We're All in this Together

That statement alone elicits visions of Zach Efron and a little Disney movie called “High School Musical.”  Now that you’re humming the song…

As we spent 11 weeks this fall getting “ARMED and ready for Battle!” we’ve learned a lot about what it actually means to fight the enemy and his attacks.  We’ve learned what it means to arm ourselves with the Truth of God’s Word, as well as the many important pieces of the Spiritual armor.   As we wrapped up this series, emphasis was put on the fact that we never have to battle alone.

Our God is a God of relationship. He first wants us to have a relationship with Himself, and then He wants us to be in relationship with others. He instructs us throughout His Word to encourage and lift up other believers.  He calls us to meet together for the purpose of those things.  His desire for us to be linked together in the body of Christ extends to those times when we are in face to face combat with the enemy.

Ephesians 6:18 says, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”

God doesn’t intend for us to carry our burdens alone.  Even in the times when an attack from the enemy is very personal, we can call on our brothers and sisters in Christ to help us fight.  When we pray, we’re entering a battle on behalf of those for whom we pray.  The power of prayer cannot be overstated, and our need for it cannot be stressed too strongly. 

The enemy we face is a stubborn pest for sure.  When he thinks we’re ‘handling’ one battle pretty well, he may see fit to come at us with more.  This is when we need others to enter the battle and to carry for us what we’re too weary to carry on our own. 

In the book of Exodus, Moses held up his arms as Joshua fought the enemy on the battlefield below.  As long as Moses’ arms were up, Joshua and his men had victory.  If his arms went down, their opponents gained ground.  But…God is victorious, and He had a plan.  Aaron and Hur held the arms of a weary Moses so that he in turn could continue his prayers for Joshua’s army.  The battle was ultimately Joshua’s but God made a way for all of them to be connected and to support Joshua in battle.  We all need people of faith like Moses, Aaron, and Hur to stand beside us in battle. 

Our enemy is real and the battle is imminent, but we’re all in this together… 

This Week’s Announcements:
How To…Christmas- Our next “How To” session is Wednesday, December 9th.  Be sure to sign up for dinner and register your children for childcare.  Registration is REQUIRED to guarantee a spot for your children.  Visit our website www.stonebridgemarietta.org and click on event registration. 

What God is Teaching Us:
For Toddlers-3k:
Even our youngest are getting ARMED as they explore what coming to church is all about.  They are learning that Church is God’s house, and about the things we do together in His house.  They are learning that we play, pray, praise, and learn about the Bible.  This week our little ones continued learning about ways to praise God.   
For 4k-5th Grade:
We continue to get “ARMED” and ready for battle!  This week’s focus was prayer.  Click the link to see lessons:
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Amazing (and funny) Things Kids Do and Say…
While the 4k/K children were discussing prayer- ways we pray, things we pray about, and places we pray- some children expressed trepidation about praying out loud.  Their small group leader emphasized that we don’t have to pray aloud for God to hear us; He can hear us even when we pray silently.  She went on to explain that even Jesus went away by Himself to be quiet and pray to the Father.  One little one exclaimed- “I remember that…He was in a garden!”  The proud small group leader confirmed that answer and then asked if anyone knew the name of the garden.  The same little one said, “Yes- olive…”- to which another child shouted, “Yep, that’s it- Olive Garden!”  (Mount of Olives…Olive Garden…that’s the same thing, right?)