Most of us are very familiar with the concept of incentives. Perhaps where you work there are incentives for achieving certain goals or objectives. If you, say, make a certain number of sales, then you get a salary bonus, or even a vacation. Professional athletes often have ‘incentive clauses’ in their contracts. A quarterback who throws a specified number of touchdown passes, for instance, will earn a big check at the end of the season.
An incentive is an encouragement, or stimulus, to do something and to do it well. And all of us need such inducements in various contexts and forms. An incentive to get in shape might be that your cholesterol level will drop, or that you might have more energy, feel better, or look younger. Incentives help us by providing the motivation we need to keep going, especially when things are difficult.
Well, the reason I bring up this subject is because we discover in 2 John 1:8 that there is a grand incentive for remaining faithful to the truth of Christ and to the constant practice of Christian love. There, the Apostle John says,
“Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward.”
The ‘incentive clause’ in this verse is discovered in that word “reward.” And as you can see, the incentive has both a positive and a negative aspect. The negative motivation is that we might not “lose what we have worked for.” The positive aspect is that we might “win a full reward.” It is most obvious that John is attempting to move, or incentivize, his people toward greater faithfulness and loyalty to our Lord. And this should be understood within the context of the hard things he exhorts them to do in view of the persistent threat of false doctrine. Note verses 9-11:
“Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.”
So, what is this “reward” that comes to the Church for practicing faithfulness and love, while resisting evil in all of its forms? When is it given? Who gets it? And how is this incentive connected to our salvation, which we know is all of grace? If we cannot earn our salvation, then how can we earn this “reward”? And then, what about this possibility of losing the “reward”? How is that which has been “worked for” lost?
This Lord’s Day we will dive into these inspired Words. And with the help of God’s Spirit, we will discover more about one of the strongest incentives there is for staying faithful to our beloved Savior.
I love you all, and look forward to our gathering together before our King!
Mike
Upcoming Events:
August 11-12 – Women’s Conference at Southwood Presbyterian August 13, 3 PM – New Members Class August 15, 10:00 AM – Senior Fellows meeting at the church. Juergen Haukohl presentation. August 19 – Men’s Rafting Day Trip to Ocoee August 23, 8:30 AM – Senior Fellows support Bags of Blessings setup at Care Center. Carpooling is 8:00 AM at the church. August 26, 4PM – Wohleber wedding
Order of Worship:
You can access this week’s Order of Worship by clicking here
The songs for this week are:
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
Come Ye Souls By Sin Afflicted
Have Thine Own Way Lord
The Precious Blood
Connecting with the Catechism:
Q. 100. What doth the preface of the Lord’s prayer teach us?
A. 100. The preface of the Lord’s prayer (which is, Our Father which art in heaven) teacheth us to draw near to God with all holy reverence and confidence, as children to a father, able and ready to help us; and that we should pray with and for others.
Matt. 6:9.
Rom. 8:15; Luke 11:13.
Acts. 12:5; I Tim. 2:1-2.
Q. 101. What do we pray for in the first petition?
A. 101. In the first petition (which is, Hallowed be thy name) we pray, That God would enable us and others to glorify him in all that whereby he maketh himself known; and that he would dispose all things to his own glory.
Matt. 6:9.
Ps. 67:2-3.
Ps. 83.
Q. 102. What do we pray for in the second petition?
A. 102. In the second petition (which is, Thy kingdom come) we pray, That Satan’s kingdom may be destroyed; and that the kingdom of grace may be advanced, ourselves and others brought into it, and kept in it; and that the kingdom of glory may be hastened.
Matt. 6:10.
Ps. 68:1, 18.
Rev. 12:10-11.
II Thess. 3:1; Rom. 10:1; John 17:9, 20.
Rev. 22:20.
Announcements:
Men’s Ministry Day Trip:
Are you a man? Do you like fellowship with other men? Do you crave moderately dangerous aquatic thrills? If so, we have an announcement for you. The Men’s Ministry is planning a day trip to raft the Ocoee for August 19th. We will likely meet at the church early that morning, drive the 2 hours it takes to get there, raft, eat lunch, then be back by mid afternoon. You’ll need a bathing suit, water shoes that aren’t flip flops, and a change of clothes. Cost will probably be around $40. If you are interested, please talk to Adam Turnbull or Norman Dean, or contact us at deacons@christpreshamptoncove.org. This is a great opportunity to get to know some of the other men in the church. If you would like to go please respond by Sunday August 13. Thanks!
Children’s Sunday School:
We are beginning to plan for our Sunday school program for the 2017-18 class year. This is such an important part of our Sunday morning teaching time, and we encourage all families to be involved in a class. Click HERE to register each child or youth.
Parents with children ages infant thru high school should register. This will help us divide classes and find the appropriate teachers for each group. Registration is open to members or guests.
We can’t wait to see your families in Sunday school starting September 10th!
In Him,
Ashley
Senior Fellows: The Senior Fellows August 15Meeting will feature Juergen Haukohl sharing his story of growing up in a German family with a father who was a member of the Wernher Von Braun Rocket Development Team. We will meet at 10 AM at the Church. Following the meeting we will have lunch at Buena Vista Restaurant in Big Cove. Visitors are welcome. For more information, email: Senior Fellows seniorfellows@christpreshamptoncove.org or phone: 256-532-1856.
Ladies Summer Scripture Read Along:
You are invited to participate with all ladies of Christ Presbyterian Church:
Summer Scripture Read-Along in Isaiah, Jeremiah, & Lamentations
HOW: Start in Isaiah on July 3. Read 3 chapters a day, Monday–Friday.
Take the weekend off to reflect, journal, or catch-up as needed.
Then, keep reading following the schedule below!
Read along with us, on your own time, no need to sign-up, just participate if you’re able.
We hope it will be a blessing to our ladies to be united in our devotion to God’s word through this read-along.
Aug 14-18 Jeremiah 22-36 Aug 21-25 Jeremiah 37-50
August 28 Jeremiah 51-the end.
Tuesday-August 28 Break Aug 30-31 read Lamentations 1-5
New Members and Inquirers Class:
The next New Members and Inquirers Class will be August 13 and 20 from 3-5 PM at the church. Nursery will be provided. Attending the class does not obligate you to join the church, but attendance is mandatory if you wish to become a member. Please tell anyone you know who might be interested about this upcoming class.
Women’s Conference at Southwood Presbyterian:
The Women of Southwood would like to invite you to hear Julie Sparkman the weekend of August 11th and 12th. Julie is the founder of Restore Ministries and the author of the studies *Idol Addiction* and *Unhitching from the Crazy Train*. She is warm and witty and engaging and we want to open our doors to our sister churches in the Providence Presbytery. Please click here to hear Julie talk about *Idol Addiction.*
The doors will open Friday night at 6:30pm for coffee and dessert, with the session starting at 7:00. On Saturday morning, you may join us at 8:30am for a continental breakfast. Julie will speak twice on Saturday, at 9:00 and 10:30, and we should finish up around noon.
There is a $20 charge for the weekend. You can click here to register. No childcare will be available on site.
We hope to see you there!
Women’s Bible Studies:
The Women’s Bible studies will begin in September with the morning study being held on Wednesday mornings at 9:30 at the church and the evening study on Tuesday evenings at 6:00 at the church. The women will be studying Peacemaking Women: Biblical Hope for Resolving Conflict. Please, contact Kathy Cooper, Gretchen McKee, or Dona Sims for more information. If you would like childcare for the morning study, please contact Ashley Turnbull at children@christpreshamptoncove.org
Prayer Requests:
Healing: Please pray for the health of the following individuals: Chris Smotherman, Elizabeth Holton, Janet Chou, Ramona Edwards, Nolan Osmer, Frances McQuay, George Boyd, and Sondra Behmer. Expecting: Please pray for the Bryant family, expecting in December. Ministries: Please pray for the following missionaries and ministries: Seth and Jessica Lewis (Ireland); Steve and Rita Williams (New Zealand); RUF at UAH and Alabama A&M; Ken and Angie Burnett (FCA); Franky Garcia (seminary student).