Elevation North has News for YOU!

WHEN HAS IT EVER BEEN CONVENIENT? To serve God, that is! I was thinking this morning about our Sunday School class study called, “Fan or Follower” – as it relates to our relationship with God. It’s been a real eye-opener so far, and you kind of come to the conclusion that while many of us think of ourselves as followers, in the true sense of the word we are probably only fans more often than we would care to admit. It’s easy to be a fan of something! There really is no real effort or depth on our part – other than making a lot of noise! We think a band is cool – or a sports team is awesome. We clap and we yell, we cheer and we scream out our accolades and affirmations. The closest we get to being “followers” is following them from venue to venue – or from game to game. But, to be a true follower of someone, we need to really know them, and that requires spending lots of time with them. It requires devoted study and committing that knowledge to memory. It is proved out in following faithfully without wavering, through the thick and the thin – and through the good times and bad times. It is more than being a devoted fan – until our band or team lets us down … and we just switch to some other band who is more popular and successful, or to some other team who is having a better winning streak. There’s the “fan” status for you. We start all over again, and we don’t know the new band or team any better than we knew the previous one. We just want to be on board with something that is easy and feels good. Convenient. Who needs to be a follower, anyway, if you put it in those terms? I guess it depends how much you believe in something or someone, and how much you are willing to give and sacrifice to be close to them and really know them. I guess it depends on how much you want that project or person to understand and see the level of your commitment and devotion. That becomes the dividing factor between fan and follower. All that I’ve just said got me to thinking about “when” has it ever been convenient to follow God? Was it easy for Abel, who chose to give God his very best sacrifice? His jealous brother killed him. Was it easy for Noah who chose obedience over people’s acceptance when he built the ark as God told him to? They thought he was crazy and made it their top priority to ridicule him. Abraham, with all the faith he could muster, just about took the life of his beloved son because God had asked him to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. How convenient was that? Jacob followed God to a far-off land in search of livelihood and a wife. It took him fourteen long years to earn the right to call Rachel his own. Was that easy? Was it easy for Elijah when he put up His God against the followers of Baal at the altar? Or when he went running toward the sea to look for any sign of a rain-cloud after all those years of drought? He put his faith on the line and could have looked like a fool and a liar. What about Esther, who stood before the king without permission granted in an attempt to save her people from being wiped out. Was it easy, risking her very life to save God’s people? Look at Job … one moment, the most godly, influential man in the land – the next, a pauper scraping his sores with broken pottery amongst ashes. His family and wealth and belongings slipped away faster than the Dow and Jones on any given day. How convenient was it to serve a God that would allow that to happen, or better yet, actually give permission for it to happen? Was it easy for a young teenage girl who had kept herself pure to willingly offer her body to become the vessel for the human birth of the Son of God? She almost lost the man she was about to marry – and family and friends acted as if she had disgraced them all. How convenient was it for Joseph to learn of Mary’s pregnancy and try to wrap his human mind around such divine, supernatural news? Now he was looked upon with the same kind of disdain and disgust. Was it easy for Jesus to leave the glories of Heaven to be confined to a tiny womb and then be born in a stable? What a far cry from streets of gold was that musty manger with prickly straw as He was placed there in front of the warm breath of – animals! Son of God? Most people would never have guessed that, looking at Him now. Tiny and wrinkled and in the humblest of surroundings. Let’s call for a replay of all these people that I’ve mentioned. Ordinary people, all of them – with the exception of Jesus. He just looked ordinary as a Baby, but of course, He wasn’t. Placed in unusually tough circumstances, they all became extraordinary followers of Jesus Christ. What they endured took them way beyond the status of only being a fan of Jesus. There’s something about going through the fire, about being called to endure greater things, that raises our level of devotion to God and our longing for deeper intimacy. Easy? No! Convenient? Never! Is it worth it? Yes, a million times, yes! Look at how each of these people impacted the Kingdom of God – then AND now. And we all know that we will never, ever be the same because Jesus came as a Babe in the manger so long ago to begin His journey to the Cross, that we might live with Him forever! Easy? No! Convenient? Never! Was it worth it? He would say “yes” … “for you, a million times, yes”! From this day forward, whatever it takes … may we all choose to be followers of Christ, in the truest sense of the word. Our God deserves nothing less!

IN A NUTSHELL . . .

- GOD’S FAITHFULNESS shows forth every Sunday as we gather together in His presence! Our prayer is that each week as we come, this place will be a safe haven where you experience God’s love and ours … where you find hope anew and strength to go on! We love how we can minister to each other in the body of Christ!
- A SPECIAL WELCOME to Corey, who has worshipped with us these past few weeks! We are so glad to have you with us, and we pray God’s blessings upon you!
- A SPECIAL THANKS to Mary for donating the Christmas tree for the sanctuary, and to the Graff family for decorating the trees at church! We appreciate all your time and talents and generosity!

- LOOKING AHEAD . . .

- THIS SUNDAY, DECEMBER 4TH: 10:00 A.M. – PRAISE & WORSHIP centering around our Lord’s birth, as we celebrate with Pastor’s second message in the series, “The Mysteries of Christmas!” Be ready to sing the beautiful Christmas songs and to dig into the scriptures in the book of Micah. Bring someone with you!
- 11:15 a.m. – KINGDOM CONNECTION - Sunday School classes for all ages, including our puppet ministry!
- 12:00 noon – RE: FUEL YOUTH EVENT/pizza, games, devotions, and a fun-filled afternoon at church!!!
- NEXT SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11TH: 10:00 A.M. – PRAISE & WORSHIP with special guests, Wayne and Verla! Don’t miss this awesome time in the House of the Lord! Clint and Kristina and family will be visiting us, as well!
- SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18TH: 10:00 A.M. – PRAISE & WORSHIP with more Christmas music and Pastor Doug’s third message on “The Mysteries of Christmas” – this time from the book of Matthew! Bring your Bibles!
- CHRISTMAS CAROLING w/ CHILI & HOT CHOCOLATE after! Following worship, we will carpool to bring Christmas joy to those who are shut-in! Please join us – this is what Christmas is really about! Be sure to sign up for what you are planning to bring … chili, soup, Christmas goodies and treats, and hot chocolate!!! Stay and fellowship!
- DECEMBER 24TH: 6:00 P.M. – CHRISTMAS EVE CANDLELIGHT COMMUNION SERVICE; bring the entire family to begin your Christmas celebration in church celebrating the birth of Jesus!
- DECEMBER 25TH: 10:00 A.M. - CHRISTMAS SUNDAY WORSHIP CELEBRATION honoring Jesus on His birthday! Start out your day in God’s House and then share the rest of His day with your family!
- 2011 CHRISTMAS PROJECT – see the poster for gift ideas with sizes, etc. to bless this family in need!

- PRAYING BIRTHS JOY! We share our hearts with God, He listens, He answers, and we are filled with joy at His work in us and in the lives of others! Please remember those on our prayer list, trusting God for His best!

- REMEMBER . . . “In all of your Christmas celebrations … JESUS is the REASON for the SEASON!”


Serving Christ Joyfully . . .

Pastor Doug and Debbie