This Sunday we continue our message series here at E-Free that we are calling, "Summer by the Lake." This is a study through the main events of the life of Christ that happened on or by the Sea of Galilee. We started the series looking at the Great Catch of Fish and how Jesus used that to call four of His disciples to follow Him. Last Sunday we looked at the miracle of Jesus in calming the storm.
This week we see Jesus walking on the water. We will look at this story in two parts. This week we will see the STORM that was involved and the following week we will see the STEP of faith that Peter took during this storm. This Sunday will be a continuation of the theme of the previous week as we see five more principles about storms that come into our lives. These will include the following:
Storms are likely to be on the horizon shortly after a great spiritual victory!
God's plan for our spiritual growth includes storms!
No one said that storms would be easy!
The Lord is not always easy to see in the midst of our storms, and often, the storm rages for quite some time before we can notice his presence!
Jesus uses storms to reveal His power and His presence to us in order to prepare us to do something extraordinary for Him!
As a result, when you first enter the Gospel Center on Sunday morning it will have the feel of a storm through sound and lighting effects (don't worry - there will be no rain in the auditorium, so there is no need to bring your umbrella in with you). If you know someone who is going through a storm (and we all probably do), be sure to invite them to E-Free this Sunday.
This Sunday we will all be together in one service (there will be no traditional service this Sunday). Instead of the message being in one block, we will be dividing the message this Sunday up into five parts. In between each part we will be including elements of worship that fit that part of the text including worship, special music and communion. I believe it will be a very special Sunday!
Join us this Sunday here at E-Free. The service begins at 9:30.
For some reason, whenever a "storm" comes into my life I have the tendency to assume it is punishment for something I've done wrong. I have really appreciated your sermons on this topic because I have learned that God uses storms in so many ways to grow us, rather than simply to punish us.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading and for commenting, Anonymous. There is no doubt that storms can come into our lives due to disobedience (as in the case of Jonah). But it is just as clear in Scripture that some storms can come into our lives when we are being obedient (as in the case with the disciples and the storms on the Sea of Galilee). In these cases God wants to solidify our faith and reveal more of Himself to us in order to prepare us to do something extraordinary for Him! I'm very glad to hear that God is using the messages each Sunday in your life! Blessings!
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