Prayer Points for November:
- Provide leadership and discernment for the Global Episcopacy Committee as they make assignments for our bishops.
Bishop Leah Gregory was appointed to the Northeast Annual Conference on 10/28/24 (effective 11/1/24) - Provide a powerful, fresh move of the Holy Spirit amongst the Global Methodist Church in the Northeast and around the world.
- Provide support for our bishops as they teach and defend the faith while leading and preaching the Word of God.
- Provide wisdom and clarity for our Conference Superintendent, Presiding Elders, Conference staff and teams.
- Provide encouragement and energy to our Conference Superintendent and his wife, Steve and Stacy Taylor, as they travel to Spain and all parts of our Conference.
- Provide comfort and recovery for all those impacted by the recent hurricanes and other natural disasters around the world.
- Provide encouragement and protection for families, parents, children and church families as we follow Jesus together.
Open Prayer Meeting – November 26
Open Prayer Meetings are held at 7pm on the 4th Tuesday of the month.
All are welcome!
November 26, 7:00 pm
Join Zoom Prayer Meeting
https://tinyurl.com/NE-GMC-
Meeting ID: 897 4134 9144
Passcode: 562319
Devotional by Rev. Thadius Sales
Do you feel a rising tension in our country – even our churches – because of decisions made by leaders or failures of leadership?
Actions, or inactions, by leaders can bring a response from us, but we must keep James 3:1-12 in mind when we speak. Though small, words are powerful and play an important part in our daily lives whether they are spoken, written or shared through social media. The scripture points out that a bit in an animal’s mouth can turn the whole animal much like a small rudder can change the direction of boat despite strong winds. Words can be like a large fire started by a small spark: they can purify and cleanse or they can decimate.
Verses 9-10 ponder how the same mouth that can praise our God can curse each other. As Christians, it should be incomprehensible to us to use our mouth to both curse and bless, and yet we do. What we believe about God and each other is reflected in our words and we often find small tongues setting forest fires. Following the Presidential Debate, social media was filled with comments where the tongue was used not only to “curse” the candidates, but also those who support them. Politics could be where we most find Christians “blessing and cursing” at the same time.
Matthew 15:11 tells us that it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but rather what comes out of it. Are we showing the love of Christ with our words? Is blessing God the intention of your words? If so, then we must also bless those who are made in His image. This is not to say that we must always agree, but we can disagree while blessing, especially when speaking against evil.
We are all familiar with the saying “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”, but there is nothing Biblical about this. Luke 6:27-28 reminds us to “love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” We are the wielders of fire with our words.