AUGUST 29- TODAY'S READING FROM THE ONE YEAR BIBLE – STARVE YOUR APPETITE FOR PRETTY POISON; BEHOLD THE GLORY OF GOD IN CHRIST

AUGUST 29 - Job 31-33:33; 2 Corinthians 3:1-18; Psalm 43:1-5; Proverbs 22:8-9

JOB 31:1-33

In Job's self defense against his accusers he claims to have made a covenant with his eyes. The eye allows images to soak into our souls. What we focus on is absorbed and recorded on the internal hard drive of our memory bank, forever accessible to our operating system. They can come back to lure us, haunt us, mislead, arouse, or destroy us.

Job recognizes the danger of entertaining our imaginations with lust-generating lures. Eye candy brings hollow pleasures that, once swallowed, release enslaving and corrupting influences to the heart and mind. Lust is an appetite for pretty poison.

In the Book of Leviticus, the Bible likens sin to an infectious skin disease (leprosy). Once you touch something that is unclean you become contaminated. Lust infects your system like a toxin. Not only does it corrupt you within but it isolates you from others and robs your potential for true intimacy in marriage. At first your only symptom of infection is a subtle spot on the surface of the skin.  It is a private matter.  Only you notice it. But the rotting has begun. Soon it destroys the whole body.  Sexual impurity prevents us from true communion with God and sabotages our potential to glorify God with our bodies.

1 Corinthians 6:18 (NASB) ¹⁸ Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body.

Job does not take lust lightly:

For lust is a shameful sin; a crime that should be punished.  It is a fire that burns all the way to hell. It would wipe out everything I own. (Job 31:11-12)

Yet Job recognizes his own corruptibility in this matter. Therefore he makes a covenant with his eyes not look lustfully upon a young woman. He predetermines to have his eyes bounce away from that which might otherwise entice him.

In the chapters to come Job’s eyes will behold a sight so brilliant that it will turn his own comeliness to corruption and spawn a deeper repentance in his life.

As Job asserts his integrity he calls for appropriate retribution.  There are a series of “If “ and “let” statements. He knows that iniquity requires punishment; wrongs done to others require compensation. He makes his appeal to God. “If I have walked with falsehood...Let him weigh me with accurate scales.”  “If my step has turned from the way...let me sow and another eat.”  “If my heart has been enticed by a woman...may my wife grind another man’s grain”; “If I have despised the claim of my slaves...let me be brought to account.”

From where will come justice. Once again Job’s prayer anticipates God’s answer in the cross of Christ.

Job 31:35-36 (NASB) ³⁵ "Oh that I had one to hear me! Behold, here is my signature; Let the Almighty answer me! And the indictment which my adversary has written, ³⁶ Surely I would carry it on my shoulder, I would bind it to myself like a crown.

Job makes an appeal for a mediator; an Advocate (as he did in 9:33). God hears that prayer and answers it perfectly in Christ.

Jesus does listen to us. He came to earth not just to observe our suffering but to take them upon himself and exercise His royal prerogative to bear them to the cross and make atonement for them there.

Elihu,  is the youngest of Job’s friends. He loudly defends his humility. He has waited long to express his thoughts, deferring to his elders.  But he is bursting with what he believes is a righteous retort. Many of the things he says in his defense of God are true, but they are not pertinent to Job's situation. This will become more clear as the story progresses.

Elihu’s monologue should remind us to be careful even when we are feeling assured that we are right about a certain thing. God knows things that we don't. We would do well to take the advice of James: Be swift to hear and slow to speak (James 1:19).

Elihu was slow to speak, but not slow enough.

NEW TESTAMENT READING  2 Cor 3:1-18

Paul calls us to be confident in the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We preach a person, not a religion. We preach Christ, not ourselves.

The gospel has qualities that surpass the ministry of religion, as represented by the Old Covenant. Only the ministry of the new covenant of God's grace can give lasting hope, reveal and impart the knowledge of God's glory and grant pardon rather than condemnation. Only the ministry of the gospel can transform us into the likeness of the Lord of Glory.  Only by the Holy Spirit and the revelation of Jesus Christ through the Word are we are able to turn to God, look to Him and rely upon Him to become all that He has already made us to be. And who are we? A new creation in Christ.

  

Psalm 43:1-5

He is our only safe haven.

We need His light and His truth

Proverbs 22:8-9

Those who plant injustice will harvest disaster.

PRAY FOR THE WORLD

(from the Prayer Guide “Operation World” available at www.operationworld.org)

Mexico

United Mexican States

Latin America

Geography

Area: 1,958,201 sq km

Latin America’s third largest country. Wide range of topography and rainfall ranging from arid northern plateau, central volcanic plateau and the southern mountains and rain forests. Only 10% of the country is arable.

Population: 110,645,154    Annual Growth: 0.99%

Capital: Mexico City

Urbanites: 77.8%

HDI Rank: 53 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)

Answer to Prayer

There is a steady growth of evangelicals, who were only 2.1% (800,000) in 1960, but are now over 8% and numbering over nine million. If anything, such growth appears to be accelerating, not slowing.

Increasing freedom for ministry continues, a contrast from the monopoly of the institutionalized church in decades past. Even the government- municipal, state and national levels- is open to evangelical work as a counter to the seemingly unsolvable problems of gangs, drug trafficking, kidnappings and violence.

The missions movement is beginning to blossom and play a greater role globally. The numbers of missionaries sent out from Mexico, mission agencies, training institutions and mobilizing events have mushroomed in recent years.

.

Challenge for Prayer

Mexico is a growing nation that is still discovering its own identity. Meso-American origins, Hispanic history and a dynamic but turbulent relationship with its neighbours all shape Mexico profoundly. This search often manifests itself through religious identity (both animist and Catholic) and the inevitable accompanying anti-Protestant sentiment. Pray that Mexicans, both indigenous and mestizo, might find their ultimate identity and destiny in the love of Christ and the purposes of God.

Many socio-economic challenges face Mexico. The state recognizes the difficulty of traditional solutions and increasingly invites Christians and churches to show initiative and partnership  in meeting many human needs.

Pastor David

So, naturally, we proclaim Christ! We warn everyone we meet, and we teach everyone we can, all that we know about him, so that, if possible, we may bring every man up to his full maturity in Christ. (Colossians 1:28, J.B. Phillips paraphrase)

New Life Community Church, Concord, MA 10742

www.newlife.org

Meeting Sundays at 10:30 AM at the Emerson Umbrella for the Arts, 40 Stow Street, Concord MA

Mailing Address: Post Office Box Five, Concord, MA 01742

Church Offices: 35 Bypass Rd. Lincoln, MA 01773  978-369-0061

Home Office: 978-371-3176

New Life Fine Arts

"Theater you can believe in."

www.newlifefinearts.org

AUGUST 28- BIBLE READING- JOB IN THE STORM OF TRIAL

TODAY’S READING FROM THE ONE YEAR BIBLE: Job 28-30:31; 2 Corinthians 2:12-17; Psalm 42:1-11; Proverbs 22:7

JOB 28

Job is making his final defense to his friends. He recognizes God’s sovereign power but does not understand ‘why’ this suffering has come into his life.

Job gives his personal analysis of the storm he is currently weathering:

"He (God) decided how hard the winds should blow and how much the rain should fall" (Job 28:26, New Living Translation)

Job recognizes that God ultimately rules over all, even if His intentions are hidden from our understanding. Nothing escapes His attention.

At the end of the chapter we are reminded that it is better to focus on what we do understand instead of what we don’t understand.

"The fear of the Lord is true wisdom; to forsake evil is real understanding."

This is God’s wisdom message to mankind. It is echoed in all the Wisdom/Poetry Books of the Old Testament: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon.

Job 28:12-14 (NASB) ¹² "But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? ¹³ "Man does not know its value, Nor is it found in the land of the living. ¹⁴ "The deep says, 'It is not in me'; And the sea says, 'It is not with me.'

Proverbs 9:10 (NASB) ¹⁰ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

In Job 29 we see what kind of reputation Job had prior to his trial. He was wealthy, generous, and well-respected. He tried to be as helpful to others as possible.

Yet he reports in Job 30:15: "My honor has blown away in the wind and my prosperity has vanished like a cloud”.

Job complains: "You throw me into the whirlwind and destroy me in the storm." (Job 30:22)

There are times that we feel like that. However, in Job’s case the storm will not destroy him but lead him to a place of enlarged understanding and greater blessing.

NEW TESTAMENT READING 2 Cor 2:12-17

Here we learn that our lives bring the fragrance of Christ. It will be appreciated by some and despised by others.

2 Corinthians 2:14-16 (NASB) ¹⁴ But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. ¹⁵ For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; ¹⁶ to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things?

We rely on Christ’s sufficiency. We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ's authority, knowing that God is watching us.

In PSALM 42  We hear the heart cry of the Psalmist- a hunger and thirst after a greater knowledge of God.

PROVERBS 22:7-  Here is an important call to break free from debt and help others gain their financial freedom.

“The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower becomes the lender's slave.”

PRAY FOR THE WORLD (from the Prayer Guide “Operation World”. More info available at operationworld.org)

AUG 28 - MAURITIUS and MAYOTTE

Mauritius

Republic of Mauritius

Africa

Geography

Area: 2,040 sq km

One larger and three smaller islands east of Madagascar in the western Indian Ocean. One of these, Rodrigues Island, is 500 km to the east of the others. Mauritius also claims the Chagos archipelago, including Diego Garcia, which comprise the British Indian Ocean Territory.

Population: 1,294,569    Annual Growth: 0.70%

Capital: Port Loius

Urbanites: 42.6%

HDI Rank: 81 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)

Challenges for Prayer

This complex multi-ethnic and multi-religious society makes evangelism a challenge; pray for great wisdom and discernment among Christians. The Hinduization of government and culture, as well as strong ancestral and ethnic ties, make it difficult for Indians to become believers. However, large numbers of Hindus are coming to Jesus through the bold witness of evangelical/Pentecostal churches.

Most older churches face slow decline and are nominal in faith. Roman Catholics are seeing Hindu beliefs and practices make their way into churches in some places. But the charismatic movement is making a big impact on Catholics, with many coming to personal faith in Christ. Many of those impacted formed their own independent groups. The Roman Catholic Church is experiencing a move back to Bible reading, and now runs several active ministries on the island. Pray for a greater spread of this spiritual vitality among traditional churches in Mauritius.

MAYOTTE

Departmental Collectivity of Mayotte

Africa

Geography

Area: 373 sq km

One larger island, Grande Terre, and one smaller, Petite Terre.

Population: 199,065    Annual Growth: 2.67%

Capital: Mamoudzou

Urbanites: 50.1%

Challenges for Prayer

Pray for the Muslim majority. The indigenous people of Mayotte are 99.9% Muslim. Although there is religious freedom and direct, open-air evangelism is permitted (and practiced by the AoG), response has been very slow and most converts have returned to Islam. Maore folk Islam is heavily shaped by magic and cults practicing spirit possession. Despite this, a spirit of complacency rests upon the people, exacerbated greatly by the increased economic assistance from France and the EU. Pray for a spiritual breakthrough. The name Mayotte means “place of death”; pray that it may become a place of spiritual life in Christ.

There is some very small responsiveness to the good news, generally expressed as curiosity more than receptivity. Students and youth, impacted by French/Western social influences, demonstrate the greatest openness. Children who have demonstrated responsiveness to the gospel have been known to be punished for such interest or even taken to live elsewhere in the islands. Illegal immigrants from the Comoran island of Anjouan are also surprisingly responsive. Pray for a harvest among these groups.

Pastor David

So, naturally, we proclaim Christ! We warn everyone we meet, and we teach everyone we can, all that we know about him, so that, if possible, we may bring every man up to his full maturity in Christ. (Colossians 1:28, J.B. Phillips paraphrase)

New Life Community Church, Concord, MA 10742

www.newlife.org

Meeting Sundays at 10:30 AM at the Emerson Umbrella for the Arts, 40 Stow Street, Concord MA

Mailing Address: Post Office Box Five, Concord, MA 01742

Church Offices: 35 Bypass Rd. Lincoln, MA 01773  978-369-0061

Home Office: 978-371-3176

New Life Fine Arts

"Theater you can believe in."

www.newlifefinearts.org

THE BOOK OF ESTHER- A REMINDER THAT GOD IS AT WORK BEHIND THE SCENES; I CORINTHIANS 11- REFLECT THE REALITY OF COMMUNION

TODAY’S READING FROM THE ONE YEAR BIBLE: The Book of Esther- A Reminder that God is at work behind the scenes; Corinthians- Reflecting the reality of Communion

AUGUST 18- Esther 1-3:15; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34; Psalm 35:17-28; Proverbs 21:19-20

Today we begin reading the Book of Esther.

1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther are historically linked in that they are written with the restoration period in view (the return of God’s people from their captivity and their restoration to God’s purpose to make their lives speak to the nations of His holiness and plan of salvation).

I and II CHRONICLES

 God’s testimony expressed through the temple and its functions (His presence, His holiness, His justice, His priesthood and His mercy) had been tragically lost in the Book of Chronicles. The writer, probably Ezra, reminded the people of what was lost through their disobedience - the blessing of God’s presence and His testimony in the temple, specifically the ark of the covenant. 

THE BOOK OF EZRA

The Book of Ezra gives the account of the restoration of the altar and temple building; a project led by Zerrubabel.  After the events in the Book of Esther take place, Ezra will lead a delegation to restore the teaching of the Word of God to the nation.

THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH

The Book of Nehemiah describes the restoration of the walls that helped to maintain the purity of their testimony as a distinct, separate (holy) people.

THE BOOK OF ESTHER

The Book of Esther describes the restoration of God’s people from the sentence of death. It takes place between Chapter 6 and 7 of Ezra.  The action takes place among those Jews who remained behind in Persia after the Persian kings had given permission for them to return. But the implications of their actions were far reaching, providing for the salvation of all the Jews, and the Gentiles as well, as it preserved the Messianic line that led to the birth of Christ.

This is the story of those Jews who did not return with Zerubbabel to rebuild the temple. Many of them had become owners of property and successful businesses and had grown comfortable in Persia / Babylon.

Without the Divine Intervention described in the Book of Esther there would be no restoration. The deliverance from the sentence of death described in the book of Esther makes possible the eventual return of the remnants led by Ezra and Nehemiah.

Martin Luther did not think that the Book of Esther should be included in the Bible. Why? Because God receives no mention in the story. There are no references to worship, heaven or hell. (Prayer is implied as a complement to fasting, but prayer is not explicitly mentioned). There is no prediction of the coming of the Messiah. The Book of Esther is not quoted in the New Testament. So why is it in the Bible?


At face value ,this book is an account of a most unusual turn of events in history that result in the deliverance of the Jews from a death sentence and the unrighteous rule of the prime minister of Persia, Haman. It also explains the founding of the feast of Purim. But hidden in the story is the central character. God is at work. He is behind the scenes moving the scenes! The story is about God’s hidden works of deliverance; His providence and His power providing deliverance for His people.

Even in a pagan country where people are given over to superstition, the one true God proves Himself to be God over all. While others roll the dice, like Haman and his sons do in this story in order to find the lucky day to carry out their evil plan, God proves He is sovereign over all, even those things that might appear to have occurred by chance.

Proverbs 16:33

The lot is cast into the lap,
but its every decision is from the Lord.

This is a true story. It is a relevant story. The story of Esther is played out in history and we see His story (God’s redemptive history) played out in the story of Esther. Hidden also in the pages of this book is your story. The book holds up a mirror to the condition of our souls. As we study this book we will discover the power of God to deliver us from internal bondages and external dangers. We will see that our placement in our current particular circumstances, relationships and spheres of influence is no accident and that God works together with those who love him and are called, in everything, to the good of His purposes (Romans 8:28).

Why is the Book of Esther in the Bible?

It is a story to give us hope.

Paul write in his letter to the Romans, (15:4)  For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance  and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Esther in History

The book covers the events from the 3rd year to the 12th year of the reign of Xerxes, approximately a decade, from 483-473 BC. This story takes place during the period known as the Babylonian captivity, after the fall of Babylon to the Medo-Persian Empire. Some Jews who do not return to Jerusalem to build the temple, remain settled in Susa, the headquarters of the Persian Empire. The story of Esther begins in the third year of the reign of a Persian King known as Ahazuerus. The Hebrew text follows a transliteration of the Persian, Achashverosh.  Ahazuerus is a title, such as the Czar, the Caesar or Kaiser, Pharaoh or the Shah, meaning ‘venerable father'.

There are three kings designated by this name in Scripture.

(1.) The father of Darius the Mede, mentioned in Dan. 9:1. This was probably the Cyaxares I who was known as Ahazuerus in history, the king of Media and the conqueror of Nineveh.

(2.) The king mentioned in Ezra 4:6, probably the Cambyses, the son and successor of Cyrus (B.C. 529).

(3.) The son of Darius Hystaspes (Darius the Great) is most likely the king named in the Book of Esther. He ruled over the kingdoms of Persia, Media, and Babylonia, "from India to Ethiopia." This was in all probability the Xerxes, who succeeded his father Darius (B.C. 485). In the LXX. version of the Book of Esther the name Artaxerxes occurs for Ahasuerus. He reigned for twenty-one years (B.C. 486-465). He invaded Greece with an army, it is said, of more than 2,000,000 soldiers, only 5,000 of whom returned with him. Leonidas, with his famous 300, arrested his progress at the Pass of Thermopylae, and then he was defeated disastrously by Themistocles at Salamis.

It was after his return from this invasion that Esther was chosen as his queen. (479-478 BC)

The story takes place at the height of the Persian Empire when Persian rule extended from the River Indus in India to the Nile in Northern Ethiopia. This story is well corroborated with archaeological evidence. Archaeologists have uncovered ruins at Susa and have found many of the things we read about in this book.

-the "king's gate" (4:2)
-the "inner court" (5:1)
-the "outer court" (6:4)
-the "palace garden" (7:7)
-and even the dice, which they called "pur" (3:7) with which they cast lots.

The Book of Esther is one of the best archeologically verified books in the Old Testament. It is also helpful to learn about this period of history from the Greek perspective from other writings, especially those of Herodotus.

Another one of the many ironies found in the story is that it is Esther's stepson, Artaxerxes, who becomes the most generous sponsor of the rebuilding of Jerusalem. The story is told in the Book of Nehemiah.

His Story in Esther

God IS in the story of Esther, although you do not find His name written on the scroll. His fingerprints are everywhere as He engineers circumstances to provide the deliverance of His people. (God's name, the tetragrammaton YHWH, is actually hidden in acrostic form in several verses. (YHWH) is hidden in an acrostic in Esther 5:4 -- at the crisis moment demanding God's providential help -- the name Jehovah (YHVH) was purposely encrypted in the Hebrew words, "Let the king and Haman come this day" (Hebrew: "Let-come, the-king, and-Haman, this-day"). Here, the letters forming Jehovah (YHVH) begin each of the four Hebrew words.)

God's name is hidden in the scroll. Even Esther's name means 'hidden' according to Hebrew scholar, Gesenius.

God is the deliverer in the book of Esther. And the story points to the greater deliverance that God provides for His people through the cross of Christ.

Jesus said that all of the Tanach, (the Law, the Prophets and the Writings) testify of Him. They  speak of what He came to accomplish in dying to redeem us from our death sentence under the law and to provide deliverance from the unrighteous rule of sin that holds us in bondage (John 5:39; Luke 24:44, Luke 9:31; Matt 1:21, Heb 2:15).

As the Jewish people who saw their appointed day of death (the 13th day of Adar) turned to a day of rejoicing (The Feast of Purim), we too can say with the apostle Paul:

2 Cor. 1:10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us.

Jesus is our Deliverer (literally 'Yeshua'- ‘God to the rescue’). He is our Truer and Greater Intercessor and Advocate; our Truer and Greater Mordecai; our Truer and Greater Esther.

Jesus said "It is written about me in the scroll (the megilla) 'I have come to do your will O God'". (Hebrews 10:7)

With Jesus it was not a matter of "If I perish, I perish" (Esther 4:16) but "I have come to lay down my life" (see John 10:17-18). Whereas in the book of Esther, Mordecai states: "And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" Jesus knew that he came for the appointed hour to accomplish our exodus at Jerusalem (Luke 9:31; Mark 14:41; John 12:23-25).

• We were all 'in Adam' when Adam sinned, and therefore we all were given the death sentence in Him.
• We were born spiritually dead to God and alive to the rule of sin (the prime minister Haman) in our hearts.
• We were all born conspirators against the king (like Bigthan and Teresh).
• We should have been nailed to the tree (like Bigthan and Teresh were).
• We should have been hung on the gallows (like Haman and his sons).

But Jesus died for us and as us. He rose from the dead on the third day and entered into God's holy presence to plead mercy on our behalf. Because of sin it is appointed for men once to die and then the judgment.

Jesus took our appointment in death, saying 'yes' to the Father's plan, and like Esther He appears before the throne as our advocate on the third day. By virtue of His mediation there can be a change of government so we are no longer under the rule of sin (Haman) but under the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (Mordecai). We are given the right to defend ourselves against the attack of the lawless ones and celebrate the Victory that has been granted. On the day we should have died, we live; when we should be mourning, we rejoice; when we should have been fasting, we are feasting; when we should have been plundered, we are sharing our portions with one another and giving out of our abundance to the poor. O happy day, when Jesus washed my sins away! He has reversed the curse and set us free from our enemies.

NEW TESTAMENT READING: 1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Paul addresses the divine discipline that was being brought upon the Corinthians for the manner in which they were observing the Lord’s supper.

Rather than giving evidence to their being united in the death of Christ and united as those who partake of the same life, there were shameful divisions among them. There were also instances of people seeing the Lord’s supper as only another occasion of self-indulgence. The “agape feasts”, as the church suppers were called, became occasions for gluttony, selfishness and drunkenness. These dinners would culminate with the remembrance of where their community life came from, their common participation in the death and life of the Lord Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, who sacrificed Himself to bring about our reconciliation to the Godhead. They failed to wait for one another at the Lord’s table, failing to see what the supper was all about.

Are we conscious of the fact that we are demonstrating the unity of God’s people when we gather together? Therefore, let us love, respect, and be patient with one another. Let us bear with one another. Let us encourage one another.

PSALM 35:17-28

These verses should encourage us to pray. 

Psalm 35:23 (NASB) ²³ Stir up Yourself, and awake to my right And to my cause, my God and my Lord.

I am reminded of the song by Mark Altrogge that we love to sing, “O Faithful God”

            “You lift me up and you uphold my cause”

PROVERBS 21:19-20

Proverbs 21:19-20 (NASB) ¹⁹ It is better to live in a desert land than with a contentious and vexing woman. ²⁰ There is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise, But a foolish man swallows it up.

These proverbs pose two questions: Are we contentious or vexing personalities? Do we properly steward our resources?

PRAY FOR THE NATIONS

(Based on the Prayer Journal “Operation World” available at www.operationworld.org)

Macedonia

Republic of Macedonia

Europe

Geography

Area: 25,713 sq km

Landlocked state surrounded by Serbia/Kosovo, Bulgaria, Greece and Albania.

Population: 2,043,360    Annual Growth: 0.08%

Capital: Skopje

Urbanites: 67.9%

HDI Rank: 72 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)

Peoples

Peoples: 25 (24% unreached)

Official language: Macedonian, one of the southern Slavic languages    Languages: 10

Answer to Prayer

The evangelical church in Macedonia is one of the fastest growing in Europe and displays growing unity across its theological breadth. Churches are ambitious in their outreach and church planting goals, and they minister across ethnic and national boundaries to share the gospel with their neighbors, a remarkable feat given the Balkanization of the region.

Challenge for Prayer

Macedonia’s ethnic composition dominates its political and social existence, where segregation is more prevalent than harmony. The large (and growing) Albanian minority feel more connected with their own kind in Albania and Kosovo than with the other ethnicities of Macedonia. Greece, Bulgaria and Serbia also have agendas for Macedonia.

Economic difficulties cause significant emigration and urban pull; many of the 2,000 villages are dwindling or disappearing altogether. Pray for wisdom for the government, and pray that the divided communities might find ways to build their nation together.

Pastor David

So, naturally, we proclaim Christ! We warn everyone we meet, and we teach everyone we can, all that we know about him, so that, if possible, we may bring every man up to his full maturity in Christ. (Colossians 1:28, J.B. Phillips paraphrase)

New Life Community Church, Concord, MA 10742

www.newlife.org

Meeting Sundays at 10:30 AM at the Emerson Umbrella for the Arts, 40 Stow Street, Concord MA

Mailing Address: Post Office Box Five, Concord, MA 01742

Church Offices: 35 Bypass Rd. Lincoln, MA 01773  978-369-0061

Home Office: 978-371-3176

New Life Fine Arts

"Theater you can believe in."

www.newlifefinearts.org