Scripture – NIV
Ephesians 4:11-12 –
So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up
Ephesians 4:1-6 –
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Hebrews 8:12 –
For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.
Romans 14:19 –
Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.
Ephesians 2:17-21 –
He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.
Bob’s thoughts:
Something I’ve noticed in my life lately is that every trip to the Emergency Room results in a night or two stay in the hospital; I am going to avoid the ER from now on. The plus side is every time I am there, God leads me to amazing folks to pray for. It seems to be the best medicine for whatever ails me also. The latest stay was no exception and today we were able to visit their church to reunite and catch up on God’s healing.
A personal highlight for me was a note on the entry doors as to which one to use. This is the first time I’ve seen this anywhere.
We were warmly welcomed, had a reunion with my hospital roommate, and thanked for my service.
The building is well planned with an excellent layout and signage. We were offered coffee and a place to sit before the service.
Worship was held in a gym/multipurpose room and acoustics were good. I noticed a healthy mix of children and “sages” and was pleased to get a prayer list for this church.
There are two great wooden crosses in the Sanctuary, the praise team sounded terrific and the volume was satisfactory.
The print on the large center screen was easy to read with good contrast. I had a chance to thank the sign language interpreter after the service.
The message was via video by an associate pastor on how the church can guard their unity.
The message, based on Ephesians 4:1-6 and 11-12, though making perfect sense in the early Christian church, seems almost a contradiction among the myriad of “Christian” churches now. We strive for unity within “our” church and extend an olive branch to those who would align with our thinking: “If you can be like us, we can be friends.” Till Christ returns may we come together to worship in peace.
The pastor stressed church membership so strongly that I can only hope we would be welcome at the home church, but we were warmly welcomed here.
I was thankful for our time with the pastor and in prayer.
Jan’s thoughts:
Bob spent an overnight in the hospital a few weeks ago and God used the opportunity to introduce a new friend. We hit it off with this new friend and his wife and they invited us to visit their church. I’m glad we did as it was wonderful to see our friends again. They welcomed us warmly and introduced us to many other new friends who also greeted us warmly!
Our last visit to this church was in 2013 and at the time they were worshiping at Pittsburgh Technical Institute (now Pittsburgh Technical College). The church now has their own beautiful and well-thought-out building. The signage is superb, with a plaque outside each room and directional signage that is well-placed. There are a couple of tables in the main hallway where refreshments are set out, along with a simple room arranged for fellowship.
From what I could see, the large worship area was nearly full of people of all ages. The contemporary music was well done at a good volume. I appreciated seeing the song titles displayed in the lower corner of the final screen as I was unfamiliar with one of them.
The Bible Chapel has six locations, and today they took a break from the message series for a “big-picture” question related to the series: How Can a Local Church Guard Their Unity? The message was presented by an associate pastor, but I’m not sure where he was.
He began by recounting the Miracle on Ice story of the 1980 Olympics to make his point about unity within the church. He stated that God and we have roles in church unity:
God’s role:
1 – He is the Source of our unity…we cannot bring about unity by our own power;
2 – He is the sustainer of our eternal unity.
Our role:
1 – Daily humble ourselves before God and one another;
2 – Be patient and forgiving to one another;
3 – In conflict, be honest and selfless peacemakers.
He emphasized that the local church is the Body of Christ and believers are called to be members and contribute their gifts to the Body. He reminded us of the importance of humility as taught by Christ.
We were blessed by conversations with the pastor and others after worship.
Our prayer for this church:
Lord, we pray You will continue to bless Your church as they continue to seek their unity in You as one Body. Amen.
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