Sunday Morning Series - Faithful & True - The Bramble King

In Judges 9, we read the story of Gideon's son, Abimelech. This man's mother was from the region of Shechem. Abimelech wants to be a big shot, but has 70 brothers standing in his way. He approaches the men of Shechem, and becomes their king. He then kills his 70 brothers, but one (Jotham) escapes.

Jotham prophesies against Abimelech, who reigns over Shechem for 3 years. At that point, God stirs up strife against Abimelech (to avenge the death of his brothers). They make Gaal their king because he is a full-blood brother to them. Abimelech repays them by burning the city and them. Neither Abimelech nor Shechem are serving God, and are slated for judgement. Abimelech meets his fate when a woman drops a mill stone on his head. He orders his servant to kill him to avoid the ignominy of having been slain by a woman.

Abimelech is an example of one who has a flesh-based faithfulness. It is founded on his own desires and needs. Spirit-based faithfulness is solid and not moved by circumstances or a personal agenda.

Visit the website to hear the entire message on true faithfulness.

This Week At Zoe

Wednesday night, April 1, 2009, at 7:30 P.M., "God's Boot Camp," continues. What kind of fruit do we produce? How do we get into bearing good spiritual fruit and remaining productive?

Friday, April 3, 2009, at 7:00 P.M., the men will be going out together. An email will go out on Monday or Tuesday describing plans for the evening.

We will celebrate the Lord's Supper on Sunday, April 5, 2009 - Palm Sunday.

Sunday, April 5, 2009, we will have our Covered Dish dinner from 12:30 P.M. - 2:30 P.M. Please bring a covered dish, along with a side dish, salad, and/or dessert for your family and enough to share with others if you are able. Come enjoy good food and fellowship! Our church meeting will be part of our time together.

Quotable Quotes

Proverbs 19:8 (KJV) - "He that getteth wisdom loveth his own soul: he that keepeth understanding shall find good."

Quotable Quotes

Proverbs 29:25 (KJV) - "The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe."

Quotable Quotes

"Faith is daring the soul to go beyond what the eyes can see." - E. C. McKenzie

This Week at Zoe

Zoe is the Greek word in the New Testament for "abundant life." We encourage you to join with us this week as we celebrate the life we have in Christ Jesus.

Pastor Steve continues his series, "God's Boot Camp," on Wednesday, 3/25/09, at 7:30 P.M. This week, he will be speaking on developing your spirit.

Thursday, 3/26/09, 7:00 P.M., Worship Team Practice.

The Youth Group meets Friday, 3/27/09, at the Hecht's home from 7-9 PM. Come out and invite a friend!

The Ladies Brunch will be held in the Children's Church area (4 doors down from the main sanctuary) on Saturday, 3/28/09, at 10:00 A.M. Bring a breakfast item and your Bible.

This is the last in a 3-Part class on Podcasting. After church, about 12:30 P.M., Pastor Steve will cover how to use iTunes to burn your teaching CD's to play onyour computer of MP3 player. You can use this method for Apple iPods and all other brands of MP3 players. The iTunes software is set up to burn music CD's well, but not teaching CD's. A few changes will optimize this free software to help save and categorize all the teachings you have. Nothing out there works as well for free! We will show you how from start to finish.

Sunday Morning Series - Faithful & True - Judged Faithful?

Pastor Stephen Hecht took his text from Numbers 31. How does God decide who's faithful and who's not? Does God bring judgment against people? When bad things happen to people, does that mean God is judging them for their sins?

For answers to these and other questions, check out Sunday's message on the website sermon player or on your MP3 player.

A Sad Commentary on Our Times

When I was a little kid, we sang a song in Sunday School. It said, "Be careful little eyes what you see. Be careful little eyes what you see. For the Father up above is looking down with love, so be careful little eyes what you see." The song went on to cover the ears, etc.

I recently read a saying in the newspaper under the joke section. "Eyes may be the window of the soul, but they're also the superhighway to temptation." (Author Unknown) While the saying is true, someone treated this as a big laugh. With the Internet and other media filling the airwaves with an avalanche of filth, it's a serious matter.

Job declared he had made a covenant with his eyes. Why then should he look upon a maid? (Job 31:1) The same could be said about other areas of temptation. Have we made a covenant with our eyes?

Quotable Quotes

"Be careful of any teacher who is not submitted to someone." - Pastor Stephen Hecht

Quotable Quotes

"God delights to use these impossible situations to prove HIS mighty power to deliver." - Paul F. Crouch, Sr.

This Week At Zoe

Wednesday, 3/18/09 - 7:30 P.M. - Midweek Service - "God's Boot Camp." Have you missed any part of this series? All the services through the month of February are posted on the website sermon player and available for podcast, download, or you can listen via your computer.

Thursday, 3/19/09 - 7:00 P.M. - Practice for the Worship Team.

Saturday, 3/21/09 - 8:00 A.M. - Men's Breakfast. Bring a breakfast item and your Bible. The meeting will be held in the Children's Church (4 doors down from the main sanctuary). If you're available after the breakfast, we could use some help with repairs around the church building.

Sunday, 3/22/09 - 12:30 P.M. - Sign Language Ministry Practice. This sign means, "I Love You."

If you're interested in obtaining an "I Believe t-shirt," see Miss Connie for details. The shirts are black with the words, "I Believe," on the front and, "Do You?" along with a website address on the back. They're a great way to start a conversation about Jesus.

Sunday Series - Faithful and True - The Word That You Hear

Romans 10:14-17

There is a flow to God's Word. When a person refuses to hear or heed God's Word, they are faithless, and the flow is stopped.

On the other hand, the unfaithful person is one who stops the flow at the doing of the Word. They neither act on or speak the Word they have heard and come to know. In Titus 1:7-11, we're given a list of behaviors that are necessary for a bishop, pastor, or elder. If those qualities are good for them, wouldn't they be beneficial to us?

The Word mixed with faith keeps the flow of God's Word moving through our lives. How do we mix the Word with faith?

1) Find Word-based teaching.

2) Hear with a yielded spirit and put out doubt, sarcasm, and past failures.

3) Respond immediately.

4) Expect the results promised.

5) Teach someone else these principles.

A faithful person is one who hears, yields, and acts upon/does the Word.

For the entire message, check out the sermon player or podcast the full message at Zoe Ministries' website.

Quotable Quotes

"...The Word must be reality to you -- more real than the problem you face." - Terri Pearsons

Volunteers Needed

Do you have experience with POWERPOINT? We are looking for someone to make slides for the church announcements. If you would like to help, please contact Pastor Steve.

This Week At Zoe

Tuesday, 3/10/09 - Office Closed.

Wednesday, 3/11/09 - Midweek service at 7:30 P.M. If you've missed previous lessons on "God's Boot Camp," check the website sermon player.

Sunday, 3/15/09 - 12:30 P.M. - We'll have a follow-up to the Introduction to Podcasting class. The topic will most likely revolve around podcasting with non-Apple products.

Bible Questions Class

Do you have a burning question about the Bible? Is there some Scriptural principle that's tying your brain in knots? Submit your question via the comment section of this post or write it down and give it to Pastor Steve on Wednesday night.

After next Sunday's service, there will be a Bible Questions Class at 1:00 P.M. The class will be held only if Pastor Steve receives questions prior to Sunday.

Come out for a lively discussion on the Word of God.

Sunday Morning Series - Faithful or What?

A story is told about an ancient emperor. As his life is drawing to a close, he decides to choose a successor. He gathers all the children and gives each one a seed. They're instructed to plant it, and return in one year.

One boy, Ling, runs home and tells his mother about the assignment. They get a pot, plant the seed, and he faithfully waters it. Nothing happens. The other children soon have thriving plants and trees.

After a year, all the children gather before the emperor. Ling is ashamed and sits in the back, hoping no one will notice his lack of success. The emperor calls him forward and announces Ling will be the new emperor. He's stunned. "I don't understand. Everyone else has a plant or tree, but I have nothing."

The emperor smiles and addresses the children. "All of you, including Ling, were given a seed that was boiled. Everyone except Ling replaced the seed with another seed. Ling was the only one to plant the seed I gave him. He is honest and will be a good emperor."

The moral of the story: "Be faithful, honest with what you've got."

The text for today's lesson was Numbers 25:1-6, 22-24. What happens when someone isn't faithful? We often hear people say, "Judge not that ye be not judged." So, all judgment is thrown out the window. Yet, the Bible has much to say on the subject.

According to Luke 6:36-37 and Romans 2:1, we're to judge actions, but not motives. There are definite guidelines for the process. We're to evaluate from a position of humility and purge the sin out of our own lives before approaching someone else.

Pastor Hecht goes on to give examples of where not to judge, where to judge, and judging yourself. To hear the message, visit Zoe Christian Fellowship's website. It's available on the sermon player and for podcasting.

Life Principles - #2

"When we learn to make God's causes and needs our main focus (not our wants and needs), we will see our faithfulness in God's view rise." - Pastor Stephen Hecht

Life Principles

"To envy what others have is to despise what we have been given." - Pastor Stephen Hecht

Quotable Quotes

"We have no government armed with the power capable of contending with human passions which are unbridled by morality and true religion. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.." - John Adams

This Week At Zoe

Tuesday - Church Office Closed.

Wednesday night, midweek service - 7:30 P.M. - If you've missed any of the God's Boot Camp series, the past teachings are on the website sermon player and available for podcast or download.

Friday, March 6, 2009 - Men's Night Out. Contact the church office for details.

Next Sunday - All those involved in the Sign Language Special will meet for practice after the service at approximately 12:30 P.M.

Have a blessed week!

Faithful to What?

Our dog doesn't like the vacuum cleaner when it's turned on. Cell phones are viewed as a threat and must be challenged. And don't let a ball roll behind a hockey stick. No way is doggie going to go near that item. Even though I know those things present no danger, he has that perception.

Sometimes we have wrong perceptions. We think we are faithful to God and to the Word, but we're actually faithful to ourselves. We're worried about our reputations. We want recognition. We want to be unique. Most people are faithful to their wants and needs.

When the 10 spies gave an evil report about the Promised Land, the people perceived it was too difficult to take the land. They followed their perceptions rather than the Word of God.

Find out more about perceptions and how they affect us. Sunday's message can be heard in its entirety on our website. If you're in the Warrington, PA area, we'd be honored to have you visit us. We're located at 1111 Easton Rd., Warrington.