8.14.21 Saturday E-Blast
August 14, 2021
Happy Saturday NCFF!
King David of the Old Testament loved God, the Lord’s house and the people of God. Consequently, David loved to worship and made it his highest priority.
Did you know that David actually wrote 15 special Psalms for people to sing, specifically while on their way to the Temple, so that by the time they arrived there to worship, their hearts were fully prepared and focused on praising the Lord with all that was within them? Wow, singing before you get to church to set your heart right for church is such a smart idea!
Like this King, a direct blood ancestor of Jesus the King of Kings, our hearts must prioritize worship. We need to remember that worship is sacred … that worship is to be our priority … that worship is our privilege … that we must do what we need to do, to preserve our freedom of worship.
This past week, Oregon’s governor once again mandated the wearing of masks, for ages 5 and up, at indoor venues in response to the newest COVID spike. This mandate includes churches. I need to share with you how NCFF is responding.
Let me start by saying that nobody likes wearing these masks. Indeed, they are a pain in the … mouth! What did you think I was going to say? 😊 However, it is a minor inconvenience when we keep in mind the “BIG PICTURE” that our #1 priority is to continue to gather and worship Jesus! I think of the millions of Christian martyrs who have lost their freedom, lost their possessions, lost their families and even lost their lives so that they might meet to give God praise. Their example of sacrifice makes me see that wearing a protective mask is a small price to pay in order to come together with my church family to praise our Lord’s Holy Name.
NCFF will comply with this governmental mandate. We ask that you wear a mask while inside our church buildings. There will be masks available at the main entrances of our main building and in our church office.
There is no doubt that the “Delta Variant” has brought Oregon back to peak numbers of COVID cases. It is dangerous. There are people in our church family who have contracted this latest strain and it has been very difficult for them. Fortunately, by God’s grace, none of our folks (as far as we know) have died from COVID. Our prayer is to keep it that way and to minimize any spread.
Having said all this, I also feel compelled to remind each of us that our health and lives are in the hands of God. He is in charge. We should do our best to stay safe, but we have to live without fear. It is possible to do so as we trust in Him and adopt the outlook that the Apostle Paul expressed: For me, living means living for Christ, and dying brings me the gain of eternity with Christ (Philippians 1:23).
So, as always, I invite you to join us for worship tomorrow, either on campus or online. We will be studying 2 John 7-13. The message is: Truth & Love Over Lies & Hate.
Let me leave you with these words of David from Psalms 122, one of those 15 Psalms specifically written to prep the hearts of God’s people for truly worshiping God Almighty.
I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the Lord."
For the sake of the house of the Lord, I will seek your good.
(Psalms122:1,9)
Beloved, looking to David’s example, let’s be glad that we can gather together to worship Jesus tomorrow. And, also like David, let’s do what we can (including wearing a mask) to seek the good of one another as sisters & brothers in the family of God.
See you then.
Luv ya!
Pastor John K. Nagle
Happy Saturday NCFF!
King David of the Old Testament loved God, the Lord’s house and the people of God. Consequently, David loved to worship and made it his highest priority.
Did you know that David actually wrote 15 special Psalms for people to sing, specifically while on their way to the Temple, so that by the time they arrived there to worship, their hearts were fully prepared and focused on praising the Lord with all that was within them? Wow, singing before you get to church to set your heart right for church is such a smart idea!
Like this King, a direct blood ancestor of Jesus the King of Kings, our hearts must prioritize worship. We need to remember that worship is sacred … that worship is to be our priority … that worship is our privilege … that we must do what we need to do, to preserve our freedom of worship.
This past week, Oregon’s governor once again mandated the wearing of masks, for ages 5 and up, at indoor venues in response to the newest COVID spike. This mandate includes churches. I need to share with you how NCFF is responding.
Let me start by saying that nobody likes wearing these masks. Indeed, they are a pain in the … mouth! What did you think I was going to say? 😊 However, it is a minor inconvenience when we keep in mind the “BIG PICTURE” that our #1 priority is to continue to gather and worship Jesus! I think of the millions of Christian martyrs who have lost their freedom, lost their possessions, lost their families and even lost their lives so that they might meet to give God praise. Their example of sacrifice makes me see that wearing a protective mask is a small price to pay in order to come together with my church family to praise our Lord’s Holy Name.
NCFF will comply with this governmental mandate. We ask that you wear a mask while inside our church buildings. There will be masks available at the main entrances of our main building and in our church office.
There is no doubt that the “Delta Variant” has brought Oregon back to peak numbers of COVID cases. It is dangerous. There are people in our church family who have contracted this latest strain and it has been very difficult for them. Fortunately, by God’s grace, none of our folks (as far as we know) have died from COVID. Our prayer is to keep it that way and to minimize any spread.
Having said all this, I also feel compelled to remind each of us that our health and lives are in the hands of God. He is in charge. We should do our best to stay safe, but we have to live without fear. It is possible to do so as we trust in Him and adopt the outlook that the Apostle Paul expressed: For me, living means living for Christ, and dying brings me the gain of eternity with Christ (Philippians 1:23).
So, as always, I invite you to join us for worship tomorrow, either on campus or online. We will be studying 2 John 7-13. The message is: Truth & Love Over Lies & Hate.
Let me leave you with these words of David from Psalms 122, one of those 15 Psalms specifically written to prep the hearts of God’s people for truly worshiping God Almighty.
I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the Lord."
For the sake of the house of the Lord, I will seek your good.
(Psalms122:1,9)
Beloved, looking to David’s example, let’s be glad that we can gather together to worship Jesus tomorrow. And, also like David, let’s do what we can (including wearing a mask) to seek the good of one another as sisters & brothers in the family of God.
See you then.
Luv ya!
Pastor John K. Nagle
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2 Comments
Thank you John
Hey Max … So glad that you and Debbie are part of the NCFF family. Both of you have been a huge blessing to me and many others for many years! Love you brother… PJ