URC Weekly 3/7/10: Angels & Demons
Hi Everyone,
We live every day in a spiritual war. On one side are God, His angels, and us; on the other are Satan and his demons. Revelation 20:7-10 tells us that God will be ultimately victorious, as the devil will be thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where he will suffer forever. Praise God for the confidence we receive from that truth. Still, how about until that day comes? How are we affecting the course of that war with each day that we live?
Last CG, the Professor taught us the biblical perspective on angels, and I learned so much. As someone in the study said, we concentrate so much on demons that we forget to look for God’s angels in our lives. They’re God’s messengers and servants who intervene for us at critical junctures, and sometimes they’re unmistakable in their glorious form, while at other times they look like ordinary human beings. Think about the direction and power we’d receive if we only looked for God’s helpers.
This week, we’ll study the Bible on the topic of demons. Sun Tzu said in The Art of War, “So it is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you can win a hundred battles without a single loss. If you only know yourself, but not your opponent, you may win or may lose. If you know neither yourself nor your enemy, you will always endanger yourself.” We’ll learn about our enemy, and Scripture will give us the means to be victorious in the name of Jesus Christ.
1) COMMUNITY GROUP: THIS FRIDAY @ 7 PM @ SANG/GRACE’S (1907 Delta Ave., Rosemead, 91770; 626-864-4904). If you’ve never come to CG before, we start by feasting on a potluck dinner, have an in-depth Bible study, and hang out, as we eat the leftovers/dessert. All are welcome!
2) SAM PREACHING THIS SUNDAY: The Lord will continue to speak to us on the power of Christ over the enemy, as Sam preaches on Jesus casting out demons from a man. Two things that help a preacher’s cause: 1) Please keep him in prayer throughout the week; and 2) Come prepared with a heart of worship (EVERYTHING IN WORSHIP MATTERS TO JESUS!). Let’s give Sam our full support as he delivers the Word of God.
3) BENJI UPDATE: Benji was discharged from the hospital and is now home. However, he has low blood platelets and will need a transfusion.
FIRST, UCLA told me blood type doesn’t matter for platelet donations. Also, for whole blood donations, they said Benji is Type AB, which can receive from any blood type. According to them, anyone can donate for platelets or blood, regardless of blood type. If you go in, please confirm this with them first on the phone (310-206-6187).
******UPDATE****** AFTER TALKING TO BENJI’S UNCLE, STEVE (PATHOLOGY DOCTOR), THEY ONLY WANT TYPE AB FOR BOTH WHOLE BLOOD AND PLATELET DONATIONS BECAUSE THERE IS A CHANCE OF A NEGATIVE REACTION. UCLA DONATION CENTER WILL SAY THEY’LL TAKE ANY TYPE FOR BENJI, BUT THE KOHS REQUEST ONLY TYPE AB DONORS FOR BLOOD AND PLATELETS. SORRY ABOUT THE CONFUSION!
Again, platelets help his blood clot, and once donated, they can only be stored for five days (whole blood can be stored for 42 days). Most of you know the procedure for donating whole blood. For platelets, they ask you a bunch of questions to make sure you’re a good candidate, determine your cell count (to know how much blood/platelets to draw without compromising your health at all), draw blood from your arm, and once a machine removes the platelets from the blood, your blood goes back in your body through the same vein. This cycle repeats until one unit of platelets is complete. It takes about two hours total, isn’t painful (just the one needle insert), you get to watch one of 500 movies, and you should be fully functional after it’s over.
Daniel Kim (not Union) set up a GoogleDoc for a schedule of donors of platelets/blood to prevent overlap, so MAKE SURE you email him for the schedule before you call UCLA. His update page for Benji supplements the facebook one, and it’s at http://benjikoh.chipin.com/benji-koh
4) MORE XI: Wow, it’s already in the works! More X was a retreat where God’s power transformed so many lives and entire churches. Sam put up the first posts on http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=138964996760, so check it out. It’s never too early to start praying and preparing.
5) SCRIPTURE READING/OFFERING: MICHELLE JUNG (Eunice will be a week from Sunday)
6) DEVOTIONS: Luke13-18: “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him” (Luke 15:20).
May the strong name of Jesus and the power of God’s angels give you daily victory over the demons we fight against…
******UPDATE****** AFTER TALKING TO BENJI’S UNCLE, STEVE (PATHOLOGY DOCTOR), THEY ONLY WANT TYPE AB FOR BOTH WHOLE BLOOD AND PLATELET DONATIONS BECAUSE THERE IS A CHANCE OF A NEGATIVE REACTION. UCLA DONATION CENTER WILL SAY THEY’LL TAKE ANY TYPE FOR BENJI, BUT THE KOHS REQUEST ONLY TYPE AB DONORS FOR BLOOD AND PLATELETS. SORRY ABOUT THE CONFUSION!