It’s Christmas Time Already?

Where has the year gone? It seems like only yesterday we were ringing in the New Year and saying goodbye to another hectic Christmas season, or should I say holiday season? I don’t want to sound too harsh but once we roll through the Black Friday month (at least the advertising makes me think it lasts a month), there seems to be a period of joy and harmony that starts to permeate people’s lives and hearts.

World War One was a time of great strife and atrocities. Lines of troops dug in across vast areas of killing grounds. They were ordered out of the trenches to storm the battlefield just to take another few yards of ground. The conditions were atrocious and this all added to the anger each side felt for the other. There would be no peace until the other was forced back to where they came from.

On the Eve of Christmas in 1914, the troops in the trenches took note of the stillness of the night and began to sing carols. Who started the singing was unimportant but when one side began singing “O Come, All Ye Faithful” the other side joined in from the depths of their own trenches. Two sides, locked in mortal combat pausing to sing  song of joy to the King of all kings. My God is greater than the anger of any war. Even though there was a direct order pertaining to the peaceful fraternization of enemies at any time, on December 25^th, 1914, around 100,000 men claimed a Christmas truce and broke bread together.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 NIV

This Sunday marks the first day of Advent. Sunday Services start at 10:30 MST and can seen live on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MainAvenueFellowship/) or viewed afterwards on our website (www.mainavefellowship.blogspot.ca).

Blessings

Pastor Todd

Peter's Picks

The Perfect 7-day Diet – Peter’s Picks

‘Wait On God’

Day 1: Psalm 27:14 – “Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.”

Day 2: Psalm 62:5 – “Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.”

Day 3: Psalm 33:20 – “We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield.”

Day 4: Isaiah 40:31 – “But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”

Day 5: Psalm 145:15, 16 – “The eyes of all look to you in hope; you give them their food as they need it. When you open your hand, you satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing.”

Day 6: Psalm 130:5 – “I am counting on the Lord; yes, I am counting on him. I have put my hope in his word.”

Day 7: Isaiah 25:9 – “In that day the people will proclaim, ‘This is our God! We trusted in him, and he saved us! This is the Lord, in whom we trusted. Let us rejoice in the salvation he brings!’”

** Verses taken from the New Living Translation

The Persecuted Church, The Upside

So, over the past four weeks we have looked at the Persecuted Church in the time of Paul and Jesus plus we have talked about the persecution in countries we can not talk about and in our own western civilization. There are some very powerful stories of miracles and faith courage in the shadow of oppression. It was a tough four weeks with the message, at times, being very convicting but there were also some incredible stories of triumph.

I received numerous emails and responses to a social experiment I tried on Facebook. A simple declaration of “Jesus is our Saviour” was met with numerous likes and loves and it was also shared, responded to and I hope there were some smiles of joy as that understanding that Jesus loves you regardless of your position. Let that one sink in. Regardless of how much you persecute the church, Jesus loves you just as much as those who have always loved Jesus with every ounce of their being. There is one key and it is one that only an individual can answer; do you accept Jesus into your heart, will you ask Him to forgive your sins and let Him know that you love Him back?

“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. John 3:16‭-‬17 MSG‬

This message is so easy to communicate and, in an area where there is persecution, this is a joyous message filled with hope. The upside to persecution, there is growth and, in many cases, miraculous growth. So this Sunday, we look at the upside. Sunday Services start at 10:30 MST and can seen live on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MainAvenueFellowship/) or viewed afterwards on our website (www.mainavefellowship.blogspot.ca).

Blessings

Pastor Todd

Preparation: Long Road To The Finished Work

          It seems as though I am never out of things to repair, or rebuild around my home. This past Labor Day weekend, I had to have the entire roof, including support structure removed due to water damage. Over time, within the ceiling and walls, enough water wicked its way to cause structural issues. I am only now, to the point of new ceiling sheet rock. The long detailed process has at times been overwhelming and it felt like I was making zero progress. Finally, the finished end is in sight, and I should have my great room back for Christmas. I’m sharing this to illustrate that the long process of preparation for paint always takes longer that we think.

          Our lives, when we learn about the Bible, and God can be very much a similar process. We all begin knowing very little, if not anything about God. Regardless of the age where we enter into a personal relationship with Jesus, the remainder of our days will be a very complex and detailed journey. Like a home renovation project, the elements of our learning journey will be such that we may wonder if we are learning anything. Then, there comes a day when we have that aha moment, when scripture begins to remain with us. Under the guidance of great teachers, and encouragers, we see how the magnificent factual history of Jesus allows us to see that our preparation to one day meet Him is worth the effort.

       Our life long preparation to one day meet Jesus face to face will be a long, yet worthwhile and exciting process. All of the learning, following, believing, and sharing of His word will finally pay off. The finished work, at least here on Earth, will carry us to the promised eternity with God. We can only imagine how the captives felt as they were released from Pharaoh’s Egypt into freedom. For years, they too prepared, and God rewarded them.

          So, the question now is this. Are you doing your own preparation work now to meet Jesus? Have you accepted His invitation to spend eternity with Him? Are you anticipating your finished life here? Is your life in the process of renovation? If you are prepared to answer yes, then hang on, because God has a wonderful reward waiting for you. The preparation will take a while, but in our end,it will be worth it.

Mike Shindruk

Master’s Hand Ministry

Peter's Picks

The Perfect 7-day Diet – Peter’s Picks

‘Jesus Loves Me’

Day 1: John 15:13 – “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

Day 2: Psalm 56:8 – “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.”

Day 3: Romans 5:8 – “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”

Day 4: Deuteronomy 7:9 – “Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands.”

Day 5: Ephesians 5:2 – “Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us[a] and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.”

Day 6: John 13:34, 35 – “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

Day 7: 1 John 4:10 – “ This is real love – not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.”

** Verses taken from the New Living Translation

Our Forever Home

So, this past week our household welcomed yet another rescued fur baby. She is a Calico feline, now known as Callie. She is not a feral cat, but was left on her own in the elements. There she was, alone, cold, hungry, with no one to care for her. She now has a warm, cozy home, with plenty of food, love and companionship. She immediately warmed up to my wife and I and is not hesitant in coming for food.

          

Now, this should seem very familiar. How many of us have been where this fur baby has been? Have we all at some time thought we were alone then Jesus showed up. Have we not been left in the cold, you know separated from God by our own choice, and Jesus showed up? Have we all been babes in God’s presence and all of a sudden we were so hungry to know Him? I believe you can see the parallels here.

       

Once we recognize that God has been there all the time we struggled, we should also recognize that He has offered us all a forever home with Him. In His presence, we will be warm of heart. Under His umbrella, we will be kept cozy, and constantly fed when hungry. Within His family (our faith family) we will never lack love and companionship. When we finally reach the place and time of our home going, our room in His mansion will have been made ready. We will all know then, what we should believe now, and that is that Jesus and eternity are waiting for us.

         

So, like the pets we care for in our life time, we will know that someone loved us so much that they secured our life and future with them. That person is Jesus. He loves us so much, that he willingly went to the cross for us. He rose, came back and left us with a promise that He is coming back. Yet before He does, He has gone to prepare a place for us with Him. Like my wife and I making a place for a cold lonely little discarded cat, He is there, waiting to rescue the next lost soul who will run toward a loving hand, and a new home.

Mike Shindruk

Master’s Hand Ministry

It’s Not Always About Me

I have a question for you; do I attack your views, your beliefs or your faith? No? Why is that? Is it that I respect your position? Is it that I support and endorse your views? Is it that I expect you to respect my right to have a stance or an opinion without being attacked or bullied into taking on a similar stance with you?

Over the years, a few readers have questioned the opinions of the writers and contributors to this blog spot. In the majority of the cases, the conversations and debates have been spirited but respectful however, on the odd occasion, I have had to have sidebar discussions because the attacks became personal rather than about the topic. I don’t want to get into specifics but, in the past, when we discuss some controversial issues and someone decides we are talking about them specifically, the derogatory descriptors come out and we are back on our heels. So here is the question; why is your opinion so much more correct than my position?

Wars are fought, lines drawn and relationships are broken because people don’t respect the beliefs or faith of others. If I proclaim what I believe to be the truth, I am not forcing you to change your position, belief or stance; I am simply stating what I believe. I often listen to the views and beliefs of others and many times am grateful for the opportunity to learn from it. It does not mean that I endorse it or support it but I respect the person’s position.

This Sunday, we conclude the Persecuted Church series by looking at the Christian Faith Gatherings of the western nations. Sunday Services start at 10:30 MST and can seen live on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MainAvenueFellowship/) or viewed afterwards on our website (www.mainavefellowship.blogspot.ca).

Blessings

Pastor Todd

Week At A Glance Nov 13-19, 2017

Office Hours

Church Office Closed      - Monday

Church Office Open        - 9:00 PM – 5:00 PM Tuesday

Church Office Closed     - Wednesday

Church Office Open        - 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM Thursday - Friday

Church Office Closed     - Saturday

Church Service                - 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Special Events

Quad Fellowship                             - Call Pastor Todd for details

Coffee Time                                    - 9:00 Tuesday @ Little Country Cap

Lady’s Bible Study                         - Wednesday 1:30 PM

Lady’s Crafting with a Purpose      - Wednesday 2:30 PM

Men’s Bible Study                          - Thursday 8:00 AM

Men’s Coffee Fellowship               - Thursday 9:00 AM

Board Meeting                                - Friday 1:00 PM

Communion Service                       - Sunday

Care Home Services - MVSH         - Not on Schedule This Week

Note: Quadding Fellowship on Monday requires participants to contact Pastor Todd to sign up, have an insured and registered quad, have a helmet and bring a lunch. This is not a ministry of Main Avenue Fellowship but rather a gathering of people who want to go out into the great outdoors and enjoy each other’s company and God’s gift of nature. MAF does not assume any liability for injuries or accidents.

BTW, if you don’t like getting dirty, Monday’s might not be your thing :D

Sunday Services can be heard on the website (www.mainavefellowship.blogspot.ca) after the service or seen live on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MainAvenueFellowship/) at 10:30 AM Mountain Standard

Peter's Picks

The Perfect 7-day Diet – Peter’s Picks

‘How Do I Get Wisdom?’

Day 1: Proverbs 1:7 – “Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”

Day 2: James 1:5 – “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.”

Day 3: Colossians 2:2, 3 – “I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

Day 4: Proverbs 2:6 – “For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.”

Day 5: Proverbs 4:5 – “Get wisdom; develop good judgment. Don’t forget my words or turn away from them.”

Day 6: James 3:17 – “But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.”

Day 7: Psalm 19:7 – “The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.”

** Verses taken from the New Living Translation

The Persecuted Church - Just Shut Up

Many years ago, a very opinionated young man came out with a fairly controversial set of beliefs and set out to change a nation. In the early days, he carefully communicated his views and slowly set out to spread his beliefs. One turned into ten which soon became hundreds and then thousands. Soon the beliefs had conquered nations but it did come at a cost.

As the authorities found out, they came to pay more attention to him and decided that he needed to be silenced so they sent brute squads after him. When it was found that physical violence did not work, they sent spies and intelligence officers to test him, trip him up and discredit him. They made a mockery of him, his family and his friends making it very difficult for anyone to want to join up.

In the end, the only way to shut him up was to kill him but the grave would not stop the movement and the message continued to grow. You may think this is the life of Christ but I would suggest that this is also the life of thousands of Christian Missionaries around the world working in countries and regions where it is illegal to preach the gospel. They preach a message of peace and joy through Jesus Christ and yet they are persecuted because the powers that be do not like what they hear. This was very prevalent in Christ’s time and is very relevant today.

This Sunday, we are going to look at the underground church where the threat of death is real but the love of God is more powerful. We invite you to join us either in person or on FaceBook Live ( htttp://www.facebook.com/todd.macdonald.3158 ) at 10:30 MST or watch the service at a later date by visiting our website and go to the Live Stream Upload page ( www.mainavefellowship.blogspot.ca )

Shalom
Pastor Todd

Nothing Can Come Between Us

Have you ever stopped to realize that nothing can come between you and God? Well, there could be one thing at times, and that’s our selves. There is no need to speak through a mediator, or middle man when having a talk with Jesus. By the mere thought in your spirit, or the whisper of His name, you will have His undivided attention. Everyone does. You can confess and profess to Him in private. He already knows your needs, yet He still wants to hear you speak your dependency on Him. He wishes nothing more than to have us accept His invitation to just sit and chat. I’m sure if our earthly father said, come, let’s sit and talk a while and take time to get to know each other, we would. I can just imagine Jesus saying, come my child let’s sit and let me tell you about my Father.

          

My dad and I used to do this, and there are times when I do the same with my sons and my daughter. I can tell you that there is no greater gift than to sit with your children and just talk, or listen. We learn so much about each other that way. The same holds true about Jesus. We cannot expect to learn about, know, understand, or trust Him if we don’t.

        

Our pastor offered this last Sunday. She encouraged us to greet Jesus every morning as we open our eyes. A simple, good morning, or a thank you for the day you will provide, is a great way to start each day. We have taken her challenge, and I encourage all of those reading this to do the same. The way you begin your day, will dictate how it will end. So, now that you know that nothing can come between you and God, including the ceiling, why not give it a try? Enter into a chat with Jesus whenever you feel like it. He will know it’s you and speak to your heart. John 10:27NCV tell us,” My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me”. Be assured, even if you haven’t spoken to Him in a while, He will still know it’s you, will still listen, and will in His own way, answer. Proof again, that nothing that can come between you and Him.

          

Mike Shindruk

www.mastershandministry.blogspot.ca

Peter's Picks

The Perfect 7-day Diet – Peter’s Picks
‘Will God Accept Me?’
Day 1: 1 john 1:9 – “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”
Day 2: 2 Peter 3:9 – “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.”
Day 3: John 3:16, 17 – “For this is how God loved the world: He gave[a] his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.”
Day 4: John 1:12 – “But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.”
Day 5: Romans 10:13 – “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Day 6: Acts 4:12 – “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”
Day 7: Ephesians 2:4, 5 – “But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)”
** Verses taken from the New Living Translation