North Main Street Church of God
Sunday Service - Message: Misguided Joy
1201 North Main Street Ext Butler, PA 16001 Sunday, April 26, 2020 10:15 AM
Locations & Times
North Main Street Church of God
1201 N Main St Ext, Butler, PA 16001, USA
Sunday 10:30 AM
Welcome
We are so glad that you joined us today at North Main Street Church of God. At North Main we exists to develop completely committed followers of Christ who... <br> Know Christ intimately, <br> Grow in Christ continually, and <br> Go for Christ daily
Broadcasts
North Main is broadcasting several events online throughout the week, including Sunday’s messages, Children’s church, and Bible studies. We have several platforms we share this content on, but all of it is updated daily and available through our website (www.northmaincog.org). There you will have access to all the information about current events at North Main including our Sunday messages. If you’re not able to access these, please call the church and we can mail you a transcript or CD of the sermon.
Masks
Our community has asked, and we have accepted and opportunity for us to serve in a practical way! We will be sewing masks for our healthcare workers. If you would like to sew masks and need the pattern, we would be happy to provide you with one. If you have completed masks for donation, we have a box you can drop them off at the box located in the Office vestibule at North Main.
Office
We are working remotely from home during this time, but the phones are still being answered and our mailbox is being checked daily. If you are in need of anything, please don’t hesitate to call us at 724-285-4214, Monday – Thursday 9:00 AM till 4:00 PM.
Serving Community Partnerships
As they continue doing and serving in ministry, some of our Community Partners are in need:<br> <br>The Lighthouse Foundation: gloves, hand sanitizer, alcohol wipes, toilet paper, monetary donation and volunteers. <br> <br>Grace Youth & Family: monetary donations needed.<br> <br>Any donations can be left at church vestibule and Lisa will gladly deliver. Please contact Lisa and let her know you’ve dropped donations off. <br><br>Lisac@northmaincog.org thank you!!
Events this week
Our events will be broadcasted on our Facebook or Youtube pages, but you can access them afterward on our website. Please contact ChristyP@northmaincog.org about group options or individual opportunities.<br><br>Sunday: <br>10:15am Worship & Message<br>11:30am Jump Start Zoom call<br><br>Monday:<br>10:00am Prayer & Fasting<br><br>Tuesday:<br>1:00pm Bible Study with Pastor Brandon<br><br>Wednesday:<br>10:00am Worship Challenge<br><br>Thursday:<br>10:00am Preschoolers & Kindergarteners Online<br>6:30pm Youth on Zoom<br><br>Fridays:<br>Outreach to your neighborhood and church family on your own<br><br>Saturdays:<br>10:00am Prayer walk around your community/neighborhood on your own<br><br>
Giving
We have several ways to give securely: by mailing your check to the church or texting “<amount> NMGIVE” to 30131. <br>You can also go to our website link below
https://www.northmaincog.org/giveFollow us on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeuApCyP3BFPQgSwdhAFSdgFollow us on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/northmaincogMisguided Joy - 1 Samuel 4:1-11
Yearly Theme: “Joy is…”<br>Series Title: For the Joy…<br>April 26th, 2020
What do you put your faith in? What brings you joy? Did you know that sometimes we can find “Joy” in something that isn’t God? Sometimes that something could even be religious. Ministries, mission trips and even worship services can be turned into idols if we don’t keep our relationship with Christ in focus.
It’s easy for us to elevate man-made things in our lives, because those are the things that we understand. In the passage of scripture we are about to read the Israelites had begun to treat the ark of the covenant like a lucky rabbit’s foot. They began to worship and find joy in the man-made box used to house the almighty God, rather than the almighty God himself. It’s often easy for us to point the finger at the nation of Israel and think “how could they be so blind” and yet we do the exact same thing so very often. Let’s take a look at what happens when we start to put our identity in things that are man-made.
Turn in your Bibles to: 1 Samuel 4:1-11
The key point this morning is this…
Key Point: “When the focus of our joy is on something or someone other than God, joy is just a mirage disguised as hope.”
2. Destruction follows when the focus of our joy is on something man-made.
3. Even something good can become an idol if it becomes the source of our joy.
Something to take home:
Where are you today? What brings you joy? Do you receive guidance and joy directly from God through your relationship with Him? Christians so often confuse temporary happiness for Joy, which causes us to become concerned with our own physical needs or wants above all else. We often say things like “that service didn’t make me feel anything” or “I’m not getting anything out of this” because we’re focused only on ourselves. If we focus on what things like preaching or worship can do for us personally, then Church becomes something it was never meant to be, and the standards become too high. The very existence of those things should be to point us towards God and enhance our relationship with Him. If you allow the church to become your god then you will struggle to find Joy.
If you begin to order things in your life correctly and acknowledge the purpose of things like the church, and scripture, and worship, and all the ministries that exist as tools to worship God, then you will start feeling Joy in the Lord in a new and exciting way.
Key Point: “When the focus of our joy is on something or someone other than God, joy is just a mirage disguised as hope.”
North Main Street Church of God
1201 North Main Street Ext.Butler, PA 16001 (724) 285-4214info@northmaincog.org
http://northmaincog.org/