Northgate Christian Fellowship

(Ecclesiastes 1:1-9, 5:10-15, 12:13&14) “I can’t get no satisfaction.” Sings Mick Jagger. The song lyrics only echo the words of King Solomon, the wisest man who every lived. No matter how much we have we always seem to want more.

(Psalm 39:4-7; Colossians 3:1-17 and Matt. 6:19-21) Bumper sticker: “He who dies with the most toys wins”. If the doctor told you that you only had one month to live you would probably change many of the things you do to reflect that news. But if you learned that a friend only had one month to live, would you tell him/her about heaven? The important thing to remember is that you never know if you even have one month!

(Luke 16:19-31; Romans 1:18-21, 2:1-4) Hell is a reality, created by God in righteousness and holiness. We may not like to think or talk about it, but it’s not our invention, it’s God’s.

(1Thessalonians4:13;Rev. 21:1-5) Do you think the Bible has a lot, or only limited, specific information about heaven? Do you think it is important? The Bible does say a lot about heaven and our lives there, but much of what we understand comes from many small references rather than long, detailed treatises. Some understanding comes by comparison to what the Bible says about the first paradise, the Garden of Eden, before sin and the curse. People have come to different conclusions on some of these issues, depending on how they interpret Scripture. Most of these differences are not essential beliefs and there is room within the united body of believers for some alternatives.

(Hebrews 9:27-28; 2 Cor 5:1-10; Rev. 20:11-15) Can you conceive of heaven and hell as real places, or are they just abstract concepts beyond your ability to picture? What basis do St. Peter at the Pearly Gates, baby-faced cherubs floating on clouds with harps, or ghosts and haunted houses have in the Bible? "The Moment After" is the first message for the October 2009 Series "If I Should Die Before I Wake"

(1 John 1:1-9) We are recipients of grace. We have experienced the power of grace in our own lives. In our own way we have “heard”, “seen” and felt the “touch” of Jesus on our lives. The full joy of this is experienced when we share it with others who experience His grace with us.

(John 13:1-17) Jesus was not one to just tell people what to do. He showed them. He spoke of love and then loved people, he taught Kingdom truth and He lived it. And he spoke of the greatness of serving and then he served.

(John 13:34-35, 1 John 4:7-21) Jesus said that the mark of his followers is love. The apostle John expounded on this truth years later in his first letter to the church. This is a remarkable message from one once called one of the “Sons of Thunder” (Mark 3:17). It was a message he learned from The Master.

Next: Unstoppable (Matthew 16:13-20, 28:18-20) Jesus said that he would build his church. The church is Jesus’ labor of love. He is the one at work but he has also called us to partner in his work. We are the one’s who have been commissioned to share the Gospel.

(Acts 20:17-30) None of us fully knows the future. We sometimes think, “If God would just lay it out plainly before me, just end me an email, then my decisions about the future would be much easier.