Weekly update from Pastor Robert: redemptionhillupdates.org/pastoral-updat…

Reminder: Prayer tonight at 8PM. redemptionhillupdates.org/church-wide-pr…

Dear Lord accept a sinful heart, Which of itself complains And mourns, with much and frequent smart, The evil it contains.

One of the most dangerous things a Christian can do right now is neglect Bible reading. Thousands of voices are attempting to convince you how to think. Be certain, you are being shaped. More Scripture, less social media. More Bible, less books. More prayer, less blog posts.

The first verb attributed to the whole church wasn't preaching, singing, giving, eating, drinking, or even praying (those are of course central). The framework for all of it was "they devoted themselves" (Acts 2:42). This year's crises will fade. We need a long obedience.

Gonna tell y’all something. You better have a plan. If you think you’re gonna make it through this cultural climate unscathed, you’re crazy. Leave your mind unprotected, it’ll be a mudhole. Your heart, hate-infested. You’ll be mad constantly. Foul-mouthed. Unforgiving. Merciless.

I can hear Christians from the first 3 centuries saying, “Hang in there, y’all. Sharing is caring. Have yourself a good cry. 5 months of pandemic sounds hard; we had 3 centuries of persecution. You think QAnon is weird, try full-on Gnosticism. Jesus is Lord, not the emperor.”

Lord forgive us for petty excuses for not reading your word, not praying for others, not meeting bc of Zoom, not worshipping you w our church online & choosing to check out. Give us this real, gritty devotion: “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”Jn11:16 You are worthy.

Read your Bible today. Pray. Love those you come across. It’s not complicated folks.

If the evils we feel were not capable of being overruled for good - He would not permit them to remain in us.

Prosperity may cause us to rise in the world, but affliction is needful to raise us above the world.

The gate: narrow The road: hard The trials: many The promise: certain The joy: full (Matt. 7:14; Ps. 34:19; John 10:28; Matt. 25:21)

God is quite willing to interrupt your comfort in order to reclaim the allegiance and submission of your heart.

Wouldn't mind being held accountable just to be held.

If you haven’t been to church in months and you lack motivation to return, that’s understandable. Your gathering muscles have atrophied. Just don’t wait until you *feel* like returning before you do. Your heart is not your king. Get your body there, and your heart will catch up.

Every spiritual gift has a sinister underbelly in the hands of sinners: administration - micromanagement prophecy - lack of mercy compassion - aversion to truth telling We need all the gifts with increasing holiness.

Webster: “Why is it that, if God made us for praise, we seem so often to find it so terribly difficult and unsatisfying?”

Our most recent sermon on Hebrews 9:1-28 with Mark Becton on Sunday, November 26th, 2023. youtu.be/aF1W71wgPlA?si…

Join us this Sunday, May 25th, at 10:30 a.m., as we move into the summer with a special family Sunday at True Timber Disc Golf Course. Come to worship together, then stick around afterwards for BBQ and fun! Bring your lawn chair.