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cogs sheep skin-january 2011 pastor rohan hepkins the chapel of the good shepherd chapel of the good shepherd 654 church lane yeadon pa 19050 visit www.cogsonline.com 1/1/2011

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chapel of the good shepherd prayer groups sanctuary prayer sundays 8:00 am prepare your heart for worship gather in the sanctuary on sunday mornings for prayer and meditation week day prayer 7:00-8:00 am begin your day with prayer meet in the pastors study each week day morning for a time of prayer and encouragement come as you are able leave when you must prayer and study wednesdays 7:00 pm each week church members and friends meet in the sanctuary for interactive study and prayer if you are looking to join a bible study group why not come and give this one a try see pastor hepkins for more information prayer vigil fridays 9:00 pm this group meets the last friday of every month prayer requests may be written on the cards provided in the back of each church pew and deposited in the boxes near the exits.

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from the pastor s desk looking forward to christ s return beloved as we enter the new year im reminded again as to the appropriate mindset we should have as we move into another year on this earth together the new year is the natural time for us to take stock to take inventory and reflect on the old while seizing upon the new new years meditations as coined in phrases such as auld lang syne give rise to this type of introspection as another year beckons the christian church is always looking forward to the second coming of christ in fact the orthodox church calendar usually observes epiphany christs revelation immediately after advent even though the focus of epiphany is on the internal/spiritual appearance or revelation of messiah it does serve us well in terms of his second coming or revelation as well this is a good segue into this months main focus ­­ as a certain popular christian commentator steadfastly maintains on his show that christ is returning on may 21 2011 beloved i border on sacrilege even to print this however i am taking liberty to do so to point out scriptural error just like the epistles of john were written in part and many other epistles for that matter to correct heretical false teaching i am doing so in part here to address this heresy and false teaching among us also and for which purpose i was also called many people have taken the bait of such teaching which has derailed their faith and watered down the church and the gospel of christ faith comes from the word of god and by hearing and abiding by its implicit truths romans 10:17 they are not to be changed altered or its instructions open to debate rev 22:18,19 so beloved the word of god is eminently clear that no one knows the day nor the hour not even the angels in heaven but my father only ­­ matt 24:30-36 the parable of the ten virgins also comes to mind matt 25:1ff we are also told that the lords coming will be as a thief in the night ­­ i thess 5:2 ii pet 3:10 this is a refrain the scriptures incessantly reminds us as well point out in this devotion we are also told to be ready as christ will come back when we least expect stating in matt 24:42-44 watch therefore for you do not know what hour your lord is coming but know this that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into therefore you also be ready for the son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect the eternal godhead has never shared the timing of christs advent ­­ and is consistent throughout scripture that no one knew the exact timing of his first advent and likewise no one will know the exact timing of his second advent so god is consistent with this doctrine for all people and for all times and why well firstly it would undermine faith if god told us everything to the precise moment ­­ including his greatest revelation then life would flatten out be less exciting and less expectant less vibrant being sinful as we are wed just sit back relax take a vacation and wait to get in gear at that time however some quests and avenues are worth waiting for it creates a holy grail of sanctification and redemption as it were additionally some things also belong to god deuteronomy 29:29 reminds us that god does hold some secrets that the secret things of the universe belong to god ­­ and only that which is revealed to us are for our attention and consumption well beloved christs advent is one of these things we know/knew it was coming and that we should be prepared for it but we just dont/didnt know when it would actually occur.

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one of the things we know is that like the anticipation of his second advent there were many people who likewise speculated upon the day and the hour of his first advent i peter 1:10-12 but it was never granted them to know simeon came the closest to knowing as well as the wise men ­­ magi from the east along with the shepherds however it was only revealed to them where and whom however god did not violate his standard in revealing when before the time no one knew when and where until after god had already moved so mary joseph zechariah and elizabeth actually came the closest of all however god moved at that exact time not prior it came upon them suddenly as well ­­ even though they needed to know as it was happening to them so even the main principals to the virgin birth werent notified ahead of time they had no advance warning his second advent into the world will be different in that it will be more dramatic in keeping with his ascension men of galilee why do you stand gazing up to heaven this same jesus who was taken up from you into heaven will so come in like manner as you saw him go into heaven ­­ acts 1:11 so likewise as he ascended likewise he will also come again however it will hold true that no one will know when exactly where or how only that all will see him in his first advent they knew from micahs gospel that it would be in bethlehem but no one knew exactly where ­­ not even mary and joseph as he was eventually born in an inn and not really but an adjoining manager of the inn ­­ because there was no vacancy or room to be found any where else next advent all holds true ­­ except this time he will come back in bombast and great glory so beloved as we enter into the new year let us not be fooled the same person who prophesied falsely that christ would come back in 1994 was wrong then he is also wrong now the wrongness is not that christ may or may not come back in 2011 the wrongness is in even speculating and placing a date on it we should rather be obedient to the scriptures and prepare for christs return each and every year ­­ and indeed ­­ each and every day thats what happened with simeon ­­ he didnt speculate but hoped that he would be there to witness christs advent beloved do we carry the same passion the early church did and greeted each other in a general term ­­ not in the old scottish phrase of auld lang syne but in maranatha ­­ the lord is coming it was a virtual reminder that he can come at any time for which we ought to be expectant and prepared so lets be prepared this new year for the lords coming not because a false prophet has given rise to it but only in that we are exhorted by scripture to expect his coming and to live as if he may come today or tomorrow or any day whether its in 2011 2012 2013 2040 or beyond beloved may god bless you richly this new year as we wait patiently and expectantly for him as the lord himself says behold i am coming as a thief blessed is he who watches and keeps his garments lest he walk naked and they see his shame ­­ rev 16:15 and also he who testifies to these things says surely i am coming quickly amen even so come lord jesus the grace of our lord jesus christ be with you all amen ­­ rev 22:20 21 in his service pastor rohan

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women s tea bible study at 4:30 pm on saturday january 22nd all women of the church are invited gather at the hepkins for tea and bible study this group meets on the fourth saturday of each month to talk share pray and study gods word ladies if you are not currently involved in a small group we think youll enjoy this one this month we will begin a new series of lessons taken from donald millers book blue like jazz if you need a book or have questions about this group please contact joy hepkins hope to see you on january 22 bring a friend manor care ministry on the fourth sunday of each month the cogs family conducts a worship service for the residents of manor care yeadon this ministry has consistently been a channel of gods love to the residents who look forward to singing hymns hearing a gospel message and visiting with us if you have a desire to be a part of this ministry plan to join us on sunday january 23rd as we reach out to touch the hearts and hands of the manor care residents service time 2:00 pm.

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community alert bakery could be burnt by moral stance an indianapolis cookie shop could face eviction over a choice not to endorse homosexuality the bakery just cookies was asked to fill a special order of rainbow-decorated cookies for a local college homosexual group celebrating national coming out day the bakery has operated in a city-owned market for over 20 years the owner david stockton took the moral stance saying that filling the order would not set a good example for his two daughters micah clark of the indiana afa said reports are citing a local anti-discrimination statute in order to evict the cookie shop clark said indianapolis passed a sexual orientation ordinance five years ago we warned that this type of thing would happen if they passed an ordinance elevating a sexual behavior to the same moral equivalent of race or skin color its one thing if someone walks into a store and buys a cookie off the shelf but the stocktons were being asked to become part of the [pro-homosexual celebration to make rainbow cookies for a special event with which the company has a disagreement i think that goes beyond the pale of what we should expect companies to do www.onenewsnow.com 9/30/10 afajournal november/december 2010 in god we trust on display in california city a california city voted 4-0 in september in favor of displaying the national motto in city hall at the direction of mayor bill kruger chino hills will display the words in god we trust on a wall behind the council dais the room seats about 100 people and an audience facing council members will be able to see the motto i just went to the city manager and said look its time to get back to what america is kruger said im the mayor here and i want to put it on the agenda for city council we approved the whole the mayor received overwhelming support from the school district the school board the fire district and citizens meanwhile only one man spoke in opposition though federal law forbids council meetings from mentioning god or any deity in invocations the mayor said it is time to return prayer in public office www.onenewsnow.com 9/24/10 afajournal november/december 20

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financial report dear members and supporters of cogs a year filled with blessings and spiritual growth is wished for you by pastor hepkins and the board of elders last year was full of challenges and rewards and this year is very likely to be similar the worlds spiritual condition has not improved as with israel god will not reward sin or corruption in our great country we pray for your growth and increased strength to combat the forces of the world what is your plan to please god by good works and worship of the one true god there is certainly room for improvement in all areas of our spiritual lives only spiritual things are eternal earthly possessions will decay and cease to exist since we are made in the image of god this is where we should focus our efforts use prayer and bible study to get help from your faithful god dont forget to share your growth and blessings with others this is christs command to all believers if you dont share it you really dont have it cogs needs and wants additional workers to increase the types and scope of ministries isaiah prophesied that gods church would increase we certainly want to be part of that success failure is not an option we can see results of failure in other parts of the world the seeds are always there let us plant gods seed on fertile ground and destroy the evil seeds that are planted by the world please be certain that each family member attends and participates in the sunday service and other events held at the chapel this is the sign of a strong church and is necessary to convince the world that we are serious strong and real in our devotion and commitment to christs church we look forward to a growing year with increase vigor and participation from all current members dont forget to invite and bring others either family or neighbors to cogs so they can learn about the reality of gods promises they will thank you in the end and you will be blessed blessings in christs name administration elder tom bylina

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missions minute lee lonna lowell trans world radio usa dear praying friends its hard to believe that this is our christmas letter it doesnt seem possible that 2010 will soon be a memory in just a few weeks we will be celebrating thanksgiving and we do have so much to be thankful for as we look back at all god has done and continues to do in our lives we are excited as we look towards the holidays knowing that both matt and melissa will be here to help us celebrate we have the added blessing at thanksgiving of having matts girlfriend amanda smolinski with us we are so thankful for our children and what god is doing in their lives as the year winds up we will also have the opportunity to celebrate the birthdays of matt lee and melissa matt will be 25 this year and melissa will be 21 neither seems possible to their parents lee is the old man in his department at the cary office holding the number fifty-four melissa is almost finished with her first semester of her junior year at liberty shes had a busy term as shes prepared and presented three lesson plans tutored once a week at a local school and student taught once a week at liberty christian academy she loves the teaching process and shows signs of becoming a great teacher matt has exciting news as he is planning a missions trip to uganda from december 29th to january 23rd amanda has been to uganda to work at three different childrens homes three times before and has excited matt with the opportunity to return to africa please pray for them during this time many of you have written or called asking how lonna is doing with her migraines we are so happy to be able to tell you that god has provided a wonderful new doctor for lonna he runs a headache clinic weve been going there for just over a month now and already we have seen progress lonna continues to deal with migraines but the intensity and frequency have both reduced at this point and we have reason to believe that someday in the not too distant future they wont be a part of her daily life he has run many tests and one of the causes is related to thyroid problems that had not been detected with the normal thyroid tests we praise the lord for this blessing and ask you to continue to pray for wisdom through this process.

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we shared in our last prayer letter about the great opportunity on guam to purchase new transmitters and that these transmitters could not be installed until the needed funds had been raised during the month of november in partnership with radio stations scattered throughout the united states telethons were held to create an awareness of this project a lot of people at the radio stations answered a lot of questions and in the cary office there were many busy answering phones praise the lord donations and pledges have almost met the needed amount of $690,000 soon they will be able to open the container doors and proceed with the installation of these transmitters it has been really awesome to see god work through his people the last two weeks we have been blessed to observe gods handiwork as we have watched the changing colors of the leaves on the trees as fall turns to winter as amazing as that is we continue to be awe struck by the simple fact that god loved us so much he sent his only son to die for us as undeserving as we are we look forward to thanksgiving and christmas as a time to reflect on how truly blessed we are thank you dear friend for your love prayers and support may god bless you richly during this season of remembering his gift jesus your missionaries lee lonna matthew melissa lowell

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the chapel of the good shepherd philosophy of ministry the chapel of the good shepherd seeks by the grace of god to glorify god by being a covenant community dedicated to the worship of god committed to following jesus christ as lord in every area of life and faithful in word and deed to the biblical mandate to proclaim the gospel of jesus christ and to make disciples of all peoples.

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