Emanuel Happenings

THE CHRISTIAN LOVES GOD ABOVE ALL Not all love is good. It is self-destructive to love bad things. However, it is just as harmful to love good things in a bad order. For example, it would seem to be a good thing that a man loves his dog. But if he loves his dog more than he loves his wife, his “love” for both is disordered. That is not in the best interests of the man, his wife, or even his dog. For love to be healthy, it needs to be properly ordered. The Christian loves God above all things. For the Christian understands that everything in this present world is transitory. Relationships fail. Empires fall. Accomplishments are quickly forgotten. But nothing about God is transitory. God’s love is eternal. He promises the Christian everlasting life. And so the Christian struggles not simply to avoid loving bad things. The Christian struggles to love God above all other good things too. Because the Christian understands that God is of ultimate value. Want to hear more? See you this weeken

DEFINE CHRISTIAN Ask ten different people to define Christian and you may get ten different answers. One might say, “A Christian is someone who believes in Jesus.” Okay. But the demons believe that Jesus exists and is the Son of God. So is that definition adequate? Another person might have a more negative view. He says, “A Christian is someone who believes he is better than others.” Is that completely false? And if you aren’t humble, does that mean you aren’t Christian? In our next worship series, Christ himself defines the term Christian and describes what Christians do. We will be struck by how often we do not do all those things. There likely are times when people could look at our behavior and assume we were unbelievers. Yet throughout this series, Jesus will demonstrate that ultimately a Christian is one who runs to Christ for forgiveness precisely because he has failed to live like what he is—a Christian. As we receive the mercy of Christ, it moves us to strive with all our bein

THE HOLY MINISTRY PREACHES CHRIST DESPITE PERSECUTION From its birth, the New Testament Church has been persecuted. The religious leaders in Jerusalem tried to stamp it out, but they only succeeded in spreading Christianity throughout Judea and Samaria. The Roman Empire persecuted Christians with stakes and lions, yet God’s Church exploded with growth in those early centuries. In Martin Luther’s day, both pope and emperor sought to stop the gospel movement that was spreading from Germany. But God was a mighty fortress for the Church. Still today the Church is persecuted. Every day thirteen Christians worldwide are killed because of their faith. Another twelve are arrested or imprisoned simply because they profess faith in Christ Jesus. In the U.S. we have freedom of religion enshrined as a constitutional right, but that is no guarantee for a life free of persecution. Until Judgment Day, some will attempt to shout down the truth of Christ. We will be persecuted. That won’t stop us. The

  All families are invited to join us at Hatten Park for JAM in the Sand! 'Jesus and Me' is geared toward children aged 5 and under. During the summer, siblings are encouraged to come! We will have a devotion, a story, and time to play and visit for children and adults! JAM in the Sand! will be held June 13 and 20, July 11 and 19, and August 9 from 10:30-11:30am. This is a wonderful opportunity to surround yourself and your children with Jesus and His great creation! Bring your family, friends, and neighbors!

THE HOLY MINISTRY DEMONSTRATES COMPASSION FOR GOD'S PEOPLE “When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion on them” (Matthew 9:36). The Greek word translated as “compassion” refers to a type of love that almost overwhelms one’s emotions. Imagine a father looking at his little girl lying in a hospital bed near death. The father’s heart aches. That father would allow the surgeon to cut any organ out of him, without anesthesia, and transplant it into his daughter if that’s what it took to save his little girl’s life. That’s the idea behind the Greek word for “compassion.” Jesus looks at the people and is willing to do anything for them—to make any sacrifice, even the ultimate one at the cross. In that same compassion, the Lord of the Church raises up ministers. As those ministers share his grace and mercy, Christ saves eternal lives. More, he fills those ministers with his Spirit, so that they also feel compassion for God’s people. Want to hear more? See you this weekend: Saturday at 5:

All families are invited to join us at Hatten Park for JAM in the Sand! 'Jesus and Me' is geared toward children aged 5 and under. During the summer, siblings are encouraged to come! We will have a devotion, a story, and time to play and visit for children and adults! JAM in the Sand! will be held June 13 and 20, July 11 and 19, and August 9 from 10:30-11:30am. This is a wonderful opportunity to surround yourself and your children with Jesus and His great creation! Bring your family, friends, and neighbors!

Who, me, worry? Yes. Me. And quite a lot at times. Despite my Lord's promises. Despite His faithful love demonstrated again and again. Even despite His commitment to me as He bled and died on Calvary's cross. I do worry. I don't want to worry. This course addresses worry head-on. It confronts both the "little worries" and the fire-breathing dragons of worry that singe our necks when the sky falls in on us. This four-week class will begin on July 18, from 6:00 – 7:30 pm, in the Community Room. To register, call 920-982-5444, email church@emanuelnl.org, or stop by the Emanuel office.  

THE HOLY MINISTRY “Ministry” simply means “service.” Throughout history, God has called individuals to serve God’s people by sharing God’s Word. Many today feel they do not need to be part of a church, do not need Christian preaching and teaching. “I can be a believer without any of that.” Well, if that is true, then why does Jesus bother to keep calling ministers to share his gospel: pastors, teachers, missionaries, etc.? Clearly, Jesus himself believes ministry is necessary. He knows what we need better than we do. We call it “holy ministry” because the Holy Spirit does his work through his ministers. As ministers proclaim God’s Word, the Spirit unleashes his power. We also call it “holy ministry” because through gospel ministry our faith is sustained, which is what makes us holy in God’s eyes. Our worship for the next three weeks follows this path: June 12 – The Holy Ministry Is Filled with Sinners Called by God June 18 – The Holy Ministry Demonstrates Compassion for God’s People Ju