First Wednesday Re-Cap, May 9, 2018

Pastor Tim mentioned that we merged Milford into Woonsocket and that it was a good thing as it will help the volunteers to not be over-extended. Woonsocket had more than double their attendance last Sunday.  We probably should have only opened one at a time, but we learn and move on.  There is one Pastor, Jim Shekleton and the Faillas will be attending Woonsocket.  Steve will remain an elder.  We will only need one trailer now and the other one will be possibly for Warwick.  Please pray about planting a church in that area.

Kingdom Builders so far has come in at $179,000 but please do not stop giving.  We need parking spaces.  We have the chairs but we need to have a place for those people that are going to sit in them to park.  The sign is ordered and came in at $10,000 less and the youth area at $20,000 less!  Praise God!

Key Verse: Exodus 1:16-21 ESV

FEAR

Psalm 112:1-3 ESV

When we have a healthy fear of the Lord, He blesses us in our offspring, in our wealth and His righteousness endures in our lives.

If we do not have a fear of God, we will fear someone else.  The fear of God sets us free from every other fear. We are to put our fear in the One who made us, the One who can take us all the way.  It is a healthy fear of reverence and awe of who God says he is.

The Fear of God Will:

FIRST: THE FEAR OF GOD WILL FREE YOU TO BE WHO GOD CREATED YOU TO BE.

Exodus 1:15-16 ESV

Shiphrah and Puah didn’t let Pharoah call the shots in their lives.  They were Egyptian women who got their names written in the Bible.  We never learn Pharoah’s name as God left his name out and put their names in.  God does not give us Pharoah’s identity, He does not remember the names of the wicked, but he remembers the names of the righteous.

In a world obsessed with identity, people have no sense of who they are in Christ.  These people tend to find their identity in other things.  People who find their identity in things other than Christ are disconnected from the Father in heaven.   As Christians, our names are written in the Lambs Book of Life!

SECOND: THE FEAR OF GOD WILL FREE YOU TO DO WHAT GOD HAS CALLED YOU TO DO.

There were some midwives who feared Pharoah over God and killed innocent little babies.  Fearing him made them do the un-thinkable.

Do what God wants us to do, not what the world wants us to do.  Many times the general populous is wrong.  Regardless of what the world thinks, Jesus is he only way, truth and life! We love our enemies but we have to stand for what we believe.

Take a look at the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and the story of Daniel.  Sometimes doing what God wants us to do will cost us.

We should not let little things set us back.

Exodus 1:17 ESV

1. They disobeyed the law of the land and stood for what was right.
2. They lied to Pharoah to protect the unborn. God gave them wisdom on how to answer the king.

Proverbs 29:25 ESV

Don’t let fear hold you captive.  Our faith is not something to be ashamed of, it is the greatest message the world has ever heard.  The greatest Savior came!

THREE: THE FEAR OF GOD WILL FREE YOU TO HAVE WHAT GOD WANTS YOU TO HAVE.

God knows what you should have.

Psalm 37:4 ESV

Learn to cultivate delight in the Lord and He will put His desires in your heart.

Exodus 1:20-21 ESV

God was watching two random women in a nation he was about to wipe out.

Proverbs 1:7 ESV

Psalm 34:9 ESV

We will lose friends when we fear God.  He brings the right ones into our lives.  Nothing that we lose will truly be lost when we have a healthy fear of God.