Living With Highs And Lows Series

Living with Highs and Lows

Psalm 42

Rev. Brian Bill

1/13/08

If you’ve been adversely affected by the flood this week would you please stand so that we can let you know how much we love you and care about you?

Now, if you’re still high and dry after the flood, would you please stand? I want to tell you that everyone standing has just joined the GTLC ministry! That’s right. I’ve been so moved by the amount of love and support that is already flowing from members of this church! You can be seated. Here are some things that we’re going to do.

* We are going to take a special love offering today and next Sunday to help those who are in need. Simply make your check out to PBC and place it in the envelope provided in your bulletin or drop off your check during the week.

* We’re in need of equipment to help people get back in their homes. Please sign up at the Welcome Center if you have a wet-vac, power washer, generator, pumps, etc.

* We’re also putting teams together to help people get back on their feet. There’s another sign-up sheet for this. The need is great and it’s my prayer that the workers will not be few.

* If you’d like to provide meals, could you please sign up as well?

Acts 4:32 – “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.” Ken Fulkerson is providing administrative support for this endeavor so if you have any questions please see him.

I want to begin by sharing some impressions…

1. This is national news but its personal pain for many of you. The Weather Channel and CNN have made it public but for many of you the pain is so private that you can barely talk about it.

2. I’m praying that this will bring our church and our community together and I believe that God wants Pontiac Bible Church to take the lead. We’ve sent five teams to Biloxi but now in a very real sense, God has sent “Biloxi” to us. I received a phone call on Friday from Roger Bruehl, our missionary with Campus Crusade for Christ. Roger is one of the vice presidents with Crusade and travels all around the world. He heard what happened and called to offer some advice and then he prayed for me. What he said is so good that I want to pass it along:

* Engage and take action. Immediacy is very important.

* Take opportunities and point people to Christ.

* You can’t solve all the problems but you can take some of them and help some people.

* The church working together can accomplish a lot. That reminded me of something we’ve said before around here: No one can do everything but everyone can do something.

3. I love watching people serve – students sandbagging, getting people out, etc. I heard that someone made this comment this week: “I’ve got to do something. I’ve just been crying all day.” Here’s part of an email I received this week from someone who received some help from the PBC family: “I don’t know how to thank PBC for the outpouring of love and support we have received. Complete strangers have called my house to see if they can help or help me find a pump.”

4. This is an opportunity to be a testimony in our community. We received a phone call this week from a PBC member who wanted us to know that her neighbor was grateful for the offer of help from some guys from this church. Here’s a summary of the phone call: “When this family was getting ready to evacuate, this neighbor stopped to talk to her. He asked if she went to the Bible Church and she told him that’s where she goes to church. She said he had tears in his eyes and said how grateful he was for the men from the Bible Church that came down to help.”

5. There has been an outpouring of support from other churches that want to help – Salem Church in Gridley, Calvary Memorial in Oak Park and Trinity Bible Church in Biloxi!

6. This is a wake-up call. I heard one teenager say that she wonders what God is saying to our community. Think about it. She mentioned the lockdown at the high school, the suicide just down the street from here several months ago and now the flooding. The best way to know what God wants to say is by going to Scripture because that’s how He speaks to us today. Please turn to Psalm 42.

Studying-Sharing-Singing

The service today will be a bit different than other Sundays. We’re going to look at Scripture, we’re going to share together and we’re going to sing…and we’re going to do it in two parts.