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Dover Assembly of God

11.15.2020 | Nehemiah - Week 1

Locations & Times

4790 Carlisle Rd, Dover, PA 17315, USA

Sunday 10:30 AM

Dover Assembly Online

Sunday 10:30 AM

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Weekly Bulletin

November 15, 2020 Welcome to Dover Assembly! We are so glad you have chosen to attend Dover Assembly this morning. It is not by accident that you are here. We believe that God has allowed you to be here so that you might receive all that He has for you. We pray you are blessed as you allow the Lord to work in your life. THIS WEEK Sunday 9:00 am ~ Coffee & Donut Fellowship Time 9:30 am ~ Sunday School 10:30 am ~ Worship Service 10:30 am ~ R.O.C.K. Children’s Ministry 1:00 pm ~ Spanish Service Wednesday 6:30 pm ~ FAMILY NIGHT SERVICES ~ Adult Bible Video Series: “Demonology” Saturday 6:30 pm ~ Spanish Service UPCOMING EVENTS Women's Christmas Dinner This year’s dinner will be held here at the church. We will have it catered by Olive Garden. We are asking for a $5.00 donation to cover the cost of the food. Please bring a Christmas Stocking filled with at least $10.00 worth of items for our gift exchange. If the cost is a hardship, please see Anna. We want every lady to attend our celebration of the birth of our savior! Please sign up in the upper foyer. Our current Women of Purpose Committee is: Anna Bender, Diane Crumrine, Deborah Dobbins, Lee Jones & Judy Landis! Men's Christmas Dinner The men will be going to Outback on Thursday, Dec 3 for an evening of good fellowship, conversation and for celebrating our savior’s birth! We’d love all the men to be a part of that night. Please sign up in the lower foyer. BODY NEWS Congratulations! To Kevin & Erikah Nunez on the birth of their new baby girl. Emma Marcela Nunez was born Sunday, Nov 8. Congratulations also to proud grandparents, Pastor Luis & Edith. Emma was premature, so continue to keep her and Erikah in prayer. Hoodies We have had some requests to order some new Dover Assembly hoodies. If you would like one, please sign up in the lower foyer. Price is $17.95 each (2XL & 3XL is $3.50 additional). Zipper hoodies are $22.95 (2XL & 3XL is $4.50 additional). Free Tables If you would like one of our old 4x8 tables that we used to use downstairs, please see Pastor Jeff. We have replaced all of them with the lighter white plastic tables. They are in great shape and we don’t want them to just waste away. Attic Cleaning Our attic has once again become full of items that we no longer need. We need to clean and remove all the unnecessary items so that we are able to find and use the necessary items. If you are able to give up a few hours, please see pastor Jeff. Annual Business Meeting As we prepare for our annual church business meeting on Sun., Jan. 17, one of the items we will be covering is voting for Deacon Board members. The process at Dover Assembly for the election of our Deacon members is to encourage our voting members to submit names of other voting members whom they prayerfully feel would best serve our church and our Lord, Jesus Christ. We have reached the last year of our modified election process. This year we have 1 member (Gil Tunney) who has reached the limit of (2) 3 year terms and must sit out for one year. Therefore we will need to elect 2 new members to bring our total to 6 board members this year (the number required by our By Laws which completes the modified process). There are nominating forms at the Information Center. Please write the names of those who you would like to nominate, sign it and place them in the ballot box. We will only consider names of nominees from this ballot box. If you do not put the signed ballot in this secured box, the ballot will not be valid for consideration. Our nominating committee will review all nominees to determine if all constitutional requirements are met by that candidate. The eligible nominees will be contacted and asked to pray over acceptance or rejection of the nomination. The names of those who accept the nomination are then presented to the church body three (3) weeks prior to the annual business meeting. Nomination ballots will be accepted until Sunday, Dec 6. PRAYER NEEDS ~ Gladys J. ~ Beulah S. ~ Olga K. ~ Marian T. ~ Rose K. ~ Cindy D. (Angel’s mom) ~ Betty N. UPCOMING EVENTS Nov. 25 ~ Thanksgiving Eve Service; all departments meet in sanctuary Nov. 26 ~ Thanksgiving Day Dec 3 ~ Men’s Christmas Dinner Dec. 11 ~ WOP Christmas Dinner, to be held at the church - 6:00 p.m. Dec. 12 ~ Adult Choir & R.O.C.K. Kids Christmas Carol Rehearsal, 9:00am – Noon, Lunch provided Dec. 13 ~ Adult Choir & R.O.C.K. Kids Christmas Carols Dec. 23 ~ NO Service Dec. 24 ~ Christmas Eve Service, Candlelight Service Dec. 25 ~ Merry Christmas! Happy Birthday Jesus! Dec. 30 ~ No New Year’s Eve service

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Week 1 - November 15, 2020 - Pastor Jeff Bender

We're beginning a new series studying Nehemiah today. Given the situation going on right now, we believe this series will tie in pretty well.

Nehemiah 1:1

Before we get into his memoirs, let’s understand what is happening in his world. This was probably one of the last if not the last book chronologically of Old Testament history.

140 years prior to this, Judah was taken into captivity by the Babylonians.

This was God’s judgment on that nation for all it’s sins.

Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed the temple, that walls and gates of the city of Jerusalem.

A few attempts had been made to rebuild them, but they all failed.

Ezra mentions that due to apathy and fear, those attempts didn’t work.

So along comes Nehemiah.

Nehemiah 1:1

Susa was a large city in what is now Southwester Iran.

Daniel saw his vision here. Esther was also in Susa.

Daniel 8:1-2

Esther 1:1-2

Therefore, this was a country that was prominent, but decidedly NOT favorable to the Jews.

Which makes this account even more of a miracle.

Nehemiah 1:11

Nehemiah was the king's cupbearer. For a Jew to hold such a position spoke well of his character and ability. It was a position of great responsibility and privilege.

He tasted the drinks to make sure they weren’t poisoned. He himself could have poisoned the King.

To be that close to the king required him to be handsome, cultured, and knowledgeable in court procedures and be able to advise the king should he ask.

That position gave him a great amount of influence.

Why does this matter?

Well, the Jewish remnant had been back in Jerusalem for about 70 years or so. Nehemiah could have joined them, but he chose to remain at this post.

God puts people in places and situations where he can best use them.

He put Esther in Susa, He put Joseph in Egypt, and He put Daniel in Babylon.

When God is about to do something, he prepares people and puts them in the right place at the right time.

God has you where he wants you at this time. Our job is to be prepared for when God opens a door for us.

Nehemiah 1:2

Nehemiah was having another ordinary day. Nothing special to speak of.

Until, in God’s providence, his brother shows up.

We pray for divine appointments--that is an event that happens to us or with us that God has predetermined to use for a purpose.

Moses was just tending his sheep on a normal day when he saw the burning bush. David was called home from shepherding his flock and on that day, he was anointed King. All the disciples were just doing their thing when Jesus called them.

You never know where and when God can use one small thing to change the course of your life.

So keep your hearts open.

This was a divine appointment.

This conversation would change the direction of Nehemiah’s life.

Nehemiah 1:2-3

Just like Esther’s preparation to face the king and save the Jews, Nehemiah was being prepared for his next assignment.

Esther 4:14

Nehemiah cared about what was happening in his hometown.

You might think that here’s a guy that lived all his life in Babylon / Persia really didn’t know much about Judah. He’s living a pretty good life, has a good job, highly respected, why would he care about a country that was over 1000 miles away?

Because he cared about something more than himself.

For God to be able to use us for great things, we need to be able to care about things other than ourselves. We have to be willing to go out on a limb.

Not to remain comfortable where we are, not be afraid to rock the boat.

So he hears about the sad shape of Judah and Jerusalem.

It sounds like he is more disturbed about the walls and gates, but his question was about people, not the structure of the city.

Nehemiah 1:2

Nehemiah knew that if there were no walls and gates that left the people open to attacks from the enemies all around them.

And because he cared, he couldn’t just let that slide.

How often do we NOT want to know something because it might lead us to have to do something?

Ignorance is bliss?

American historian Henry Adams said this:
“Practical politics consists in ignoring the facts”

And isn’t that real today. Facts don’t care about your feelings.

Aldous Huxley (atheist) said:
“Facts don’t cease to exist because they are ignored.”

Warren Wiersbe says:
“Closing our eyes and ears to the truth could be the first step toward tragedy for ourselves and others as well.”

When we ignore or don’t want to know what is happening in our society today, because we don’t want to get involved, we will suffer for it tomorrow.

The church is to be salt and light, not something that we hide away under a bushel.

We aren’t called to ignore what is happening, but to pray and act accordingly.

But Nehemiah knew he had to do something. But he didn’t just rush right out.

Nehemiah 1:4

This was now a burden God placed on him.

We have 2 choices when we feel a burden for something. We can ignore it or we can pray and act or get involved.

If we want to really accomplish anything of value for God, we need to first take time to seek God about it and then do what He says.

There’s almost always time to pray before we act. There are a few instances where prayer isn’t needed because the problem is immediate.

But for something like this, we need God’s guidance and direction.

And as we’ll see, he will need God’s favor, too.

How does he pray?

Nehemiah 1:5-6

To whom do we pray? He is the God of heaven. He is great and awesome. He always keeps His word.

Nehemiah was about to embark on a mission that was practically impossible.

He needed a great and awesome God to work everything out.

In our country, we need a great and awesome God to work things out!

How often do we have situations in our lives that seem practically impossible to work out? That unless God intervenes, it will never get accomplished?

We have an election that seems to be corrupt. And who are we to affect any change in anything? If there is cheating, are you and I able to spot it? Even if we did, what could we do about it?

Nothing, but we have a great and awesome God that keeps his word and it’s to him that we pray. Not for what we want, but for a righteous election.

Not only a national problem by what is going on in your life that you need a great and awesome God to work out?

When we face difficult situations, we need to take an honest look at ourselves. Nehemiah did that as he prayed.

Nehemiah 1:6-7

The Jews were in a bad place because of their own faults.

And Nehemiah realized that even if he wasn’t alive to have caused that exile, he was still a sinner and would have probably been just as guilty as those who were alive then.

Have you ever blamed Adam & Eve? If they didn’t sin, the next person would have. If it were you in the garden, it would have been us.

So maybe you are in a place now that was partly or fully due to your choices. You put yourself in this predicament.

Aren’t you glad God doesn’t judge as according to our sins?

Psalms 103:9-10

Nehemiah 1:10-11

Nehemiah then recounts God’s previous blessings.

Referring to God’s deliverance from Egypt. He’s remembering something from the past.

How has God answered your prayers in the past? How many times have you witnessed a miracle or a provision, or a healing?

If God did it for us in the past, why not trust him for it today?

But notice that he is asking God to hear the prayers of those who delight in honoring him. That would be those who are righteous. In right relationship with God.

If you don’t delight in honoring God with your lifestyle, then you might want to rethink your prayer life. God doesn’t hear everyone’s prayer.

If you have not trusted Christ, God doesn’t hear your prayers.

Proverbs 15:29

Nehemiah 1:11

Isaiah 6:8

God does most of His work through people.

First, it’s people that have to pray.

Then it’s people who have to go.

And then it’s people who have to do.

Romans 10:14-15

Nehemiah had to plan. And He needed God’s favor to get things done. Even though he was the king’s cupbearer, he couldn’t just do what he wanted or approach the king when he wanted.

Remember what happened to the cupbearer in Joseph’s jail cell?

Nehemiah had to pray, plan and have God go before him to work on the king’s heart.

How often have we said that God can use wicked kings to do His will? God used this king (who was really no friend of the Jews) to accomplish His will. The king had other selfish reasons, but God used those to do what he wanted.

Next week we’ll see how God can move leaders and people in our lives to accomplish His will.

What is there in your life that you think corresponds to Nehemiah?

Are we prepared or praying to be prepared to have divine appointments?

Do you have a burden that just doesn’t go away?

Do you need a great and awesome God to do something that is impossible?

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