Pastor Allan Burnett

If you’re not aware of it, these Psalms of Ascent could as well be called “Songs of Ascent.” They’re actually songs the Israelites were singing out as they were climbing the mountain. They were heralding the message, “God is the answer.” I believe it was a divinely inspired notion to have them sing in unison as they approached the very presence of God. There no doubt were some who’d been having a particularly difficult year, but when they heard the others singing, they were reminded to get their eyes off the mountains and get their eyes on their God.

In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said,“I will build My Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.”     Just this past week we celebrated Pentecost Sunday, the birthday of the church. As we close in on the 2000th birthday of the church, I think even the most hardened skeptic would have to admit, “The Church has prevailed.” 

God credits Sarah’s faith as being essential to His eternal plan unfolding. “It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep his promise.” So clearly, it was Abraham together with Sarah that found the “Faith to Overcome.”

In response to God’s commission, Moses appealed to the people to partner with him in the work. This wasn’t a one-man job; it was a shared calling that required the collective generosity of God’s people.
When the Israelites left Egypt, they carried with them gold and possessions given freely by the Egyptians. God had already provided everything they would need for the task ahead!
So when Moses called on them to give toward the building of the Tabernacle, they responded joyfully and abundantly.

In a world flooded with spiritual deception and shifting truth, how do we stay grounded in our faith? 1 John 2 reminds us to anchor ourselves in the unchanging promises of God, the presence of God, and the peace of God. Like a ship secured by heavy anchors in uncertain waters, we’re called to cling to God’s Word, prioritize prayer, praise, and fellowship, and trust in the peace that only Christ can give. Staying anchored in truth will keep us steady through the storms of life.

Most of you reading this could probably quote Proverbs 3:5, 6 by memory, as it is one of the most memorized Scriptures.  Proverbs 3:6 in the NLT says, “Seek His will in all you do and He will show you which path to take.”  You may be reading this and saying, “I am seeking Him but He’s not showing me the path to take.”  I want us to look at three  points that will help us to make wise choices. 

The mystery that God had only given glimpses of but revealed fully after the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus is that a day is coming when all darkness will be done away with, and a new Kingdom will be established. It’s as though all of history has been moving toward, focusing on this glorious goal.

In Acts 19, Paul arrives in Ephesus, and ended up staying there for well over two years, building a church community, to whom he would later write one of his letters. We learn much in this chapter about how important it is to know your authority in Christ Jesus.

Many people aspire to leadership in the church when they see the Pastor preaching, or the Praise and Worship team leading us in our public services, but looking at Acts 13, we can see a very natural progression that happened in the lives of Paul and Barnabas before they were set apart and sent out on their missionary journey.