Fellowship Evangelical Free Church, Knoxville, TN

living worship

“TO THE VICTOR GOES THE SPOILS.”
Throughout history this phrase has been used to motivate warriors
and to describe the human experience. Whether the setting be
the Presidential race or the Olympics, the struggle for victory is
motivated both by the prize that awaits the winner and the empty
disappointment that accompanies the loser. Throughout Scripture,
we find a parallel reality — a truth that God used to motivate His
people and to describe their experiences. This parallel thought is
expressed in the following examples from His Word:

“Seek the Lord your God; you will find Him if you look for Him with all your
heart and all your soul.” Deuteronomy 4:29

“Hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have until now. The Lord has driven
out before you great and powerful nations; to this day no one has been able
to withstand you. One of you routs a thousand, because the Lord your God
fights for you, just as He has promised. . . [But] If you violate the covenant of
the Lord your God, which He commanded you, and go and serve other gods
and bow down to them, the Lord’s anger will burn against you, and you will
quickly perish from the good land He has given you.” Joshua 23: 8-10;16

“Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will
be added to you.” Matthew 6:33

Scripture teaches, “TO THE WORSHIPER GOES THE REWARD”. To
those who choose to respond to God with a heart that seeks Him
first, the rewards are a relationship with God in the depths of the
heart and soul, experiences of spiritual freedom on the journey of
life and everything that is required to live the life God has prepared,
now and in the life to come. The true worshiper of God is therefore
rescued from a life of constantly losing ground to the pressures of the
crowd, constantly being trapped by spiritual failure, and to having to
live a life saturated with consuming and trying to get ahead.
For the worshiper, life comes from Christ and is enjoyed with Christ
and is sufficient because of Christ. For the true worshiper, Christ
Himself is the reward– a prize that never leaves or fails, and does
not have to be earned.

Who are you worshiping this morning? How are you worshiping this
morning? What will be the reward of your worship this week? For
those who worship with full heart and soul will come the full reward
of life shared meaningfully with Christ.

worship in giving

Last week you gave

• $63,986 towards the Fellowship Ministry Budget
• $1,529 towards Building and Capital Improvement
• $1,204 towards Short-term Mission Trips
• $0 towards Habitat for Humanity

Giving so far this year through August 17, 2008

• $2,066,940 for Ministry Budget. 08 year to date target $2,069,290
• $30,540 for Building & Capital Improvements. 08 goal is $31,200
• $58,892 for Short-term Mission Trips. 08 goal is $85,000
• $3,275 for Habitat for Humanity. Our goal for the year is $25,000

Giving Needs for August 2008

• $58,900 average per week for the five Sundays in August