Once again we welcome you to another worship experience here at FEA. May God’s name be magnified in us today.
Approximately 900 Christian churches have been destroyed at the hands of the Boko Haram in northern Nigeria. This was done as part of the radical Islamic group’s campaign to drive out all Christians from the north. The Boko Haram is a group in Nigeria that promotes a version of Islam which makes it “haram’, or forbidden for Muslims to participate in any political or social activity that is associated with Western society. This includes voting in elections, wearing shirts and trousers or receiving a secular education.
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) is fully convinced that the carnage being carried out against Christians is a clear indication of a continued full force Boko Haram’s war on followers of Christ, which started in 2009. This position was strengthened after the National Executive Council held a meeting with Evangelist Musa Misal, urging the rebuilding of over 900 demolished churches.
CAN also called on the government to step up its protection of civilians. This was previously echoed by persecution watchdog groups like International Christian Concern (ICC). They pointed out that Christians continue to be the primary and constant target of Islamic radicals without any hope of ever being protected or of the authorities bringing the culprits to justice.
Just last week BBC News reported that the jihadists have now resorted to the use of babies as a part of their suicide attacks. Two women disguised as mothers and holding infants carried out a bombing on Jan. 13 in the town of Madagali in Adamawa State. Nigeria’s population of 180 million is equally divided between Muslims and Christians, according to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. It is comprises more than 250 ethnic groups. The vast majority of the population of northern Nigeria identifies as Muslim.
In light of these facts, we are urging you to pray for our brothers and sisters in Nigeria. Quite often we issue calls for prayer as we share this kind of information with you. we hope that you take these matters seriously and really pray. May God use you mightily as you pray.
SCHEDULE FOR THE WEEK
CHURCH BUSINESS MEETING
Today, immediately after service.
KINGDOM MEN’S MINISTRY MEETING
Today, 6:00 p.m.
LUNCH HOUR HOTLINE/ BIBLICAL DYNAMICS
Wednesday, 12:00 noon- Lunch Hour Hotline
5:30 p.m. – Biblical Dynamics
PRAISE & ADORATION PRACTICE
Friday, 6:30 p.m.
HOUR-OF-POWER PRAYER SESSION
Saturday, 7:00a.m. – 8:00a.m.
NEXT SUNDAY
Worship & Ministry Service, 9:00 a.m.
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Other Church Activities
Global Life Church will be hosting their Spiritual Explosion Conference with the theme Spiritual Refreshing for Your Soul “Thirsty? Come to the Fountain“, with Bonitto Sappleton from Ministries Intl. Kingston, Jamaica. February 8-10, 2017 at 7:30p.m. nightly. Sunday Worship February 12 at 9:30am. For more information, please call (340) 774-5400 or see the bulletin board.
Matthew- Last Part
What’s the big idea?
Matthew wrote his account of Jesus’s ministry to show that Jesus was and is indeed the King, Israel’s long-awaited Messiah. He reflected this concern in his opening line, “The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1). From there, Matthew consistently took his readers back to the Old Testament, providing Old Testament testimony regarding the birth of Jesus, Bethlehem as the location of Jesus’s birth, the flight to Egypt, Herod’s slaughter of the infants, and the beginning of Jesus’s ministry. In a world where many in the Jewish community had claimed the role of Messiah for themselves, Matthew’s commitment to grounding the life of Jesus in the Old Testament raised Jesus above the multitude of these false messiahs. The apostle painted a portrait of our Lord that highlights His uniqueness among all others to ever walk this earth.
How do I apply this?
After enduring four hundred years of prophetic silence, God’s people must have wondered whether or not He had deserted them. After centuries of regular communication from God, the people found themselves without a genuine prophet or spokesman for God. However, the ministries of John and Jesus reminded God’s people that He had not forgotten them. God’s silence during that period was merely a precursor to pulling the linchpin of His redemptive plan. God hadn’t forgotten—He remembered His people. Matthew made that clear.
It was true then, and it is certainly true today. Do you ever feel as though God has deserted you or that He sits in silence in the face of your requests? As we read through the pages of Matthew, not only do we see Jesus Christ revealed as Israel’s King and Messiah, but His coming to earth as God in the flesh reminds us of His deep love for us. Now resurrected and ascended, the Lord Jesus will always be with us, even to the end of time (Matthew 28:20). Christ’s commission to His followers is still His mandate to us today: “Make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19). Christ’s work of building His church is the work He does through each of us.
From: https://www.insight.org/resources/bible/the-gospels/matthew
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MEDIA MINISTRY
World Overcomers: WSTA 1340 AM station: Sundays at 12:30 p.m. & Tuesdays at 6:00 a.m.
•Website: http://www.wom.vi & Email: info@fea.vi
•On our Website you will find: Live Streaming, free copies of our audio message & radio broadcast.
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OVERCOMER: Living a Life of Victory!