God's Glory Church

? 07/30/2023 10:01 a.m. The #broadcast “Son of Joy. Trust or verify?” | Pastor Oleksandr Koltukov 07/30/2023: https://youtu.be/U4IMEvsBX7g

“But the parts of the body that seem weaker are much more needed.” — 1 Corinthians 12:22

A friend of mine works on a hospital ship called the Mercy of Africa. They provide free medical care to citizens of developing countries. Employees help hundreds of patients every day, whose illnesses could have remained without proper treatment.

Periodically, correspondents climb aboard and film excellent doctors who can fix a cleft lip or straighten a crooked leg. Sometimes they also interview sailors. But Mick’s work usually remains behind the scenes.

Mick is an engineer. Unexpectedly for himself, he was entrusted with the sewage system of the ship. Every day, up to forty thousand liters of liquid waste passes through the sewers. Managing this toxic substance is a serious matter. Without Mick, who maintains the pipes and pumps, the work on “Mercy of Africa” ​​would stop.

It is easy to applaud those on the “upper deck” of Christian ministry while overlooking others working below. The Corinthians praised those who had supernatural gifts, and Paul reminded them that every believer plays an important role in the work for Christ (1 Cor. 12:7-20). Every gift is important, whether it is the ability to heal or simply help people (vv. 27-31). Moreover, the more inconspicuous the work, the more honor it deserves (vv. 22-24).

Do you work “on the lower deck”? Then raise your head. Your work is honorable in the eyes of God and necessary for all of us.

What happens when you compare your gifts to others? Who from the “lower deck” can you thank for his work today?

I am important to You, Lord. Thank you for seeing me, even if people don’t.

Author: Sheridan Voysey

“He went to a lonely place and prayed.” — Luke 5:16

Green Bank (West Virginia) is a tiny settlement in the rugged Appalachian Mountains. It is similar to dozens of other towns in the area, with one important exception. None of its one hundred and forty-two residents have mobile Internet access. The reason is in the observatory, whose telescope is constantly scanning the sky. Signals from Wi-Fi and cell towers create interference, so Green Bank has been put on radio silence. It is one of the most technologically quiet places in North America.

Sometimes silence is the best state for moving forward, especially in our relationship with God. The Lord Jesus Christ himself gave us an example in this, often going away and spending time alone to talk with the Heavenly Father. Evangelist Luke reports: “He withdrew to a lonely place and prayed” (Lk. 5:16). This is a great example for us. If the Creator of the Universe was so aware of His dependence on the Father, how much more do we need it!

By regularly secluding ourselves in a quiet place and strengthening our spirits in God’s presence, we can move forward in His renewing power. Do you have such a place?

What hinders your prayer communication with God? Where can you fully focus on prayer?

Heavenly Father, sometimes the noise of living in a sinful world distracts me from You and prevents me from spending time with You. Help me find a place where I can simply enjoy Your presence.

Author: Bill Crowder

And the Lord said to Moses: “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh.” — Exodus 6:1

In David’s homeland, believers in Christ were oppressed, their cattle were killed. David and his family lost everything they had and were scattered in different countries. David spent nine years in a refugee camp far from his family. He knew that God was with him, but the years passed. Two people dear to him died in separation, and the situation did not change. So David lost his spirit.

Many years ago, another nation faced cruel oppression. God commanded Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses reluctantly agreed. But when he appealed to Pharaoh, the Egyptian ruler only increased the oppression (Ex. 5:6-9). “I do not know the Lord, and neither will I let Israel go,” he said (v. 2). The people complained to Moses, and he began to complain to God (vv. 20-23).

In the end, the Lord delivered the Israelites, and they got the freedom they wanted, but by God’s action and in God’s time.

David spent his years in the refugee camp to good effect, earning a master’s degree at a seminary in New Delhi. Now he is a pastor for his people – refugees like him who have found a new home. “My experience is a mine in which I learned to lead as a servant,” he says. In his testimony, David quotes the song of Moses from the book of Exodus: “My strength and my song is the Lord, and he has become my salvation” (Ex. 15:2). Today, the Lord is our fortress and salvation.

What questions do you want to ask God? How can you trust His promises more?

Heavenly Father, I can always count on You. Forgive me for the times I have forgotten this truth.

Author: Tim Gustavson

“For you are saved by grace through faith… not by works.” — Ephesians 2:8-9

We were decorating the church building for a special event and one of the sisters scolded me for my inexperience. When she left, another one came up to me and said, “Don’t worry. She’s one of those who needs extra grace.”

I laughed. I liked the expression “extra grace” and started using it whenever I had a conflict with someone. Years later, I sat in the same church at the funeral of the same sister who needed “extra grace.” The pastor told how she served people, often unnoticed by others, and was generous and caring. I asked God to forgive me for judging her and others by labeling her unfairly. After all, I myself also needed “additional grace”, just like everyone who follows Christ.

In the Epistle to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul writes that all of us “were by nature children of wrath” (Eph. 2:3). But the Lord, instead of anger, gave us salvation, which we did not deserve and will never be able to work off. Why so? “So that no one should boast” (v. 9).

As we obey God day by day in our life’s journey, the Holy Spirit will work to change our character to reflect the virtues of Christ. Every believer needs additional grace. And the Lord gives it to us in due measure (2 Cor. 12:9).

Who among your acquaintances, in your opinion, needed “extra grace”? In what area of ​​life do you need grace today?

God the Father, help me to give grace to people as generously and simply as You gave it to me.

Author: Sosheel Dixon

“The end of all things is at hand. Therefore, be wise and watchful in your prayers.” — 1 Peter 4:7

In June 1965, six teenagers from the island Kingdom of Tonga in the South Pacific Ocean set out to sea in search of adventure. They did not make themselves wait. On the very first night, a storm broke the mast and rudder. They drifted for several days without food or water before reaching the deserted island of Ata, where they spent 15 months until help arrived.

The boys understood that they had to fight for survival. They planted a vegetable garden, hollowed out some wooden trunks to store rainwater, and even built a makeshift gymnasium. When one of them fell off a cliff and broke his leg, the others fixed it with sticks and leaves. Quarrels ended with a mandatory reconciliation, and every day began and ended with singing and prayer. When the boys returned home safe and sound, their relatives were shocked: they had already organized their funeral.

Christians in the first century had a hard time. The apostle Peter comforted the persecuted brothers and sisters, urging them to be prudent, pray (1 Peter 4:7), show mutual concern (v. 8) and use their gifts to serve one another (vv. 10-11). Then, despite all the calamities, God will “assure” them, “strengthen” and “establish” them (1 Pet. 5:10).

In times of trial, we need the “faith of the exiles.” We will pray and work together, and the Lord will guide us through any troubles.

When disaster strikes, do you ask others for help or do you try to deal with it alone? Which of the believers needs your support?

God, give me faith so that I can face difficulties with dignity.

Author: Sheridan Voysey

“So that you do not grieve like others who have no hope.” — 1 Thessalonians 4:13

Louise was a cheerful, playful girl. Everyone who looked at her smiled. But at the age of five, she fell ill with a rare disease and died. Her sudden departure was a terrible blow to Peter and Day-Day, her parents, and to all of us who worked with them. We cried with them.

And yet Peter and Day-Day showed remarkable fortitude. When I asked how they were dealing with their grief, Day-Day said that they were comforted by the thought of where Louise was now in the loving hands of the Lord Jesus. “We rejoice for our girl, whose time has come to go to heaven,” she said. “God gives us the grace and strength to overcome grief and continue to do what He has entrusted to us.”

Day-Day found comfort in the character of God as revealed in Jesus Christ. Biblical hope is more than simple optimism. It is full confidence based on God’s promise that He will never break. When it is difficult for us, we turn to the truth with which the Apostle Paul comforted believers who longed for their dead friends: “If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, God will also bring the dead through Jesus with Him” ​​(1 Thess. 4:14). Let this confidence comfort us and give us strength in spite of all sorrows.

How do you draw strength from God’s promises? How can you comfort someone who is grieving the loss of a loved one?

Heavenly Father, thank You for hope and comfort. Strengthen me so that I can support others.

Author: Leslie Koh

? 07/23/2023 10:01 a.m. #broadcast “Between 1 and 42 chapters of the book of Job” began on the Church of God’s Glory channel | Pastor Oleksandr Koltukov 07/23/2023: https://youtu.be/foyZPLPkDhU

“I always thank my God when I remember you in my prayers.” — Philemon 1:4

Every year in Great Britain there is a ceremony during which the reigning monarch distributes specially issued coins “Mondi Money”. In 2021, Malcolm Cloutt was honored to receive these coins from the hands of Queen Elizabeth II. This minister, who turned exactly one hundred years old, distributed a thousand Bibles during his long life. He wrote down the names of everyone he gave a Bible to and prayed for them regularly.

Clout’s faithfulness is a great example of the love we find in the letters of the Apostle Paul. He often informed his addressees that he regularly prayed for them. For example, he writes to his friend Philemon: “I always thank my God when I remember you in my prayers” (Phil. 1:4). In his letter to Timothy, Paul says: “I always remember you in my prayers day and night” (2 Tim. 1:3). Addressing the church in Rome, he emphasizes that he “constantly” and “always” remembers them in his prayers (Rom. 1:9-10).

We may not have a prayer list of a thousand people, but the Lord answers our requests. Diligent prayer for those we know has great power. If the Holy Spirit gives the desire to pray for a specific person, even a simple journal can be a useful tool. I write down the names of those I pray for on certain days of the week and it helps me stay faithful. Remembering each other in prayers is a wonderful expression of love.

What helps you to remain faithful in prayer? How has someone’s prayer blessed you?

Heavenly Father, help me to be faithful in prayer and to remember that You always hear me.

Author: Lisa Samra

“And do not be drunk with wine in which there is debauchery, but rather be filled with the Spirit.” — Ephesians 5:18

The writer Scott McKnight tells how in his school years he experienced what he later called “the permeation of the Spirit.” In the Christian camp, the preacher urged the youth to submit to the authority of Christ. After the meeting, young Scott retired under a tree and prayed: “Heavenly Father, forgive my sins and fill me with the Holy Spirit.” “Something powerful happened,” he said. “From that moment on, my life became completely different. Not perfect, but not the same as before.” Suddenly he had a desire to read the Bible, pray, meet other believers and serve God.

Before ascending to heaven, the resurrected Jesus told the disciples to “not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father” (Acts 1:4). They were to “receive power” and become His witnesses “in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (v. 8). God gives the Holy Spirit to every believer in Jesus. The first time this happened was on the day of Pentecost (see Acts 2). And today it happens every time someone turns to Christ.

In addition, we can be filled with the Spirit and with His help bear the fruit of a changed character and new desires (Gal. 5:22-23). We will praise and thank God for His comfort, guidance, help and love!

What change has the Holy Spirit made in you? How can you enable Him to work in you and through you?

Loving God, thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit. Help me to love You and others more.

By Amy Buescher Pye