glorified.“ Like God Himself, the godly man is supremely jealous that God, and God only, should be honored. Indeed this jealousy is a part of the image of God in which he has been renewed. There is now a doxology written on his heart, and he is never so truly himself as when he is praising God for the glorious things that He has done already and pleading with Him to glorify Himself yet further. We may say that it is by his prayers that he is known — to God, if not to men.
”What a man is alone on his knees before God,“ said Murray McCheyne, ”that he is, and no more.“ In this case, however, we must say no less. For prayer in secret is the veritable mainspring of the godly man’s life. And when we speak of prayer, we are not referring to the prim, proper, stereotyped, self-regarding formalities which sometimes pass for the real thing. The godly man does not play at prayer, for his heart is in it. Prayer to him is his chief work. And the burden of his prayer is always the same, the expression of his strongest and most constant desire — ”Be thou exalted, Lord, in thine own strength.“ ”Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens.“ ”Father, glorify thy name.“ ”Hallowed be thy name.“ (Ps. 21:13; 57:5; John 12:28; Matt. 6:9). By this God knows His saints, and by this we may know ourselves.
May God bless you all
Rev. Shiju Samuel
Events
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Every Sunday
9 : 30 -10: 30 Sunday School
9 : 45 - 10: 15 Bible Class
10 : 45 - Holy Communion Service
1: 00 - 3:00 PM Choir Practice
Committee Meeting
6th April
Cottage Prayer
5th Varghese Joseph
26th Tony Philip
Family Sunday
20th April
Area Prayer Meeting
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Fasting Prayer
5th Rev Shiju Samuel
12th Aby Joseph
19th T A Joseph
26th Church
Upcoming Events (May)
A) May 5. Combined worship Service with St. Mary’s Episcopal Church
B) May10. Women’s Fellowship Retreat
C) May 11. Mother’s Day
D) May 11 Sunday School First Semester Examination. (9: 30 AM)
E) May 16 Family Nite at Zero Malabar Catholic Church at Bellwood (Time 5: 30 PM) Ticket: 30$ for family & 10 for Individual.
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Readings and Assignments
April 6 Life in the risen Christ Malayalam Service
Lesson 1 Ezekiel 37: 1-14 Jobby Jacob
Psalm 23 Robin K Roy
Lesson 2 Romans 6:1-14 Joseph Lukose
Gospel John 21: 1 - 14
Elements Sheeba & Aby Joseph
Food Church
April 13, Jesus the Light of the world: walking in the light Youth Service
Lesson 1 Isaiah 60: 1 – 7 Youth
Psalm 27 Youth
Lesson 2 Ephesians 5: 8 – 21 Youth
Gospel Luke. 24: 13 - 35
Elements Youth
Food Tony Philip
April 20, Jesus, the way, the truth and the life Malayalam Service
Lesson 1 Proverbs 4: 10 – 19 Tony Philip
Psalm 33: 1 – 9, 20- 22 Julie Thomas
Lesson 2 ll Peter 1: 3 – 11 Shaji Kurian
Gospel John 14: 1- 7
Elements Omana & Thomas Koshy
Food John Joseph family
April 27, Renewal for mission English Service
Lesson 1 Isaiah 1: 10 - 17 Sheela Thomas
Psalm 113 Kelly Kurian
Lesson 2 James 1: 19 – 27 Santosh Varghese
Gospel Matthew 25: 31 - 46
Elements Susheela & Tony Philip
Food Joseph Lukose family
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