I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God gave the increase. 1Cor. 3:6

People love to take credit for things they accomplish even though it is common knowledge that no one can accomplish anything alone. Only God can do that but even with God He prefers teamwork and that is the pattern He has left for His creation. God consulted within the Godhead (Father, Son & Holy Spirit) and worked as a team to bring about the creation.

To save humanity, the Father acted in love, Jesus offered Himself to die, the Holy Spirit strengthened Jesus to the end. Anything you have accomplished in life involved more than you. There were resources you depended on that you did not create and certainly there were those who encouraged you along the way. Paul addressed a problem in the Church which we are still plagued with today – ministers at the end of the assembly line who pray with new believers think that it is their personal ministry accomplishment. This is either ignorance or pride.

On the assembly line for the salvation of one soul are those who prayed, those who preached, gave literature, etc., those who invited them to church, those who demonstrated Christ’s love to them through kind acts, those who harvest and finally those who disciple these new believers. And through all these processes is the ceaseless role of the Holy Spirit.

Be encouraged and keep on playing the different roles as God enables you to do. Amen!

ECWA USA Church buildings around the US closed starting Sunday, March 15, 2021 and all in-person classes and worship activities canceled. As a church community, we want to be prayerful, vigilant, faithful, and grateful for each of you in this time of crisis. We invite you to worship together as a family or alone from wherever you are. We thank you for your wisdom, your thoughtful reflection, your leadership, and your care for your community. Again, we strongly encourage those over 60 years old and/or are members of other vulnerable populations to follow the guidelines set before us. We can’t wait to see you again soon!

Reliable online sources on the new coronavirus and COVID-19

While no one source of information is perfect, some are undeniably better than others! It’s best to look for sites that:

• rely on experts who use well-accepted scientific analyses and publish their results in reputable medical journals
• have a mission to inform and protect the public, such as the CDC, WHO, and Johns Hopkins University (JHU), which recently added a myth busters page to its information on the virus
• are not promoting or selling a product related to the information provided.

Other good online sources of information on the virus include:

• Medline Plus, from the US National Library of Medicine
• the UK’s National Health Service
• the US Food and Drug Administration
• major news outlets with deep expertise in health reporting, such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Boston Globe’s STAT News.

While gathering information online may be your easiest initial option, isolate yourself and contact your doctor if you have symptoms of an infection, such as fever, cough, or shortness of breath. (If you don’t have a doctor, call the nearest clinic for advice.) If necessary, a doctor may recommend that you see a specialist at an academic medical center (such as a hospital affiliated with a major medical school) who is likely to have the most recent information about a previously unknown infectious illness like this one.

Can you imagine what our situation would have been today if not for the gift of God’s Son – Jesus Christ? Our response then must be to love and live for Christ alone as we are commanded in 2 Corth. 5:14-15.

In Jesus Christ are summed up everything we can know about God and His eternal purposes. In Christ we see the riches of God’s glory, wisdom and grace (Rom. 9:23; 11:33; Eph. 1:7, 18; 2:7; 3:16; Phil. 4:19). “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”  The grandest mystery of all Paul tells us is, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Christ in me creates the “hope of glory.”

Christ’s presence in us is definitely the hope of glory, and of His glorious riches.

ECWA Theme for 2021: Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colosians 1:27