September 2020 – Colona Community Church

Persecution

September 28, 2020 by Laurin, posted in Sunday Message

Good morning! Yesterday, Pastor Steve gave his message about Matthew 5:10, the last of the Beatitudes. To listen to this message, simply click the play button on the audio player below. Also included is the Call to Worship and a list of Scriptures referenced in Pastor Steve’s message.

Call to Worship
1 Peter 4:12-19
¹²Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has
come on you to test you, as though something strange were 
happening to you. ¹³But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in 
the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his 
glory is revealed. ¹⁴If you are insulted because of the name of 
Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests 
on you. ¹⁵If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief 
or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. ¹⁶However, 
if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God 
that you bear that name. ¹⁷For it is time for judgment to begin 
with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the 
outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? ¹⁸And,
“If it is hard for the righteous to be saved,
    what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”
¹⁹So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should 
commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

Scripture References

When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.

From "The Solid Rock" by Edward Mote

Praying you have a beautiful first full week of Fall!

Peacemakers

September 21, 2020 by Laurin, posted in Sunday Message

Good morning! Pastor Steve continued his series of wonderful messages about the Beatitudes yesterday with a lesson on Matthew 5:9. To listen to this message, simply click play on the audio player below. Also included is the Call to Worship and a list of Scripture references with links to those verses on Bible Gateway for your convenience.

Call to Worship
John 14:22-28
²²Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, 
why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”
²³Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. 
My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make 
our home with them. ²⁴Anyone who does not love me will not 
obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they 
belong to the Father who sent me.
²⁵“All this I have spoken while still with you. ²⁶But the Advocate,
the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will 
teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have 
said to you. ²⁷Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do
not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be
troubled and do not be afraid.
²⁸“You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to 
you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the 
Father, for the Father is greater than I.

Scripture References

Praying your week is abundantly blessed in Christ!

State of the Heart

September 13, 2020 by Laurin, posted in Sunday Message

Good afternoon! Pastor Steve gave a wonderful message this morning regarding the state of your heart in reference to Matthew 5:8. To listen to this message, simply click play on the audio player below. Also included is the Call to Worship and a list of verses Pastor Steve references in his message. Enjoy!

Call to Worship
Psalm 51:1-10
¹Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
    blot out my transgressions.
²Wash away all my iniquity
    and cleanse me from my sin.
³For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is always before me.
⁴Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
    and justified when you judge.
⁵Surely I was sinful at birth,
    sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
⁶Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
    you taught me wisdom in that secret place.
⁷Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
    wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
⁸Let me hear joy and gladness;
    let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
⁹Hide your face from my sins
    and blot out all my iniquity.
¹⁰Create in me a pure heart, O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Scripture References

Praying your week is abundantly blessed and full of the grace and peace of God!

Mercy Triumphs Over Judgment

September 7, 2020 by Laurin, posted in Sunday Message

Hello! Pastor Steve gave us another wonderful message in his series on the Beatitudes about mercy this week. To listen to this message, simply click play on the audio player below. The Call to Worship and Scripture references (with links to Bible Gateway) are also included.

Call to Worship
Psalm 146
¹Praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord, my soul.
²I will praise the Lord all my life;
    I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
³Do not put your trust in princes,
    in human beings, who cannot save.
⁴When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
    on that very day their plans come to nothing.
⁵Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
    whose hope is in the Lord their God.
⁶He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
    the sea, and everything in them—
    he remains faithful forever.
⁷He upholds the cause of the oppressed
    and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free,
⁸    the Lord gives sight to the blind,
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
    the Lord loves the righteous.
⁹The Lord watches over the foreigner
    and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
    but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.
¹⁰The Lord reigns forever,
    your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the Lord.