This Sunday we’re in week 4 of our series on the Fruit of the Spirit, and I’ll be preaching on PATIENCE!! “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience. . .” Of all the fruit of the Spirit, I bet this is the one that most people would say is the one they need to work on the most. So what is it? Other translations use the word forebearance, long suffering. That’s the idea here. Being long tempered, the ability to be inconvenienced or even taken advantage of, and yet it doesn’t blow up, fly off the handle, or respond in kind.
Proverbs 14:29 says, “A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly.” That’s a great description of this word. It conveys the idea of being slow to get angry, of having a long fuse and a short memory. Unfortunately, we get that turned around, some of us have a short fuse and a long memory. The word literally means “wrath that is put far away.” If we are being controlled by the Spirit, then fits of rage will be put far away. Patient people are hard to provoke. Their temper can absorb a lot before they “lose it.”
In Colossians 3:12 patience is one of the character traits that Paul mentions that we’re to literally clothe ourselves with, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clotheyourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” So patience is part of our new wardrobe in Christ. It’s interesting, when Paul describes life outside of Christ, he often describes an angry life. In fact, right before he lists the fruit of the Spirit, he gives us another list, remember? And among the works of the flesh or the acts of the sinful nature that are listed earlier in Galatians 5, Paul mentions “hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, and factions.” What do they all have in common? They’re all rooted in irritation and anger. We need a change of clothes! We’re to put off those things, and in their place, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. The point is that these new clothes are a gift, but every day we have to choose to put them on. Make the decision today to put on patience. Come this Sunday and discover how! I love you Coastal and I love being your Pastor! And I can’t wait to see you and your friends on Sunday!
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
- One of our favorite missions that we support here at Coastal is Operation Christmas Child (OCC) – sharing the love of Jesus and the Good News of the Gospel through gifts & supplies in a simple shoebox. What we are asking our church (YOU) is to simply pray and ask God how many shoeboxes He wants you to fill, take home the shoeboxes we provide, pack them as a family, and then bring back your completed boxes to the church between now and Sunday, November 14th. Our kiosk in the Welcome Center will be filled with shoeboxes ready to take home each Sunday. This would be a GREAT opportunity for you to teach your children about generosity, the true meaning of Christmas, and the love of Jesus. This year, you can also build and send these boxes directly through OCC’s website without even leaving your home! Go to Coastal’s Build a Shoebox Online Challenge Page and for only $25 you can build shoesboxes that are used to reach “the ends of the earth – hard to reach places” by abiding by strict custom regulations. Heres the link https://sampur.se/3Ao3bXv. Through this link, you will also see a running total of how many online boxes are built and credited to Coastal’s count for this year. Help us reach our goal of packing over 1000 shoeboxes this year and share the love of Jesus with children all around the world! Pray about how many boxes your family would be willing to pack, step out in faith, grab a few shoeboxes on Sunday, and help us do just that!
- Coastal’s CARE Team coordinates baskets, meals, and cards for those in our church and community who need additional encouragement. The CARE Team will be hosting an information and training session THIS Sunday, October 10th, at 6pm for anyone who is currently serving or interested in joining the Team. RSVP to rachel@coastalcommunitychurch.org.
- UPCOMING OUTREACH PROJECTS:
PINK House – The PINK House is a community center in the Ardmore subdivision in West Ashley. We are going to be putting on a community Tailgate Party, Clothing Distribution, THIS Saturday (TOMORROW), October 9th, 10am-1pm.
Soldier’s Angels – We’ll be helping with the Veteran’s Mobile Food Distribution, Tuesday, October 12th, 8am-1pm. Meet at:1113 Sam Rittenberg Blvd. Charleston (Elks Lodge).
Tricounty Family Ministries – We will be assisting with their Emergency Grocery Distribution, Wednesday, October 13th, 9:45am-12:30pm. Meet at: 2105 Cosgrove Ave. North Charleston.
Joseph Floyd Manor Tailgate – Our Tailgate will be rolling and serving our friends downtown at the Joseph Floyd Manor – Thursday, October 14th, 9:30am-12:30pm. (Meet at the church at 9:30am)
If you are interested in serving in any of these projects, you can sign up on your Connect Card this Sunday or sign up now on our website. If you have any questions, please reach out to Pastor Chris Jones at 843-870-4613. - Coastal is hosting “Celebrate Christmas at Joseph Floyd Manor” on Saturday, December 18th! Are you interested in serving on the Planning Team as we prepare to host a Christmas Party to remember for the residents of Joseph Floyd Manor? Let us know on your Connect Card, and we’ll reach out to you with more details.
- Interested in officially making the Coastal church family, your church family? Our next Membership Class is Saturday morning, November 13th, 9-11:30am. You can respond to this email, sign up on our website, or sign up on your Connect Card on Sunday. You can join us either in-person or online through Zoom.
- Many of you might not be aware of this, but our church has a Grief Share Support Group that meets on Monday nights, 6:30pm at the church. Grief Share is a support group for people who are grieving the loss of a loved one and need support, encouragement, and hope. On Thursday night, November 4th, 6:30pm-8:30pm our Grief Share Group is hosting a “Surviving the Holidays” seminar. This event will help you discover how to deal with emotions, give helpful tips on how to survive holiday social events, and discover hope for the future. Contact Sue Muoio at s.muoio@outlook.com to RSVP or for more information or register at www.griefshare.org. Spread the word – the Group and this event are open to the public!
P.S. Mark your calendars now! Coastal will be hosting a night of praise and worship on Friday night, November 19th, from 7-8:30pm. Invite your friends and family to join us for an evening of worship, prayer, and encouragement. Childcare will be provided.
