Today we
worshiped at Mars Alliance Church, 997 Route 228, Mars, PA 16046, 724.776.9400,
www.marsalliance.org, Rev. Joseph
Toomey, Lead Pastor.
Scripture
– Matthew 7:7-23 NIV
“Ask
and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be
opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to
the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
“Which
of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a
fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to
give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give
good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would
have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
“Enter
through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads
to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the
road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
“Watch
out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they
are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick
grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears
good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit,
and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit
is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize
them.
“Not
everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but
only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to
me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name
drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them
plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”
Bob’s
thoughts:
Although
we arrived just as the service was starting, we were greeted during the welcome
time and I got to greet a Marine who serves as an associate pastor…that always
makes me feel welcome.
I meant
to get a closer look at the screens but the support system made them look like
they belonged there, and the placement was excellent. I could only find small
crosses like the ceiling fixtures but there is a striking stained glass cross window
at the rear of the chancel behind some drapes. I thought it would be great to
uncover it for parts of the service. A scenic vista was projected lightly on
the side walls during the message.
We “gray
hairs” seemed to outnumber the youth…a bit unusual for contemporary worship.
The lead singer was hard to understand when she spoke, I don’t know if the
problem was fixed later or it was just that the words were on the screen.
A courageous
witness came from a young woman we assumed to be a member till we spoke with her
later. She had suffered with sexual identity issues till surrendering her
problem to Christ. What He did is not a surprise but the strength He gave to
her to relate her story was overwhelming / impressive / inspiring. I understand
she suffered rejection and abuse from those who should have been supportive.
I
heard Christ speaking through the message to come to the Lord with asking,
seeking, and knocking. We are all guilty in our walk. I find I am always
reluctant when it involves me. To come to Christ asking for healing for others
is natural every day, but I seem to need to be hit upside the head with a few
bricks before I ask for myself, even with a history of not being forsaken in
those prayers.
The
pastor did an excellent job of making the Scriptures relevant to the
congregation, and used modern imagery to help explain the analogy of the HOV
lane for the narrow way. I thought he could have included that you can’t get in
on your own…you need someone with you – Jesus Christ.
Jan’s
thoughts:
It
has been 3 years and a new pastor since we last visited this church. The
modern, sprawling facility is clean and well kept with pleasing aesthetics.
Since we arrived about 5 minutes late to this contemporary service, we missed
some of the music.
I
was pleased to witness the commissioning of a group of young people for a
mission trip to Charleston, South Carolina. The leader who spoke stated they
are trusting God for their safety and the good He will bring from their
efforts.
The
praise band lead singer had a strong, lovely voice and I enjoyed hearing her lead
her original composition.
Prior
to introducing a speaker, the pastor asked that all children under the age of
10 step outside in the hallway with the pastor’s wife to play a few games for
10 minutes. The visiting speaker, Amy, proceeded to give her brave personal
testimony that centered on her struggle with same-sex attraction. This message
was exceedingly well presented with no hint of excuses or self-pity, just her
personal story of her efforts to “work harder” to remove this from her mind and
life. Her story concluded with her ultimate success which came only as a result
of finally surrendering to Jesus Christ. Her concluding reminders were that “strongholds
grow in the dark” and we each need to know who we are and who God made us to
be.
Amy’s
testimony was followed by a call for those desiring prayer.
The
message was untitled as far as I could tell, but covered a lot of ground with
some great points and terrific graphics that were on point.
For
the familiar ask, seek, knock passage, he said the first step was to just ask;
the second step is to seek, which is asking + action; and the third step is to
knock, which is asking + action + attitude.
I
appreciated this encouraging message and the passion with which it was delivered.
Our
prayer for this church:
Lord,
we pray that those who needed to hear the witness take it to heart and that we
all strive for the straight and narrow way. Amen.