On Sunday we heard from our good friend Paul Hunter of Next Generation Ministries (Uganda). We made sure to receive some updates on life and living in Uganda, but he really wanted to preach God’s Word!
With NGM he and wife Pam connect the relational, spiritual and practical needs God brings to them in Uganda, and with the generous support of people and churches collectively serve people in need in Jesus’ Name.
- Visit ngmuganda.com for more on NGM, plus follow Next Generation Ministries on Facebook.
A key program they lead in Uganda is ONE STEP —a three-month life-on-life relational intensive around the Gospel of Christ that endeavors to:
- provide a cross-cultural environment for discipleship training
- give exposure to the basic values of the Kingdom of God
- provide grounding in the essential areas of Identity, Vision, & Purpose
- utilize the nation of Uganda, otherwise referred to as the Pearl of Africa, for a cross-cultural environment for the course
- use residential living within the compound of the African head quarters of Next Generation Ministries
- provide quality instructors, coaches, and guides who will be Africans for the most part
- capitalize on the structure of relationships for the foundation for growth and ministry for the glory of God
- use the context of a cross cultural environment to mentor students in the word, works, and ways of God
» For more on ONE STEP, or to support this initiative, visit onestepug.com, and support ONE STEP on PureCharity
Before Paul spoke we heard an update on our care for the Ddembe family in Uganda, as well as a brief update and prayer for Rebecca the “Book Hunter“ in her preparations for Uganda trip this June-July (see YouCaring support page here).
Paul mentioned the Loneliman 39.3, which Pastor Jeff is enduring on purpose on his birthday 6/17. For more on this unique fundraiser for NGM ask either Paul or Jeff, and visit purecharity.com/loneliman.
Message title: Finding Your People to Find Your Purpose
Scriptures: Ruth 1
Preacher: Paul Hunter
Date: 6/4/17
Listen or download:
We also begin our Summer journey with the Story Catechism. The first week in the Story Catechism is about God the Creator:
The beginning of the Story is called Creation.
The Creator is God.
God is perfect.
God created everything.
God created everything out of love and for His glory.
Scripture readings:
Psalm 68:32-35 (ESV)
32 O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God;
sing praises to the Lord, Selah
33 to him who rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens;
behold, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.
34 Ascribe power to God,
whose majesty is over Israel,
and whose power is in the skies.
35 Awesome is God from his[a] sanctuary;
the God of Israel—he is the one who gives power and strength to his people.
Blessed be God!
Footnotes:
- Psalm 68:35 Septuagint; Hebrew your
Genesis 1:1-2 (ESV)
The Creation of the World
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
Numbers 11:24-30 (ESV)
24 So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord. And he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tent. 25 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. And as soon as the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied. But they did not continue doing it.
26 Now two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the Spirit rested on them. They were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. 27 And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” 28 And Joshua the son of Nun, the assistant of Moses from his youth, said, “My lord Moses, stop them.” 29 But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord‘s people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” 30 And Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.
Ruth 1 (ESV)
Naomi Widowed
1 In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. 2 The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. 3 But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, 5 and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.
Ruth's Loyalty to Naomi
6 Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited his people and given them food. 7 So she set out from the place where she was with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. 8 But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her mother’s house. May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. 9 The Lord grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband!” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. 10 And they said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.” 11 But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? 12 Turn back, my daughters; go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons, 13 would you therefore wait till they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me.”14 Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.
15 And she said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” 16 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.17 Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” 18 And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more.
Naomi and Ruth Return
19 So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. And when they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them. And the women said, “Is this Naomi?” 20 She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi;[a] call me Mara,[b] for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. 21 I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?”
22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabite her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.
Footnotes:
- Ruth 1:20 Naomi means pleasant
- Ruth 1:20 Mara means bitter
Audio for this teaching may be played above, and is included in the RENEW Church podcast: subscribe in iTunes here, or access the church podcast feed directly here.
This year each of us is invited on an adventure to build an altar to God each new day, to look up and love our Creator first. What will be your plan to develop a new rhythm of seeking God each day? » Find some help here.