DISCLAIMER:  This text is not a verbatim transcript.  Communication Access Real Time Translation (CART) is provided in order to facilitate communication credibility and may not be a totally verbatim record of the proceedings.  







>> Anchor Point is our new podcast.  We are posting a new episode every weekday.  In addition to finding our podcast on the website and church app, you can find it across all podcasting platforms.  

     Our children's ministry posting a weekly kids' online Bible lesson.  Be sure to check that out.  

     And our students ministry is creating lots of daily content on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook -- be sure to follow them.  

     Thank for joining us online today.  We are glad you're here.  

>> Shane Gage: Well, hello and welcome to the live online worship service of the First Colony Church of Christ, we're so glad you're worshiping.  We're going to sing, pray, and take communion and invite the Lord's spirit to be with us.  Let's begin with a song.  

>> Our God is good, our God is faithful.  

("Unstoppable God" Playing)

>> What an awesome God that we serve and.  He entered our lives and our world and he He wrote the story and it was a rescue story.  He is our rescue story.  

("Rescue Story" Playing)

>> Yes.  Mr. Joel Smith.  

>> Joel: Well, good morning.  Everyone.  It's so good to be with you in your homes.  Thanks for inviting us.  Rather exciting.  So before I give you my verse, I have a flashlight here basically.  And in this flashlight you can see that the wires have been severed.  Oh no.  Is it a bright flashlight?  No, but when you touch the wires together it does work.  It's always important when it works.  So my question to you or my challenge is without adding another wire, in between these two, how can we get light?  And I know some of you are sitting there and you're thinking I know, I know, you just add water.  Because when we swim and, you know, there's thunder and lightning and mom tells me to get out of the pool, well, believe it or not, pure water does not let the electricity fly.  Very interesting.  So that's when we get to our verse.  And it's our verse is coming to you from Matthew 5:13.  And it says you are the salt of the Earth.  But it also says if the salt has lost its flavor, how it will be seasoned again?  It's good for nothing except to be thrown out and -- so the thing is as believers, we need to follow through.  We need to make a difference in this world.  And we do that by being salt, by being salt and light.  By making a difference, by doing what's right.  You know, salt is very interesting in that it's actually two chemicals that are poisons.  But the cool thing is that when we turn and respond to God and we follow Him, become a believer, those two poisons become something very positive.  What does salt do?  It makes things taste good.  As believers we need to go in the world and make things taste good figuratively.  And they're thing salt does is it preserves meat.  If you put about 20%, it sucks bacteria out.  We need to suck bacteria out.  I'm going to show you you got to have a lot of salt and you got to get your wires in the connection there.  You see how it comes and goes?  Once again, once you become a believer, you're making a difference but you're makes a daily.  It's not just hey, I did that once I'm good to go.  So my prayer is you would let God's light shine and people would see your god work and glorify your Father in Heaven.  

>> Shane Gage: We're going to take communion and reflect on how thankful we are for Jesus and rejoice because we're saved by his grace.  

>> Brad Clarkston: Good morning, this is my wife Anita.  We are so thankful to lead you in celebrating the Lord's supper today.  Please pray with me over the bread which representing the body of Christ and the cup representing the blood he poured out for the forgiveness of our sins.  Heavenly Father, we thank you for this worship service, a time we must examine ourselves and in doing so we must eat of the bread and drink of the cup.  As we reflect we know we are unworthy of this gift.  Even so you allow us to eat the bread which represents your body and drink the cup which represents your blood.  Bring us closer to you Lord and closer to one another.  In Jesus' name we pray, amen n.  

>> Anita Clarkston: Today I will be reading from 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11, the scripture will be on the screen.  

("Build My Life" Playing)

>> Shane Gage: Thank you very much, Richard and team.  What a wonderful song.  What a beautiful song.  Jim Wyatt, one of our deacons will lead us.  

>> Jim Wyatt: I've come across three things first is the absolute generosity of this congregation.  This church gives a measure that is incredible as it relates to the giving that we see.  Second, I can assure that this process is completely scripture-led and spirit-filled.  And third and finally an air of humble stewardship.  We see the elders and leaders do not take for granted your giving and are very careful and financialy responsible about the way it is administered.  Let me encourage you to continue giving from the bottom of your heart.  There's three ways to give.  You can click on the links.  Second, you can text to give.  And third and finally next week when we come together there will be giving boxes at each of the exits.  Please join me in prayer.  Thank you Heavenly Father for our many blessings.  Lord help us give in a manner that is reflective of you.  In Jesus' name we pray.  

("Lay Me Down" Playing)

>> Thank you for your worship today.  

>> VIDEO: Well, good morning, everyone.  It's so good to be with you.  My name's Joel.  I'm the children's minister here.  It's good to be with you.  Today we're going to talk about love and forgiveness.  But in order to get to love and forgiveness, you really have to review the gospel.  

>> Ronnie Norman: Good morning, everyone.  My name's Ronnie.  Welcome to this live stream worship service and experience from the First Colony Church of Christ, I so appreciate that video you just watched.  Because I so appreciate the wonderful people who have made and continue to make the online worship experience as wonderful as possible.  They've done a fabulous, fabulous job.  So glad to have you today from whenever you may be watching.  Welcome.  So it's good to hear from you on your live stream app and let us know how we might pray for you.  And next Sunday, September 6th, Labor Day weekend but we plan to open up our 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. both worship services for in-person services.  Yes, we'll continue to be online but also in-person.  You can go to the website and find any recommendation for those worship opportunities.  One thing we're doing this week is it's our annual Joy Box collection.  This is where we partner with Hope For Haiti's children and provide Christmas presents for children in Haiti.  This afternoon come by our main entrance between 1:00 and 5:00 p.m. and someone will give you a Joy Box.  Off couple weeks to put presents in there.  We'll collects those and this Christmas season a number of children in Haiti will have a happier Christmas because of your kindness and generosity.  If you can't come by today between 1:00 and 5 5:00, you can come by tomorrow evening between 6:00 and 8:00 p.m..  We are in Thessalonians, and the theme is steady sure.  And God is steady sure.  And we are in His good and faithful hands.  Live for the day.  And I summit to you the person who can best live for today and the person who can best enjoy today is the person who is best prepared for the day, the coming of the Lord.  People often wondered about the "End of the world."  Hollywood's made a number of movies about that various topic.  Since 1947, a magazine called Bulletin of Atomic scientists have kept the doomsday clock, symbolic clock that shows how close we are to catastrophe.  As it gets better or worse, the hands go closer or further from midnight.  The clock has been adjusted since 1947.  It originally said seven minutes to midnights.  In 1991 it was actually moved back to 17 minutes before midnight.  In 2020 thanks to COVID-19 and a number of other factors it's now set at 100 seconds, one minute and 40 seconds to global catastrophe.  I do believe this world has an expiration date, a transition point.  But it's in God's hands, His timetable.  Yes, there will be a day of the Lord.  An end to the world as we know it.  When that day is, not a one of us knows.  And the Bible tells us that actually when it occurs, the world will still be in operation, people will be working, married, getting married.  They'll be given in marriage.  Well, that's sort of the topic today from 1 Thessalonians 5.  And in this section of scripture we are invited just like last week to confront and face our mortality, look it in the eye and acknowledge we're not here forever.  We have a few decades and we are not on some little merry-go-round but a journey to eternity.  Reading 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11.  Let's not get into speculation, it's not a productive line of conversation.  In fact, the -- there's a question that's more important than when will the end come, it's how should we live in light of the coming day of the Lord.  Brothers and sisters about times and date we do not need to write to you.  In other words, unexpected, unannounced.  If I'm a thief, and if I'm coming to your house, I'm not sending you a text in advance.  Unexpected and unannounced.  And the day of the Lord.  Interesting phrase found well over 20 times in the Bible.  Here referring to that transition point between this age and the age to come.  You might simply say Judgment Day.  And this is a day, this is a time when God deals directly and unmistakably in human affairs.  And it's that transition point as I said between this age and the age to come.  Now, this Judgment Day, certainly involves vengeance and punishment.  Those words are used.  The Bible quotes the Lord saying vengeance is mine, I will repay says the Lord.  But it's also about healing, renewal, recreation but for something wonderful to begin all that's evil needs to be eliminated -- human, supernatural and natural evil like hurricanes.  So the Day of the Lord can feel heavy and ominous or it can be absolutely terrific, a great, wonderful day.  So it will be like a thief in the night.  And verse 3.  It will happen suddenly, keyword.  Such as labor pains on a pregnant woman.  Those labor pains, suddenly and they are life-altering.  Reality-altering.  No matter what you had planned that day, we are going to the pool or movies or out or to breakfast, in things have changed.  When people say peace and safety, we've got plenty in the bank, we're in good health, we've got lots of stuff.  We've got this trip planned.  When they say peace and safety and give no thought whatsoever into the Lord, they're buying into the propaganda, the lie, this world's PR campaign that all you see is all there is.  And when you've got stuff, you've just got it made -- that's just in the true.  True life, real life, the good life, it's found in the Lord and in following Him and in His promises to come.  Have you ever been to Pompeii?  I have.  It's a fascinating place to visit.  Pompeii was that ancient Italian city had about 20,000 residents locate near Naples.  Had more than 40 bakeries, entertainment venues, a beautifully decorated forum.  Port city catered to travelers and sailors.  In AD 79, mount Vesuvius spewed for several hours, eventually unleashing a volcanic flow that buried the city and well over 2,000 of its residents under 30 feet of volcanic ash and its location would be a mystery for hundreds of years.  In 1599 Pompeii was accidentally discovered.  Serious excavations started in middle of the 1700's.  It's still be excavated.  Here's a photo you see much of it uncovered.  There's Mount Vesuvius.  When you go to the museum, you can see the remains of people what they were doing when this sudden event occurred.  So the scripture says this coming day of the Lord, a wonderful day of renewal, or a terrible day where some people will cry out to the mountains fall on us.  Just fall on us.  This coming Day of the Lord.  It will come, it's promised -- the date you don't know.  If it was too far in the future, you'd be cavalier and care-free.  If you knew it was this Wednesday, people might panic.  So the scripture says just live ready under the grace and truth of Jesus.  And it will come suddenly and it will in the be a wonderful event for everyone.  Verse 4.  You're not walking around in a maze of your ideas.  You've got inside information.  You've got the scriptures.  You know the story.  You're people of the light because you follow Jesus Christ, the light of the world.  Verse 6.  Sleepwalking through life, no real purpose.  Let us in the be asleep, but let us be awake and sober.  Nighttime people, metaphorically not following the light of the world, I'll follow my passion, if it feels right do it.  If it's with the flow of things that's what I'll do.  My idol is personal freedom and choice.  The scripture says don't walk in that darkness or maze.  You're daytime people.  You're people of the light.  This is a picture of self-control.  These are people like you and me, we can enjoy life.  I mean, we can celebrate today and enjoy today and enjoy all the wonderful things the Lord has for us, but we live awake, sober and in control.  And we bring a Christian perspective to power and we bring a Jesus perspective to money, and we bring a Jesus daytime perspective to sexuality and morality and marriage and relationships.  We're people of the day.  You are people of light.  Verse 8.  Since we belong to Jesus.  He's repeating himself a lot.  He uses this military metaphor here just reminding us that this is a call to discipline and devotion.  This is a spiritual fight we're in and we use the trifecta of faiths, love and open who.  Faith is taking God at His word.  Faith at its most foundational is receiving information, receiving spiritual information and believing it and responding to it as truth.  Even when you may not fully understand, it even when you may not agree with it and wrestle with it, I would say in particularly so in those times.  And what's love?  Love is self-sacrifice for the good of another.  And it's putting the Lord's will first.  We love him first and foremost.  Hope is the expectation of coming good based on the character of God.  He is in the going to let us down.  Since we're people of the day, let's put on the trifecta of faith which with faith we fight cynicism.  Let's put on love.  And with love we fight hatred and resentment and pettiness.  And hope, and with hope we fight despair.  And why is this important?  Verse 9.  Listen to that phrase, it's loaded here.  In view of the coming Day of the Lord, it will bring destruction to many.  But you as a believer, that's not what you've been appointed for.  God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but rather to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.  You know, you might say Ronnie, a lot of these scriptures we're reading don't sound like hallmark cards.  They don't.  The Bible is not one big Hallmark card.  It's truth and truth is your friend.  Spiritual truth is your friend.  Sometimes you see the word wrath here and it speaks of God's wrath.  People get nervous about that almost like they need to apologize for the Lord.  Listen, God's wrath is not petty, arbitrary, uncontrolled and it's nothing to be embarrassed about.  The wrath of God is simply the quality of His character which expresses displeasure and indignation against evil and wrong and sin.  It's part of His define perfect nature.  And it's part of God's purity he cannot over look evil.  This is what I believe, this is what the Bible teaches that God's wrath punished sin but Jesus Christ stepped in and he was our substitute; he was punished for us, he was punished in place of us.  This is called the substitutionary atonement.  Not only was the death of Jesus substitutionary, it was will the satisfactory.  The death of Christ fully appeased the righteous wrath of a Holy God.  And let me tell you why this is significant.  When you minimize the wrath of God, you minimize the cross.  And many people have.  They've minimized the cross into some little token expression of God's niceness.  No.  The cross of Jesus Christ is is where a mighty transaction happened whereby God Himself dealt with sin and punished it, poured out His wrath.  So quote Jesus' own words, he drank every last drop of the cup of God's wrath.  He died for us in our place.  This is the gospel that no matter the depth of our sin, our sin righteously deserves wrath but God in His love has stepped in and He as we were singing about earlier, He is our rescue.  Praise be to God.  So the cross appeased wrath through the acceptance of a substitute.  That's why the -- God's goal for your life is salvation.  The book of Hebrews says let's not neglect a wonderful salvation.  Brothers and sisters, let's keep on in this, let's keep trusting and serving and following.  Now we get to taste little appetizers, wonderful appetizers of God's goodness and kindness but the day is coming when as the Bible will say in another section of scripture we're no longer looking through a dim, dark glass.  All of that is removed and we stand in wonderful fullness in the presence of God and we receive the goal of our faith, the salvation of our souls.  And so He wraps this up in verse 11 by saying.  Don't overlook this.  He says this is information that is not trite.  And this will build you up.  This will give you some muscle to get through life and to get through difficult times.  This will encourage you and give you hope when you know that our great God loves you so much, you can sense a full assurance of forgiveness and salvation because of Jesus -- hang onto that and you can have the assurance of a wonderful life to come.  The future is in God's good hands.  And He says encourage one another, build each other up.  And listen, when we get to reassemble again, would you consider it you are now officially appointed to be the welcomer, the greeter, encourager, the builder upper in your little section of the worship center.  You be that person.  Okay.  I got one simple point today, here it is.  The Day of the Lord is coming and it is very, very real.  This is not a periphery doctrine in the scripture.  This is rooted in the scriptures.  You may jettison the scriptures.  God doesn't force it on, that is your call.  As Jesus would say let the one who has ears to hear listen.  This is in the some fuzzy doctrine at the edges of scripture.  The Day of the Lord is coming, it is very, very real.  And our assignment is to be ready and prepared, and to live for that day.  And what this can do, what sections of scripture like this can do, what teaching like this can do is serve as a wakeup wall.  And this can reframe things for us and give us perspective on what's important, what's really important.  And if there's been some drift in your life, believer.  Let this be a wake-up call to intercept it.  Holiness is a beautiful invitation.  And we're invited, we're challenged, we are summoned to live as daytime people -- not as people of the night but as people of the light, awake, sober, controlled, purposeful, intentional and here's a word that gets bad press but it's a beautiful word, holy.  Set apart and different.  So you keep fighting that good fight, would you?  Keep fighting it.  Faith, hope, and love.  And remember, if you're not yet a believer, the Bible is very, very clear about how you come to Christ.  And one of the simplest statements of scripture it says to people repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Christ makes that possible.  And to any believer where there's been drift, may I just remind you of this wonderful promise from the book of 1 John, if we confess our sins, He is faithful and He is just, and He will forgive our sins and cleanse us from beautiful word -- cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  Before I finish I'm going to tell you a little story.  A story about an early 20th century explorer by the name of Sir Ernest Shackleton.  He was born and raised in Ireland.  His most famous expedition occurred early 1900's.  He was lead an expedition to Antarctica.  He had a couple of ships, and his ship was called The Endurance.  They're caught in the middle of an ice flow.  The ship sinks but all 27 of the men get off the boat.  Making long story short, Shackleton leaves 22 of his men on Elephant Island.  A small island off Antarctica.  He takes five with him and they leave and the best equipped life boat and going for help.  And he says stay here, I'm going for help, I'll be back.  Four months later, Shackleton returned.  All 22 of his men who stayed there on Elephant Island waiting for rescue were still alive.  They were cold, hungry, their rations were getting low.  Their morale and spirit was up.  This is a retouched actual photo made in 1915.  What had kept up their morale?  The second in command was Frank Wild and every morning when he would get up he would say say all right, gentlemen, roll up your sleeping bags.  He would say it like this, roll.  Your sleeping bags, boys, the boss may come today.  This section of scripture says it's just not a productive line of reasoning to try to figure out exactly when the Day of the Lord will be, but here is a productive line of reasoning: He is coming back.  There's a great day coming.  It will be a terrible day for some.  But it will be an absolutely wonderful, new, great beginning for followers of Jesus Christ.  So my friends, the King is coming -- maybe day but let's be ready, let's be prepared, let's welcome Him.  God bless you, everybody.  Thank you to be being here on this day.  And we want to close our time with a prayer from one of our elders.  And Brad is going to lead us in prayer.  

>> Brad Clarkston: Let us pray.  Dear Father, we praise your holy name and acknowledge you as the creator of every one and everything.  We know Your guiding hand can touch our lives and we trust You will watch over and care for all of us as we walk through the trials of life.  We ask Father that you would give comfort to those grieving the loss of family and friends.  Help us for strength.  Especially be with the Don Payne for the loss of his daughter.  Be with those suffering from health issues, COVID, cancer, chronic pain and all other illness.  Father, we pray for their strength and their caregivers in a way that guides them.  We thank you for sparing the effects of the hurricane.  But we pray for those who suffered physical and property loss.  Comfort and assist them in their recovery process.  Father we ask you give us calm in this difficult time for our community and country.  Help us to treat our neighbors in a way that is respectful and empathic even if they don't deserve it.  Help us to be like Jesus in the parable of the good samaritan.  Help us to live our lives that brings others to a relationship with you.  We pray all these things in the name of Jesus, amen.  We want to thank everyone for joining us online.  Have a blessed week ahead and we look forward to seeing you again next Sunday.  

>> Thank you for joining us online today.  Go to our website, firstcolonychurch.org and go there often.  We have a unique page dedicated to resources for you this season.  You'll find links to our worship services, Bible study options, online giving and our new podcast, Anchor Point.  You can also download our church app.  Just search for First Colony Church of Christ in the App Store or on Google Play.  Every link is there.  The app is a great resource where you can stay connected to First Colony Church of Christ.  Anchor Point is our new podcast.  We are posting a new episode every weekday.  In addition to finding our podcast on our website and the church app, you can find it across all podcasting platforms.  Our children's ministry is posting a weekly kids' online Bible lesson.  Be sure to check that out.  And our student ministry is creating lots of daily content on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook -- be sure to follow them.  Thank you for joining us online today.  We are glad you're here.