May 27, 2007 by PastorMark.

#278, Why I am a “Pentecostal”, Sunday 05-27-2007

Text: Acts 2:1-4
Theme: Acts 2:1-4 is the fulfillment of these promises.

Introduction:

1. Today is the Day of Pentecost.
   1. Fifty days after the Sabbath of the Passover week. (The Sunday, or first day of the week)
   2. Also called the “Feast of Weeks” (Deuteronomy 16:10) and Feast of Harvest, day of first fruits.
2. Jesus and John the Baptist predicted a coming “baptism”
   1. Mark 1:8 “I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
   2. Acts 1:4-5 “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
3. Acts 2:1-4 is the fulfillment of these promises.
   1. Most believers in Christ would agree with the fact of the Day of Pentecost and that the first century church of the Bible was a Pentecostal church.
   2. What is debatable is:
   3. Is this experience a one time event?
   4. Is this for a short time only?
   5. Are tongues simply a gift for some or is tongues one evidence of this experience?
4. What about Pentecostals today?
   1. Most Pentecostals are Pentecostal because they believe in the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:4)
   2. They do not believe in cessessionism (the Baptism in the Holy Spirit was no longer needed after the Apostles died or after the Word of God was complete.)
   3. Pentecostalism experienced a revival in the early 1900’s: 1906 Azuza Street meetings in LA.

Pentecostalism is never merely doctrinal, but involves yourself.
This is my own personal journey

1. My Pentecostal church helped me find God.
   1. After I had strayed, the youth helped me.
   2. The sincerity of my mother and the people influenced me.
2. My own “Pentecost” came a few months after my salvation.
   1. I believed this was from God.
   2. I was hungry for God and what He promised.
   3. I knew that my baptism in the Holy Spirit was not “made-up”.

Why have I stayed a Pentecostal? Is it just because of my upbringing?
Some reasons why I love being Pentecostal:

1. I see the Pentecostal experience as Biblical.
   1. (if I were on an island with only the Bible, I would still believe this)
   2. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Holy Spirit were important to them
   3. We must be careful to “test everything” (1 Thessalonians 5:20)
2. I have experience Pentecostal people as real.
   1. They have emphasized a love for the Word, Christ.
   2. They have emphasized the importance of the Spirit in fulfilling the mission of Jesus.
   3. They have emphasized the “go” in Gospel.
   4. Missions has always existed in the DNA of Pentecostalism.
   5. At the second General Council of the Assemblies of God the leaders committed themselves to, “the greatest evangelism movement the world have ever known”
   6. Some statistics on Pentecostals:
   7. 25% of Christians in the world today are Pentecostal.
   8. Pentecostals are growing at about 19 million a year. There are about 500 million total in the world right now (over 20 million in the US)
3. I am challenged by Pentecostalism.
   1. I am challenged to live filled with the Holy Spirit.
   2. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is not for salvation, but for empowerment and fullness.
   3. I need to have both the fruit and the gifts.
   4. I am challenged by Pentecostalism to stay close to God.
   5. My prayer language is a priceless gift.
   6. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit helps “convict” me when I drift into “status quo.”

What about you?

Are you open to experience what the 120 experienced on the Day of Pentecost?
This can happen anywhere, anytime.
Are you willing to be refilled?

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May 27, 2007 by PastorMark.

“Finish your outdoor work and get your fields ready; after that, build your house” (Proverbs 24:27). Develop right priorities. To get all excited about a house but starve because there isn’t any food doesn’t make sense. Jesus, by His life and words, taught us to prioritize. He told us to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). If we would put God and His kingdom first, we are further promised by Jesus that “all these things will be given to you as well.” Godly priorities demonstrate faith and trust in God, and the Lord always honors faith.

Pastor Mark Boucher

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May 20, 2007 by admin.

Stewardship Strategies for Effective Christian Living

• A 10-week small-group study
• Teaching God’s financial principles in order to know Christ more intimately and to be free to serve him
• The seminar will begin Friday, June 1, at 6:45 PM, and will continue each Friday for 10 weeks
• Manny Onos and Wally Abbott will be the facilitators
• The seminar will be held at the Onos’ home
• The price of the seminar is $55 for couples and $45 for individuals
• To register, please sign up at the Welcome Center
• For more information or if you have questions, call Pastor Dave at the church office 978-534-1190
• The seminar is limited to 12 people
• A brochure with further information is available at the Welcome Center

Lasting Answers for…

• Getting out of Debt
• Saving
• Spending
• Budgeting
• Earning Money
• Investing
• Giving
• Training Children

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May 20, 2007 by admin.

Sunday School (Kindergarten through Sixth Grade)

This summer we’re going on an adventure in Sunday school! We’ll be traveling to Antarctica, Japan, England and other places while we learn godly character. Boarding will begin promptly at 10:00am each Sunday in the Fellowship Hall. We will take off for our destination and arrived back by 11:00am. The adventure begins Sunday, June 3, 2007. You don’t want to miss this flight!

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May 20, 2007 by PastorMark.

#277, A Powerful Practice, Sunday 05-20-2007

Text: Matthew 6:16-18
Theme: What does Jesus teach us about fasting?

Introduction:

1. After “the Lord’s prayer” Jesus spoke about fasting.
   1. The people of Christ’s day were familiar with fasting.
   2. Today fasting is associated with medical procedures.
   3. The understanding and practice of fasting has become a lost treasure.
2. What in the world is fasting – biblically?
   1. Fast = to abstain from food (and liquids sometimes) for a religious exercise or purpose.
   2. I don’t like to fast … but I like the results.
   3. You may not be interested in fasting or feel able to fast but …
3. What does Jesus say about fasting?

Text: Matthew 6:16-18 - What does Jesus teach us about fasting?

1. There’s a wrong way to fast. (v 16)
   1. You can do the right thing in the wrong way.
   2. Some ultra religious people (Pharisees) loved to fast.
   3. They would fast twice a week.
   4. They loved the recognition from their fasting.
   5. They fasted to impress others with their spirituality.
   6. In reality they were “carnally” minded, but tried to “overcompensate” by “super spiritual” words.
   7. These hypocrites “disfigured” their faces – they wanted you to know they were suffering.
   8. These hypocrites received “their reward” … the shallow applause of people.
   9. There are other “wrong ways” to fast.
   10. Out of guilt, confusion.
2. There’s a right way to fast. (vv 17-18)
   1. We are instructed to be “indescreet” (in secret)
   2. Put oil on your head, wash your face.
   3. Don’t hang a sign around your neck. (I am fasting)
   4. We are to “fast to your Father who is unseen” (v 18)
   5. We fast because of our relationship with our God.
   6. We don’t fast for salvation or to “pay” for our sins.
   7. What are some specific purposes of fasting to the Father?
   8. To draw near to God. (we give up something important for something better)
   9. To get through a crisis.
   10. To receive guidance, direction and power.
   11. To mourn for a lost nation.
   12. To humble ourselves.
   13. “Yet when they were ill, I put on sack cloth and humbled myself with fasting.” (Psalm 35:13)
3. God blesses when we fast in the right way.
   1. “Your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (v 18b)
   2. How does God reward us?
   3. Our fasting doesn’t obligate God to do our will – He changes our heart and character, to do His will.
   4. The ego is submitted to Christ.
   5. He gives us strength and renewal. Breakthroughs happen.
   6. How often should we fast?
   7. He leaves this up to us.
   8. Start gradually – don’t start with a forty day fast.
   9. We can fast as we feel led or on a regular routine.

Conclusion:

The most important question: Why should we fast?

1. Jesus fasted and He taught us to fast.
2. Fasting is a spiritual weapon needed for these desperate times.
3. Pick a day, meal before Global Day of Prayer.

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May 20, 2007 by PastorMark.

When it comes to popularity, people today can rise and fall quickly. In the end, what really matters is the approval and esteem of God. What kind of person is “popular” with God? The Lord says, “This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word” (Isaiah 66:2). Instead of trying to impress others, we can expend our energies in a personal relationship with our Creator. As we humble ourselves, He promises to lift us up. Would you rather be popular with people or with God?

Pastor Mark Boucher

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May 13, 2007 by PastorMark.

God and people look at life differently. For many people, children are an “inconvenience,” an added responsibility that takes away from their pursuit of happiness. But God speaks of children as a blessing and a joy. In the Book of Luke, the angel told the priest Zechariah that he and Elizabeth were going to have a son (John the Baptist). About this child, the angel declared, “He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth” (Luke 1:14). Zechariah and Elizabeth rejoiced in God’s blessing. On this Mother’s Day we say thank you to all of you special women who give of yourselves for your children.

Pastor Mark Boucher

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May 12, 2007 by admin.

L. A. B. I. (Leominster Assembly Bible Institute)

May 2007 - “Wisdom for Life”
A study in the Book of Proverbs

June – August 2007 - John Bevere’s “Driven By Eternity”

Making your life count today and forever. This riveting study will help us to learn how to be ready for the Day of Judgment and maintain an eternal frame of reverence as we live in this world. The purpose of this study is to reveal an eternal perspective, motivate believers to labor for what endures, as well as, to draw seekers to salvation and Kingdom living!

ADULT CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

SUMMER 2007
The Book of Romans
Begins Sunday, June 3, 2007, in the Youth Chapel. Hope you see you there!

Declare His righteousness

A study of the Book of Romans ~ Taught by Pastor Harv and Jean Meppelink

A 13-week study that will change your life!

• How does God see man?
• How does God judge man?
• How does God see me?
• Are there “good” people and “bad” people?
• How does he “law” of God relate to a person that is saved?
• And much more!

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May 10, 2007 by PastorMark.

My uncle Roger recently retired from pastoring a large church in California. Through the years many people questioned Roger as to the “hows and whats” of church growth. They were looking for the “secret to success,” a program or tool they could adapt and plug into their setting…with instant results. His answer to the “secret of success” went like this, “There’s a sweet spirit of the Lord here.” I’m sure his answer disappointed many people looking for something deeper, but, in reality, this was “deep.” Pastor Roger was turning people away from programs, methods and tools to the character of God and principles of the Kingdom. He admitted this: while he could observe what was happening, he did not understand exactly why it happened. Jesus gave His disciples a fascinating parable about the growth of God’s kingdom. “He also said, ‘This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come’” (Mark 4:26-29).

In this amazing parable, we observe truths about our part and God’s part in experiencing the increase of God’s kingdom. First, we notice, “A man scatters seed.” Other parables of Jesus reveal the “seed” to be the Gospel or the Word of God. For the possibility of fruit, seed must be scattered. Next, comes the interesting part.

The remainder of this short parable stresses the mysterious power of the seed and the soil. The man who scattered the seed didn’t sweat or fuss and fume over the seed. He didn’t lose sleep at night trying to watch and see if it would grow. The Word says, “The seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how” (v. 27). Growth happened, not through the talent or ingenuity of the planter but from the power of the seed.

Christian A. Schwarz, author of the book Natural Church Development, sees this parable of Jesus as the very essence of church growth. He explains that the word used to describe the seed and soil producing grains “all by itself” is automate, from which we get the word “automatic.” Schwartz writes, “In the context of the parable, the word [automate] means simply, ‘with no apparent cause,’ and the underlying thought is ‘performed by God.’ We can sow, but only God can make things grow.”

What does this truth mean for us? First, we need to do our part in getting the message out…in every possible way to every person. As we do, we need to trust God to do what we cannot do…make the seed sprout. There is power in the Gospel to change lives!

There is another vital point to consider. The seed that is dropped into healthy soil will naturally grow. Instead of thinking about the Gospel going into just the “soil” of the world, think about the “soil” of the church. If a church is healthy, it will grow. If there are hindrances in the soil, these must be addressed so that the seed and soil will not be hindered.

Let me illustrate this: each year, a lot of pine needles fall on the lawn behind our house. Pine needles are “acidic” and kill healthy grass. For a healthy lawn, I need to deal with the pine needles (raking helps!). I’m still not “making” healthy grass grow; I am merely removing a hindrance so that healthy grass can grow. A church, like an individual, will have issues (hindrances) to address. To not address these hindrances will result in stunted growth or the death of the seed in the soil. In my observation of churches through the years I would identify some of the hindrances as these: lack of friendliness, stuffy formalism, lack of biblical teaching/preaching, overemphasis on feelings and emotions, and unconcern for the lost. Health demands brutal honesty about our issues in the white light of God’s Word.

A healthy church constantly seeks to become more effective. We can’t “make” the church increase, but we can change and improve so we don’t settle for “acid” in the soil. We can do our part by sharing the Word and by removing hindrances to growth. God has promised that He will do his miraculous work of growth. To top it all off, He even allows us to enjoy being part of the harvest! How good God is!

Pastor Mark Boucher

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May 6, 2007 by PastorMark.

#276, Praying Through Temptation, Sunday 05-06-2007

Text: Matthew 6:9-13
Theme: You can live in victory over temptation and evil.

Introduction

1. As he shared with me, I felt badly.
   
   1. He was bound in all kinds of habits, addictions.
      
   2. But, he considered himself a believer going to heaven.
      
   3. There was no “family resemblance.”
      
   4. Salvation is not a ticket to heaven, but the entrance into a life of transformation.
      
   5. “But as many as received him, to them gave he the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” John 1:12
      
2. As believers, we must address the reality of temptation and evil.
   
   1. We are still in a fallen world.
      
   2. We are still in fleshly bodies.
      
   3. We are still in the presence of evil, Satan.
      
   4. Jesus knows our struggle. He came to defeat the world, flesh and devil
      
3. He teaches us how to pray. Matthew 6:9-13
   
   1. He instructs to first consider the Father ad His Kingdom. (vv. 9-10)
      
   2. He then reminds us of our source of food, life. (v 11)
      
   3. He teaches us the power of forgiveness. (v 12)
   4. What about after forgiveness?
   5. True forgiveness will be followed by a desire for ongoing victory over sin and evil.
   6. “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” Matthew 6:13
      

Theme: You can live in victory over temptation and evil.
We need to stop accepting defeat as “normal.”
We need to understand this prayer of Jesus.

1. 1. Temptation is a test.
      
   2. The test reveals our character and inner heart.
      
   3. There are two principle “actors” in this drama.
      
   4. The tempter (whose chief attribute is subtlety, deceit.)
      
   5. The tempted (one who is often weak and gullible.)
      
   6. Temptation is a battle. (inner war)
      
   7. There is the attack of the temptation (manipulation, deceit)
      
   8. There is the process of fighting the “allurement”
      
   9. There is the closure of the battle.
      
   10. A resisting of temptation – victory.
       
   11. A giving in to the temptation – defeat.
       

   1. Sometimes temptations come to us.
      
   2. This is common to all of us.
      
   3. “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13
      
   4. Sometimes we go to the temptations.
      
   5. We can’t blame others for these temptations.
      
   6. “Why is God allowing this?”
      
   7. “The devil made me do it.”
      
   8. We must take personal responsibility for our temptation.
      
   9. “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone; but each of us is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.” James 1:13-14
      
   10. The good news: we are not powerless “victims” of temptation. Sin is not an “incontrollable disease.”
       

   1. Prayer. (pray Jesus’ prayer)
      
   2. Don’t pray that you won’t ever be tempted.
      
   3. Realize your need for God.
      
   4. Don’t be deceived by self-confidence.
      
   5. Example: Peter – “I’ll never deny You.”
      
   6. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” Matthew 26:41
      
   7. Practice.
      
   8. We want to win the game without any practice.
      
   9. Get God’s Word inside you. (“It is written.”)
      
   10. “Submit yourselves then to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7
       
   11. Predetermine.
         

   12. To expose your life to what is good.
       
   13. To turn or shun evil.
   14. Take the high road.

2. What is temptation?
   
3. How are we led into temptation?
   
4. How are we to live in victory over temptation?
   

Conclusion:

1. There is victory over temptation and evil.
2. He is able to deliver us and to keep us.
   

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