CALL TO WORSHIP                 
                                                                           Psalm  95:1-7a
 
1. Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

2. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.

3 For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods.

4 In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him.
5 The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.
6 Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;

7 for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.
 
——————————————————————————-
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
PASSION FOR MONEY ROBERT BUTLER

“The love of money is the root of all evil; which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” (I Timothy 6:10)
 
When one is short of money this verse on the problems caused by a passion for money may not impress the reader. But regardless of one’s material situation, this verse is needed lest the passion for money ruin. To learn from this verse, we note the clarification of the passion for money, and the corruption from the passion for money.
 
Clarification. “The love of money is the root of all evil.” This verse is often misread. Some think it says that money is the root of all evil. That is not true. It is the love of money that causes evil. Furthermore, “all evil” needs to be understood as “all kinds of evil,” not necessarily every evil. The word is translated “all manner of evil” in Matthew 5:11.
 
Love for money is a cause of many problems. It is not the possession of money that is the cause of problems but the inordinate affection for money. Also, it is not how much money you have that is a problem, for this sin is not limited to the rich. You may be a pauper but still have a problem here because of your inordinate affection for money. And on the other hand, you may be wealthy but not have this problem.
 
Corruption. “They have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” Two corrupting problems are cited here that come from an inordinate love for money. They are an unholy creed and an unhappy condition.
 
First, unholy creed. “Erred from the faith.” Materialism does not help one maintain a strong stand in the faith. Affluence can readily make one an apostate. Love for money corrupts spiritually. It keeps people away from church earning an extra buck on Sunday. Money often causes one to lose his devotion to the Lord.
 
Second, unhappy condition. “Many sorrows.” Andrew Carnegie, multi-millionaire, said, “Millionaires seldom smile.” Money is not the key to happiness. It causes more sorrow than joy. If you are short on cash today, do not be too upset; a lack of money is not as bad as a love for money.
——————————————————————————-
The worship service for today is live streamed. It can be heard later on YouTube and the Church website (www.bellevuebaptistchurchchicago.org) To listen to the service go to Church website and select the media tab for the sermon

Music by: Deacon Garlan Garner
Video and Audio by: Mr. Michael Harris

The Pastor’s weekly sermon can be heard on the church website (www.bellevuebaptistchurchchicago.org) To listen to the service go to church website and select the media tab for the sermon.
 
PRAYER FOCUS PRAYING ALWAYS
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and request. Ephesians 6:18 (NIV)
 
Dr. Frank Laubach gives many ideas for experiments in prayer:
Pray for whoever comes to memory.
Pray when you can’t sleep at night.
 
Pray while taking a walk.
Pray, using a prayer list of missionaries, pastors, of the sick and sorrowing, neighbors, and coworkers.
Pray while reading a newspaper – pause and pray for accident victims, for world leaders.
 
Pray for the Lord to give you open doors to witness.
Paul, recognizing the kind of world in which he lived, with Satan’s powers so intense, tells his friends to pray at all times in the Spirit. And Paul also reminds the Ephesians to pray for all Christians, “and also me.”
 
Why not follow Paul’s example and ask many of our friends and fellow church members to pray for us. And then, let us “give ourselves wholly to prayer…and pray on every occasion in the power of the Spirit.” By Conrad M. Thompson