This morning we have invited 4 local organizations to join us for morning worship. We have Options Pregnancy Center, Child and Family services, the Boys and Girls Club, and Sunrise Mission, we also are supporting 2 international ministries: Key of Hope and the Hurricane relief in the Caribbean. Did you to notice the order in which I presented these organizations?

Today, we begin a new series about compassion. COMPASSION: WHERE MIRACLES BEGINS! Our world today is desperately needing compassion! What is compassion? Compassion comes from the two Latin words com (with) and pati (to suffer). It literally means “to suffer with.” Many people are suffering alone! There is no one who cares. Church, that is our responsibility…to care for those who are suffering! This month we will talk about (1) Compassion in Jesus, (2) Compassion in the OT and NT (3) Compassion in the church, and (4) Compassion in the community! You see…it is the church’s God given responsibility to be compassionate!

The message this morning is THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT! Here is what I hope this message accomplishes! I hope that you will have a greater desire to be filled and refilled with the Spirit! It is my prayer that you would be open to being filled with Spirit or Baptized in the Spirit. And it is my prayer that if it has been a while since you have been filled with the Spirit that you would allow the Holy Spirit to fill you fresh and anew! I believe there are some people here this morning that God wants to comfort you with His Spirit! He wants to charge your batteries, He wants to heal the hurts! He wants to lift your burdens…His burden is easy and His yoke is light! He will take away your weariness! He wants to give you a new sense of hope! He wants to confirm something down in your being! So…at the conclusion of the service…before communion…we will spend some time waiting on the Holy Spirit!

This morning I want to talk to you about GROWING IN LOVE FOR THE CHURCH! Did you notice the progression of this series? Grow in love…for Christ, your husband/wife, family/children, the church! That is the order that we need to have established in our lives! We do not ever want to sacrifice our marriages or our families for the church! That is one reason why we struggle with balance…here at First Assembly.