Faithful & True - "5 2 1"

In Matthew 25:14-18, we read the parable of the talents. A man travels to a far country. Since he's going to be away a long time, he calls his servants and entrusts them with his goods according to each one's abilities.

The first man did not go from 5 talents to 10 instantly. There were steps along the way. He may even have experienced some setbacks, but ultimately he gained an additional 5 talents. The man with 2 talents also doubled what he was given. It took effort on their parts to bring increase. They researched, risked, and then obtained a reward.

Now, we have the last fellow, who was given a single talent. Rather than working to bring a profit, he was lazy and lethargic. When he returned the original talent to his master, he was declared wicked and slothful.

God cannot make us faithful. Only we can be faithful. It takes being alert, attentive, and active. Those who achieved growth used what was given to them, paid attention to its development, and were concerned about bringing a profit to the master. They were given positions of rulership because they were faithful. When you use what you have, it multiplies.

To hear the rest of this message, check out the sermon player on our website.

Blog Notes

Our blog administrator will be away next weekend and the following weekend. There will be no posts on Monday and only a sprinkling of posts throughout those two weeks.

Our normal schedule will resume on Monday, June 29, 2009. Thank you for your patience.

Special Events

Brothers Phillip Slaughter and Noel Willis will be here the week of June 21-24. The service schedule is as follows:

Sunday Morning (6/21) - 10:00 A.M.

Sunday Night (6/21) - 6:30 P.M.

Monday-Wednesday Evening - 7:30 P.M.

Quotable Quotes

"Love keeps faith from becoming selfish because love always reaches outward either to God or man." - Billy Joe Daugherty

This Week At Zoe

Wednesday night, 6/10/09, Pastor Steve will still be away. However, a video teaching by Bro. Doug Jones will be shown called, "Quenching the Spirit." Please note that pre-service prayer begins at 6:30 P.M. The service begins at 7:30 P.M.

Next Sunday, come out and worship with us, and listen as Pastor Steve brings the Word. We begin promptly at 10:00 A.M.

After church, we will have our covered dish dinner and church meeting. This will be the last one until October. Usually, during the summer months, we have a church picnic at the Hecht's home instead. Plan on hanging around after the service, and bring a main dish, side dish, and/or dessert (depending on the size of your family). Everything should wind up by 2:30 P.M. It's a great opportunity to fellowship and get to know more about the church. All are welcome!

Sunday Morning Series

Pastor Steve and his son are traveling this week for a special time of hiking, fishing, and guy stuff. Miss Connie shared what the Lord has done in her life, and brought a message on true church growth.

Three keys:

1. Power - When God starts moving in a place - people coming to know Him, getting healed, etc., people will beat a path to the church. When Jesus came to a place, He always drew the multitudes. They knew when He was around needs got met.

2. Prayer- All of the big tent ministries of years gone by relied on a team of
prayer warriors to prepare the way. They knew the importance of prayer.
If we want to see results, we must be a people of prayer.

3. Prosperity - God is a God of increased power and wisdom. He also meets our
financial needs. Why are people in the church wringing their hands and
worrying about finances? He is Jehovah Jireh, the Lord our Provider.

This message probably won't be on the website until Pastor Steve gets back later in the week. You might want to check next week if you'd like to listen, podcast, or download it to your MP3 player.

Quotable Quotes

"Those who come to discover wisdom and those who come to discover trouble usually find what they are looking for."

"Don't go into situations looking for trouble. Ungrateful people stir up trouble." - Pastor Steve Hecht