Pray, Greet, Read
1 Thessalonians 5:25-28
Pastor Jerry Koller

The official name for the end of a letter is called a valediction. The Latin word from which it comes means “to say farewell.”

This request is very simple, very understandable, very important.
• Prayer deals with communication between us and Almighty God.
• It is a privilege we have that allows us to share our heart with Him.
• Prayer also expresses our dependence upon Him.
• Paul didn’t give any specifics.

• A kiss was a common greeting.
• The word holy should be understood along the lines of being sacred and pure; special and sacred.
• It is connected to the brethren.
• It is sacred and holy because of what Jesus has done and because of who we are in Christ.

Adjure means to charge under oath, to solemnly command.

Paul is making a serious command by invoking a higher authority, a divine witness as it were, to ensure the saints do what is commanded of them.

Scripture addresses a frivolous kind of appeal to God in order to appear to others as credible.

This letter was not specifically written to the leaders of the church. It was written To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: (1 Thess. 1:1b)

1. Pray
We must pray without ceasing…
• …as individuals
• …as a church
• …for ourchurch
• …for one another

2. Greet the brethren.
• The word koinonia means fellowship, contribution, participation, and sharing.
• It has to do with community, interaction, and joint participation.
• View it as a sacred expression of love, unity, and respect because we are one in Christ Jesus.

3. Read (Word of God)
It must have a place of preeminence in our lives.
• …in our private worship
• …in corporate worship.

Read it. Study it. Meditate on it. Memorize it. Act upon it.

It will certainly deepen your relationship with Almighty God.

· Carson & Bailey Finch who are celebrating the birth of their first child, Charlotte Jane, who arrived on 3/28.
· Marialice Quinn (former FBC member) has been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer.
· Jeremy Price is recovering from back surgery.
· Bill Foskett Sr. (Bill Foskett's dad) was diagnosed with leiomysarcoma, a rare aggressive cancer in muscle cells. He is determining treatment options.
· From Tracy Marshall: Nolan has been approved for a third year of the SED waiver from the State of Michigan! It's not often that kids are approved for a third year, especially when they are making good progress, like Nolan has been. Even though he has come so far, we still have a lot of work to do, and it would have been very disappointing to lose these services right as Nolan was finally starting to open up to his therapists. God continues to be faithful in our journey, and we are praising him for continuing to provide a way, and thank all of you for your support and prayers.
· Patrick Low is about 99% cured of the kidney stone issues. He greatly appreciates the prayers over the past several months. Following his last procedure, he has had some vocal cord damage from the breathing tube and now loses his voice after about 20 minutes of speaking. It resumes function 2-3 hours later.
• James Thomas (friend of Bruce & Vasha Ferguson) has been diagnosed with ascites, a very serious disease often associated with cirrhosis.
• Louann Pranger (Tracy Marshall's mom) continues to recover from a C Diff infection
• Derrick (grandson of Bruce & Vasha Ferguson) is recovering from a stroke.
• Curt Bales has returned home and continues to recover from a broken knee.
• Vasha Ferguson is recovering from parathyroid surgery.
• Miriam Bryant is having difficulty with both of her hands being numb, tingly, and extremely painful. Please pray that her doctor can find something to help alleviate the discomfort.
• Vincent Bryant (Miriam's son) is traveling back and forth to Grand Rapids as he is being evaluated for a kidney transplant. Please pray for safety and that he will be approved for a procedure soon. He's been on the transplant list for several years.
• Beth Bocock continues to recover from ulcerative colitis.
• Cam (18 yar-old son of Tracy Marshall’s co-worker) has mosaic trisomy 3, is having seizures, and a brain tumor was discovered, but they don’t think the two are related so he continues testing.
• Judy Jones (wife of Pastor Grady Jones/friend of Pastor Jerry) is recovering from a successful surgery and doctors believe they removed all of the cancer. She is waiting for biopsy results to decide how to proceed with treatment.
• Lennon McKamey (son of Kyle & Sarah) needs surgery on his shoulder. Please pray that preparing for surgery goes smoothly.
• Check out our monthly prayer card on-line at southhavenfbc.com under “Weekly Bulletins” for a list of those with on-going needs.

First Baptist Church
1635 76th Street
South Haven, MI 49090
269-637-1291
southhavenfbc@gmail.com