God's Glory Church

? 08/27/2023 10:05 a.m. The #broadcast “Our words and mistakes are a reflection of fate” has started on the Church of God’s Glory channel | Pastor Haydarenko Hanna | 27.08.2023: https://youtu.be/KHpCbkBBi_c

“I…will praise You in the midst of the congregation!” — Псалом 21:23

At the end of the service, the pastor invited Latrice to come on stage. When she was offered to greet the congregation, no one was prepared for the words she would speak. She moved from Kentucky, where devastating tornadoes killed seven members of her family in December 2021. “However, I can still smile because God is with me,” Latrice said. Despite the pain of the ordeal, her testimony was a powerful encouragement to those who themselves were struggling.

David’s words in Psalm 21 (which foretells the suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ) are the words of a sufferer who felt abandoned by God (vv. 2), humiliated and ridiculed by others (vv. 7-9), and surrounded by predators (vv. 13-14). He felt weak and desolate (vv. 15-19), but not hopeless. “And you, Lord, don’t stay away – My helper, hurry to my defense!” (v. 20). Your present trials (though perhaps not as those of David or Latrice) are just as real. Therefore, the 25th verse is of great importance for you: “For He did not despise and despise the suffering of the poor, and did not hide His face from him, but heard how he cried to Him!” When we feel God’s help, let us tell others about His goodness (v. 23).

What are the benefits of stories about God’s goodness? Why is it important to connect with other brothers and sisters in Christ?

Heavenly Father, I brought my feelings of helplessness to You. Fill my heart with new hope and help glorify Your Name.

Author: Arthur Jackson

“And the Jews said: ‘See how He loved him!'” – John 11:36

It had been years since my old friend and I had seen each other. During that time, he was diagnosed with cancer and began treatment. An unexpected trip to his state gave me the opportunity to meet him again. When I entered the restaurant, I saw him and our eyes filled with tears. It had been a long time since we had sat like this in the same room, and now the threat of death reminded us of the transience of life. Our long friendship was filled with adventure, mischief, laughter, loss and love. We had so much love that we had tears in our eyes when we looked at each other.

The Lord Jesus also wept when He stood before the tomb of His good friend Lazarus. This moment is described in the Gospel of John: “And he said: “Where have you laid him?” They say to Him: “Go, Lord, and look!” And then we read the words that reveal the depth of Christ’s humanity: “And they shed tears for Jesus” (John 11:34-35). It was a touching moment, and this is also evidenced by the reaction of the Jews: “Look, how He loved him!” (v. 36). These words are more than enough reason to stop and glorify the Friend, Who knows our every weakness, because he became like us. Jesus is the Savior who loves and understands us.

When was the last time you thought about the humanity of Jesus? How does knowing that Jesus understands and shares your tears encourage you today?

Lord Jesus, thank you for being the One who saves and the One who shares my tears.

Author: John Blaze

“For God did not give us the spirit of fear, but strength, and love, and a sound mind.” — 2 Timothy 1:7

No one has ever said before death: “I’m so glad I lived a selfish life,” Parker Palmer said in his speech to the graduates and urged them to “offer to the world . . . your pure-hearted generosity.”

He went on to say that living like this means realizing “how little you know and how easy it is to fail.” To serve the world, you need to develop a “beginner’s mind,” that is, “understand your ignorance and risk failure, again and again, and then get up and learn, again and again.”

Only by building our lives on the foundations of grace are we able to choose a life of fearless “pure-hearted generosity.” As the apostle Paul explained to Timothy, his colleague in God’s field, we are able to “warm up” (2 Tim. 1:6) and use God’s gift only if we remember that God’s grace saves us and that it calls us to a meaningful life (v. 9). It is God who helps us to face our fears and lead a life of “strength, and love, and a sound mind” (v. 7). It is God’s grace that lifts us up if we fall and helps us continue the journey of rooting our lives in His love (vv. 13-14).

Do you tend to give in to fears? How does God’s grace and power help you live more courageously for Him?

God, thank you that we don’t have to live in fear, fearing offense or failure. Help me to rely on the courage that You give through Your Spirit.

Author: Monica La Rose

“The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.” — Genesis 4:10

In the poem “Witnesses” Henry Longfellow (1807-1882) described a sinking merchant ship carrying slaves. Writing about “skeletons in chains”, Longfellow mourned the many nameless victims. The final stanza says:

This is the grief of slaves,

What are watching from the abyss

Calling from unknown graves

And we are witnesses!

But to whom do these witnesses speak? Isn’t this silent testimony useless? However, there is a Witness who sees everything. When Cain killed Abel, he pretended as if nothing had happened. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” – he replied disdainfully to God. However, the Lord said: “The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground. And now you are cursed from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand” (Genesis 4:9-11).

Cain’s name became a warning. “… Not like that Cain, who was of the evil one, and killed his brother,” warned the apostle John (1 John 3:12). Abel’s name also continues to sound, but in a completely different way. “By faith, Abel brought to God a better sacrifice than Cain; by it he was attested that he was righteous,” wrote the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews (Hebrews 11:4).

Abel is still talking! The bones of long-forgotten slaves also speak the same. It is good if we remember all these sacrifices and oppose the oppression we have witnessed. God sees everything, and His justice will prevail!

What manifestations of injustice and oppression do you know? What is God calling you to do?

Dear Heavenly Father, You are the All-Seeing God. Help us to see oppression when it occurs, and show us how to counteract it.

Author: Tim Gustavson

“And the forces of hell will not defeat her.” — Matthew 16:18

“Is the church over?” – asked a young mother who arrived at the prayer house with two small children already almost at the end of the Sunday service. Instead, the man who greeted everyone at the entrance said that another church nearby was holding two Sunday services and the second was due to start shortly. “Perhaps it would be better to give you a ride there?” he asked. The young mother agreed and seemed happy to be able to visit another church just a few blocks away. Later, reflecting on this incident, the man said: “Is the Church finished? No, never. God’s Church is eternal.”

The church is not a shaky building. Apostle Paul wrote that the church is God’s faithful family. Its members are “household for God, built on the basis of the apostles and prophets, where the cornerstone is Jesus Christ Himself, on whom the whole building, the government is built, growing into a holy temple in the Lord, on whom you too are being built together by the Spirit for the dwelling of God” (Eph. 2:19-22).

Jesus established His Church forever. He announced that despite any challenges or difficulties the Church may experience, “the powers of hell will not overcome it” (Mt. 16:18).

These promises give us the opportunity to look at the local churches and at all of us as part of God’s universal Church, built “in Christ Jesus for all generations forever and ever” (Eph. 3:21).

What are you thankful for in your local church? How can you contribute to the growth of God’s universal Church?

Dear Jesus, thank you that I belong to Your Church.

Author: Patricia Raybon

“Comfort . . . one another, and build one another up.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:11

“Your bees are swarming!” My wife peeked into my room and announced the news that no beekeeper wants to hear. I ran out into the yard and saw a swarm of bees flying out of the hive, heading for the top of a tall pine tree. Everything, will never return.

I did not pay attention to the fact that the hive may soon begin to swarm. In addition, the rains that lasted for more than a week prevented my inspections. In the morning, when the rains ended, the bees flew away. It was a new and healthy family. “Don’t be too hard on yourself,” an experienced beekeeper told me encouragingly, seeing my disappointment. “It can happen to anyone!”

Encouragement is a wonderful gift. When David was overwhelmed by Saul’s attempts to kill him, Saul’s son Jonathan encouraged David. “Do not be afraid,” said Jonathan, “because the hand of my father Saul will not find you! And you will reign over Israel, and I will be your intercessor. And my father Saul knows this” (1 Sam. 23:17).

An incredible display of selflessness from someone who is the heir to the throne! Jonathan probably realized that God was with David, so his words came from a humble heart.

Everyone needs encouragement, and God will help us to encourage others. We just need to humble ourselves before Him and ask Him to make us instruments of His love for other people.

Who needs your encouragement? How can you humbly serve them?

Dear God, You gave me eternal encouragement and good hope. Help me to show your love to someone today.

Author: James Banks

? 08/20/2023 10:04 #Broadcast “War on Three Fronts” has started on the Church of God’s Glory channel | Pastor Oleksandr Koltukov 08/20/2023: https://youtu.be/RiRRk-YftPE

“And the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as someone speaks to his friend.” — Exodus 33:11

In The Boundary, Dr. Richard Swinson writes, “We need a place where we can catch our breath. We need freedom to think and permission to heal. Constant speed bleeds our relationships. . . . Our children lie wounded on the ground, crushed by our speeding good intentions. Does God encourage exhaustion? Does He no longer lead His people to still waters? Who has robbed us of the wide open spaces?” past, and how can we get them back?” Swinson says that we need a quiet, fertile “ground” in life where we can meet God and rest in Him.

Does this sound familiar to you? Moses also sought open spaces. Being the leader of a “stiff-necked” people (Ex. 33:5), he often retired to find comfort and guidance in God’s presence. In the “tent of the covenant” (v. 7), the Lord spoke to Moses “face to face, as someone speaks to his friend” (v. 11). Jesus also often “retired to a lonely place and prayed” (Lk. 5:16). Both the Savior and Moses understood the importance of spending time alone with the Heavenly Father.

We also need to find wide and open spaces in God’s presence. Time spent with God will help us make better decisions and create proper boundaries in our lives so that we have enough love for God and for people.

Let’s look for God in the open spaces.

Why do you need boundaries in life? How to allocate time in your schedule for communication with God?

Lord Jesus, help me to find quiet moments every day to communicate with You.

Author: Adam Holtz

“Who is this that the wind and the sea are obedient to Him?” — Mark 4:41

In 2013, approximately six hundred spectators watched as acrobat Nick Wallenda walked on a tightrope over a huge gorge 470 meters wide near the Grand Canyon. Wallenda stepped on the 5-centimeter-thick steel cable and thanked Jesus for the wonderful view. A video camera was attached to his head, which filmed everything that happened. He prayed and praised Jesus, walking over the gorge as calmly as if he were walking on a sidewalk. Feeling a gust of wind, Nick stopped and sat down. Then he stood up again, regaining his balance, and thanked God for “calming the rope.” With each subsequent step along the rope, Nick showed all the spectators that he relied on the power of Christ. The video shot then is still watched all over the world.

When a strong wind caused a storm on the Sea of ​​Galilee, the disciples began to plead for help in desperation (Mark 4:35-38). After Jesus calmed the storm, the disciples learned that He has authority over the winds and over everything else (vv. 39-41). Gradually they learned to rely on Him. Their personal experiences can help others to realize the close presence of Jesus and His extraordinary power.

Whether caught in the storms of life or walking the tightrope of trust over the deep chasms of suffering, we can exercise unwavering faith in the power of Christ. God will inspire others to rely on Him through the exercise of our faith.

How has the manifestation of Christ’s power in other people’s lives strengthened your faith? How can prayer help you walk with steadfast faith?

Heavenly Father, thank you for comforting my heart as I lean on you during the storms of life.

Author: Sosheel Dixon