2 January 2011- ENCS

Pastor Larry spoke of three Rs to serve our city
Which we should do out of love, not pity
He frequently referred to Isaiah chapter fifty eight
And mentioned God's abundance that does more than sate
Verse twelve says to make the community livable again
That is a command from God in heaven

The first R is to rebuild past foundations
As in freeing the oppressed of the nations
From verse six, we also did hear
That in God's eyes, fasting is dear
Fasting is part of a relationship, not a ritual
Building strong foundations should be habitual
That means holding on to our values
Allowing God's word into our hearts infuse
The Bib is God's love letter
For us, no book is better
Strong foundations are needed for strong leadership
Pastor then talked of the process of discipleship
Per 1 Timothy 47-8, valued is godliness
The value of physical training is much less
But work is required for either one
In fact, that work is never really done

To restore old ruins is the second R
To mend broken lives, we don't have to look far
This is what Isaiah 58 verse seven talks about
With God's love and compassion we should reach out
We should not just focus on 'I' or 'me'
For as per Psalm 23 verse three
The Lord will restoreth my soul
He knows my struggles that take a toll
And as per Galatians 6 verse one
Restoring sinners gently is how it should be done

The third R is to renovate communities
To repair the broken walls and streets of the cities
Doing this shows that we do indeed care
In return, the city's prosperity we will share
This was told in Jeremiah 29 verse seven
Pastor also referred to Isaiah 58 verses 8 and 11
For God will guide us always
And satisfy our needs all our days
For others, we should be a beacon of light
And for others' salvation, we should fight
The Tipping Point talked of the power of a little action
Added together, they bring change and satisfaction

After the sermon, Neli shared with us a song
He wrote it, we all sang along
Earlier sang ' I give myself for you, for you to use me'
Neli wrote 'let the city know your love through me'
The two songs have a common theme
Which will be with us for a while, it does seem