The LORD's Day November 11, 2007

Thankful to the LORD for the Sanctity of Christian Fellowship

Proverbs 6.16-19
Psalm 133

Christian Fellowship is wonderful. It is so much more than sharing a meal, although that is part of it. It is really sharing our lives with one another.

Since September 22nd when my dad fell down his steps and has had been in a hospital and now rehab center, I have watched the church come through in shining ways We know how to love Both here and at my folks church and with other believers spread all over, God’s people have been there in prayer and in deeds for my folks. It has been bittersweet but I am finding the sweetness is greater than the trials

It is a beautiful thing when the followers of Christ love one another:

*Jesus told us this is how people would know we are His disciples.
It is the fruit of having His Spirit within out hearts. He is pleased and God’s people are thankful when this happens. The Spirit flows unhindered. People’s hearts are touched and we flooded with grace. Great grace is upon the people that love the LORD and one another.

*Love covers a multitude of sins. We sin. No two places are the effects of sin felt so strongly than the family and the church. In both where there is abundance of love forgiveness flows freely. Blessed is the family and the church where forgiveness is part of life. They are a refuge from a world gone crazy.

*It is attractive. Titus 2.10 “...in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.” This is one of the ways, the main way that people are drawn to Jesus. They see the love we have for one another and that love softens their heart and God begins to draw them to Himself. Follow the way of love.


1. The LORD hates a man who stirs up dissension among brothers Proverbs 6.19
Dissension can send people in relationships away from one another. Faults a person has can be covered by love until someone comes and points them out to the one being offended. Sometimes they are not even aware of an offense. This person being spoken about here as one whose actions are detestable to the LORD is a busybody with direction. They get involved in other people’s business and relationships. The ties that bind literal or spiritual brothers and sister are loosened and what is left is fracture in the relationship.

This can and often does result in people casting one another out of their lives. Almost always it comes from someone reaching over into other people’s lives with a spirit of divorce and turning two or more people who were getting along fine into enemies of one another. This is one of the seven detestable things to the LORD.
On the other hand...

2. It is good and pleasing to the LORD when brothers dwell together in unity Psalm 133

So important is this to the LORD that in His Word here He ties it into the anointing of the High Priest and to the Holy City. This was no small thing. The LORD is using the High Priest being anointed and Jerusalem itself under great blessing as examples/illustrations of what unity among family members and members of His body, the church is like.

This unity is a blessing to all. It is a wonderful and wonder-filled thing.

God sanctifies it. It is sacred and holy. It is a reflection of the Father in Heaven. It is a godly response to Cain’s sin against Abel, the animosity between Jacob and Esau, Joseph and his brothers, and anyone who has had jealousy against any other human being.

As believers we need to promote this. Unity is not easy achieved. It means being together to the point if necessary we set aside personal preferences. Personal preferences can cause divisions if they are seen for anything else than just that- personal preference


3. We should be thankful for the things that please the LORD.

Do not delight in evil but rejoice with the truth. (I Corinthians 13.6) You say yeah duh Of course But hold on a minute. Someone who stirs up dissension among brothers could very well be acting out of jealousy. I think that is one of the reasons that the word lousy is contained in the word jealousy.

Guard your heart for out of it come the issues of life. Jealousy can come out of a heart of a believer. Even a mature believer can struggle with this sin. Let me explain- suppose there are a group of brothers or sisters in Christ getting along - dwelling together in unity but that group doesn’t include you It comes at a time when you are down or when you really feel the need for fellowship. I have been there, perhaps you have been there too. It is not as easy to thankful if that is going on if we aren’t in on it. Not easy but possible

A mature believer can give thanks for good things happening in the body of Christ that he is not a direct part of. We can give thanks that the truth of Psalm 133 is taking place even if it doesn’t include us. Job knew how to do this.

Herein is a subtle danger, an inward temptation- if we don’t rejoice we may end up complaining or murmuring and in so doing sow dissension among brothers. We could stir up dissension out of jealousy Guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life. Our hearts are capable of wickedness if we do not guard them carefully.

4. There are safeguards given in God’s Word to insure the unity between God’s people.

*Forgive as the LORD forgave you. Colossians 3.13
Well that covers any sin that anyone could do against you. Jesus forgave those who were responsible for His death as they we killing Him. Stephen learned this and did a similar thing when he was dying. He asked God to forgive them.
This is the way to live. If you do this there never will be any breakdown in communication on your part. It is when a person does not forgive that this unity is displaced and the results in any relationship are not pretty.

*Love each other deeply. Love covers a multitude of sins. I Peter 4.8

Offenses taken to heart and harbored there will destroy relationships. Don’t let that happen to you You cannot control how a person will react to your love but you keep on loving

Deeply- stretched out. Back in the 70's there was a Christian song called “Reach Out”- I think it may be where we got the phrase outreach from. It spoke of loving deeply. Sometimes love stretches us- but is a good stretch Giving, Loving, Praying- all these things take us beyond our comfort zones and sometimes into the heat of battle. Comfort Zones- on my thermostat... too hot... I get sick. I like it on the low side, just inside the comfort zone. When we love deeply we move out of that place.

To love deeply is to do so with purpose and intent. It is beautiful things when love motivates and touches another person. This is beyond incidental into the intended. Loving each other deeply means to be earnest in our love. It is easy to love some people and not as easy to love others. That is why we need to bear with each other in love

To love each other deeply carries with it the idea of loving at all times, a constant or continual love. When things are going great and I am in a good mood- it is easy to love. Back to that idea of stretching- sometimes we need to stretch ourselves out a mood where we would rather not express love. That is part of the sacrifice of ourselves to the LORD.

Specific instructions are given to the church. Only two times while He was here on earth did Jesus mention the word church- Once He said He would build it (Matthew 16), The other time Matthew 18 - this is how important our relationships are with one another.

He gave us specific - very specific directions on how to handle potentially damaging things in the body of Christ. He showed us how to be reconciled to one another. We ought to be thankful when this is happening.

We must remember that the tongue is set on fire by hell itself (James 3). Therefore we must be careful that we don’t say something that could disrupt or damage. We cannot take back words. We have all regretted saying something we should not have said but we been thankful when we kept our mouth shut and not said something we should not have said. Think before you speak not after, “I should not have said that ”

5. Be a person of peace.
We are going to be building up the body of Christ and the family of God.

“Blessed are the peacemakers”, Jesus said,”for they shall be called the children of God.” He is the God of peace. He brings peace to souls. We are called to peace.

Be a bridge builder. Stand in the gap.

Opposite of that person who stirs up dissension among brothers (one who brings trouble to a peaceful situation) is the person who by their lives brings peace to troubled situations. This is a delicate work. It can be like diffusing a bomb. It is sometimes best handled indirectly. This is no place for a person who is manipulating or a busybody to go. It is for those who are wise as serpents and harmless as doves It is for those who gladly step out of the way so God can work. They don’t talk about their work they just do it.

Being a person of peace is learning to be quiet, keeping our mouths shut. Peace is often brought about when a person refuses to fight. Jesus told us to tune the other cheek. This has to do with verbal offenses.

I’m so thankful for the Family of God. I’m glad to be part of it With membership comes not only privileges but also responsibility. We are not mavericks and without duty.

We need to remember that the LORD hates a man who stirs up dissension among brothers. It is pleasing to Him when we are in unity. Pay attention to the safeguards He has set up in His Word. Be a person of peace.

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The LORD’s Day
November 11, 2007

We Worship In Singing
We Worship In Prayer/ Dedication of Christmas Shoe boxes
We Worship In Hearing the Word of God
Thankful to the LORD for the Sanctity of Christian Fellowship
Proverbs 6.16-19, Psalm 133

*Tithes and Offerings can be placed in the box at the rear of the sanctuary*
Please join us for bagels and coffee downstairs if you are visiting today.

This Week
Bible Reading Proverbs 8
Monday Men’s Prayer Meeting 6:30am in the church basement
Wednesday Bible Study 7:30pm at the parsonage
Thursday Bible Study 10:30am at the church
Next Lord’s Day
Morning Prayer- 10am in the church basement
Morning Worship- 10:30am(Sunday School for Children) Harvest Dinner
Spanish Service- 4pm

In Your Prayers For All of God’s People
Remember the men serving in the armed forces: Bradley, Julia Bujold’s grandson with Special Forces in Afghanistan, home on leave right now, Ken Brown, Pastor’s friend’s son finished his third tour of Iraq- His parents thank us for praying for him. Billy Knapp, Jr. in Iraq with the Marines (neighbor of the church and Pastor- Billy’s sister graduated from Good Shepherd). He is due home at Thanksgiving. Matthew Klaus, brother of Good Shepherd parent in Iraq as a firefighter for Haliburton. Pastor’s nephews’ and niece’s cousin Kim’s husband, Jay, in Iraq. Pray for them and the others away from their families. Praise God for keeping David Louis, Jake Morgan, Ken Brown and Tom Hindelang safe during their times in Iraq. Please pray for Johnathan Kruzner (friend’s son of Rudy Migliore) who lost his arm from a roadside bomb in Iraq last month. Katharina’s Family in the death of her daughter... Remember Robert, her husband and her sons, Norman, Raymond &Jonathan anf their families. Kathy, Ziggy and Margot’s daughter-in-law, under the doctor’s care for fibromyalgia. Thank God for answers to prayer for her as well as Lucy, their daughter, who faced two surgeries this week, one an emergency. Thank God is she is recovering. Pray for Eloise Brooks’ Family in their loss and sorrow... Remember Jean Louis on dialysis. Grace Martin, Edie Raevis’ daughter, recovering from surgery on her back and uindergoing Physical Therapy. Edie’s daughter’s mother-in-law, Millie Espisito remains in serious condition. Reginald Mooney, friend of Terri and John Garry, with a tumor in his kidney. Please remember Pastor’s friend Kim Richardson’s daughter, Kelly recovering from a mastectomy. Please remember this whole family in prayer. Two lymph came back showing cancer in them.... undergoing chemo therapy. Leah May’s cousin, Joan, respiratory problems now home... Lucy Mancini under Orthopedic Specialist’s care and physical therapy for pain and injuries resulting from the accident. Pastor’s Dad, Larry Mancini, Sr. In an intermediary care facility, undergoing physical, occupational and speech therapy. There is a blog for him: www.papa2all.blogspot.com He is being treated for bacterial infection at this time. Stephen Huges, brother of a Good Shepherd Nursery School Mom, their parents home in Hewlett was destroyed in a fire.. Please remember Dr. And Mrs. Mucci in your prayers as well as Judy’s daughter Tatum. Alice Gordon’s brother, Everette, passed away in Illinois on Wednesday afternoon Please remember his wife Monica and the whole family...Alice will return home this evening from the funeral. Anka’s family in their time of loss and grief. Joey Reda (Charlie and Diane Davison’s Grandson) experiencing some heart arrhythmia. Prudy’s Mom Rose Ragusa, beginning chemo and radiation treatment this week. Pastor’s friend, Rudy Migliore, received a very good report from the doctors .Romans 12.15 Jack Simon, a friend of Pastor’s, undergoing treatment for a lung problem...Pray for those children who will receive Christmas shoe boxes this December.

Thanksgiving Service Tuesday, November 20th at 7:30pm
The LORD’s Supper will be served

Notes on Our Time in God’s Word This Morning...

Thankful To The LORD for the Sanctity of Christian Fellowship

Proverbs 6.16-19, Psalm 133

Pastor’s messages are now available online:
http://thesundaymorningmessage.blogspot.com/
Church e-mail: bayshorenaz@rock.com
Church Phone: 631-969-1730
1314 Pine Acres Boulevard, Bay Shore, Long Island, NY 11706-5436