Quotable Quotes

"The Word of God well understood and religiously obeyed is the shortest route to spiritual perfection. And we must not select a few favorite passages to the exclusion of others. Nothing less than a whole Bible can make a whole Christian." - A. W. Tozer

This Week at Zoe

On Wednesday, 11/10/10, at 6:30 P.M., we'll have leadership prayer. At 7:30 P.M., we invite the congregation to join us for All Church Prayer.

Sunday Morning Series - Bearing Fruit For God - Excellence

Text: Daniel 5:11-14; Daniel 6:1-4 & Others.

Because Daniel was excellent, he was promoted. Someone once said, "We are what we repeatedly do. It is not an act. It is a habit." Excellence is something we cultivate.

In order to achieve excellence, we must examine our choices and select the best. What we choose to pick up will shape our degree of excellence.

Cookies made with real butter, chocolate chips, and vanilla taste better than those made with inferior ingredients. They might be passable, but they're not the same as the real thing. We might have a choice between something good and something excellent. What we choose will determine the quality of the product.

In Luke 24:13-45, Jesus asked the two men on the road to Emmaus what they're talking about. Lack of belief results in slowness of heart. Our view of what goes on around us changes. If you want to be excellent, make sure you avoid talking fear, doubt, and sickness.

The friends you surround yourself with will impact on your excellence. In I Corinthians 15:33, we're told evil company corrupts good habits. Romans 15:24 talks about how Paul enjoyed the company of believers. I Corinth. 5:9-13 warns us not to keep company with immoral people in the church.

Excellence is worth pursuing! Are you choosing what's excellent?

You can hear this message in its entirety on our website Sermon Player. It's also available as a FREE MP3 download or podcast.

If you're visiting in the area or looking for a church home, you're welcome to attend our Sunday morning service, at 10 A.M. We're located at 1111 Easton Rd. (Rte. 611), Warrington, PA. Directions are available on the website or contact the church office at (215) 343-7686.

Praise Reports From Phyllis and Brandon

Phyllis: Her boss gave her a 1999 Hyundai Accent FREE OF CHARGE! She's rejoicing at God's provision. Phyllis says she thought of Psalms 35:27 that says, "Let the Lord be magnified, who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant." She thought to herself, "That sounds like favor!"

Brandon: Wooster in Kenya is a spring semester program that includes an on-campus, academic component (0.75 credit) and an off-campus experience in Kenya (0.25 credit) over spring break. The overall goal of the Wooster in Kenya Program is to introduce students to the history, culture, and political economyof Kenya, with a special focus on environment, culture and development in Western Kenya.

The class meetings prior to the trip will prepare students for the in-country experience, and the post-trip meetings will allow for reflection and integration of the experience into the students' academic course of study. During the spring break trip, course participants will do short home-stays in two villages to learn about family and community life in rural Kenya today. Students will aslo work on environmental and agricultural projects facilitated by the Maragoli Comunity Development Foundation in order to learn firsthand about the opportunities and challenges in community-based development programs that are locally conceived and implemented.

Each student will be expected to conduct a research project, using both library sources and ethnographic material, and give a post-trip presentation. There were 60 kids who applied, 28 that got interviews, and 12 that got selected.

Not only did Brandon get selected, but he also received a $4,231 scholarship to pay for the trip!

Brandon has also applied to Teach for America in the Inner City, preferably Philadelphia. It's a two-year teaching commitment, which includes salary and health benefits, and a potential repayment of up to $10,700 toward student loans, as well as student loan interest, and eligibility for loan forbearance (repayment requirement postponed) during the two years. The decision comes on 11/6/10. He requested that we pray he gets accepted.

Quotable Quotes

"Catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come for miles to watch you burn." -
Charles Wesley

This Week at Zoe

On Wednesday, 11/3/10, at 7:30 P.M., Pastor Steve will continue his series on the Book of Esther. Come out and bring a friend!

Sunday Morning Series - Bearing Fruit for God - Moving Forward

Text: Acts 10 & 11

Cornelius is a Gentile. We're told he feared God, gave alms generously, and prayed to God always. He has a vision of an angel about 3 P.M. in the afternoon. The angel gives him specific instructions for an unspecified reward. He obeys and sends his servants to find Peter in Joppa.

Meanwhile, God is preparing Peter for their arrival. He goes up to the rooftop to pray, but gets very hungry. While food is being prepared, he falls into a trance and sees a vision of animals that are considered unclean for Jews to eat. God tells him to kill and eat, but he declines saying he's never eaten anything unclean. God gives this command three times.

The men from the house of Cornelius arrive, and Peter and some others go with them. So, Cornelius summons Peter in obedience to the angel's instructions even though he doesn't know the purpose, and Peter goes expecting Cornelius to have questions.

He tells Cornelius it's unlawful for a Jew to "keep company or go to one from another nation," but he had come as God instructed him. Cornelius relates his vision, and Peter shares the Gospel. The Holy Spirit falls on Cornelius and his household, and they speak with tongues. Peter and those with him are amazed, and agree they cannot withhold water baptism since God already baptized them in the Holy Spirit. Peter understands that salvation is not only for the Jews, but also for the Gentiles.

While the initial pruning process is often to remove something negative, God also prunes to prepare for future assignments. Peter had teachings that hindered ministry to the Gentiles. God corrected him and demonstrated his favor on those Peter previously avoided.

Pruning may come in the form of instruction to take up a certain subject or hobby, so we can better relate to unbelievers. Perhaps the Lord impresses on us to learn a foreign language, so we can minister more effectively in the future. Pruning initially involves removal of things that hinder us. As we grow, it can also include things that hinder God to work in us.

To hear the entire message, go to our website and click on the Sermon Player. You can also download it to your MP3 player or podcast it for FREE.

If you're visiting in the area or looking for a church home, our Sunday Service begins at 10:00 A.M. We're located at 1111 Easton Rd. (Rte. 611), Warrington, PA. The church phone number is (215) 343-7686.