Your invitation for Sunday, June 29, 2008

Please join us for services held in the Wiefels Chapel, 690 S. Vella Road, Palm Springs, CA. Sunday service is at 10:00 a.m.

Join us at 10 a.m. at Wiefels Chapel, 690 S. Vella Road, Palm Springs. If you are new or need directions, click here for a map. A time of friendly gathering, our Fellowship time, follows the service right at the same location in the Hospitality Center. We're committed to re-claiming the joy of the Lord that the early Christians felt, a joy that has been taken away from many in our community by judgmental people, ignorant of the true message and spirit of the New Testament.

Please join us tomorrow at "the Oasis" as we cool off together in worshipping the living God. All are welcome and please know that you can come as you are. Whether you are a long-time believer, new in your faith or still seeking, we welcome you. This week Pastor Nick is back from vacation and will be continuing a series from the book of Acts this week back on Chapter 9 about the conversion of Saul, the persecutor of the church, into Paul - the Apostle to the Gentiles. God finds the people God needs and speaks to us in our own language. What do you think God is saying to you these days?

The service, with Mark cooling it at the piano, begins at 10:00 a.m. at Wiefel's Chapel, 690 South Vella Road in Palm Springs. Consider bringing a friend, "the Oasis" is a great place to meet good people and to get support and encouragement. The world news is bad and discouraging, at our Chapel we share God's extraordinary good news.

Visit our website, desertoasischapel.com for more information and a map. Plan to stay after the service for a time to gather and talk, share, get acquainted right at the same location in the Hospitality Center. Set aside a few extra minutes for this Fellowship time, it really is a great way to meet good people in a town where that can be difficult.

Thank you for taking the time to read this message. Our mailing list is secure and private and only goes out to people who have asked to be on it. Thank you for your interest in and support of Desert Oasis Chapel. Let us know how we can support you. 

With God on the Streets
Acts 5: 27-42

In this passage, God literally opened the door and pushed the apostles out onto the street. The Jewish authorities put them in prison and ordered them not to preach the Gospel of Jesus. Well, an angel opened the prison door for them and they went out and talked about Jesus, defying the order. Then Peter accused the leaders of killing Jesus and glorified His Name. This seriously ticked off the leaders who wanted to kill the apostles.

But a wiser man, Gamaliel, pointed out that several charismatic teachers had come and gone and that God would reveal whether the words about Jesus were true. He said, “Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” So the Sanhedrin, the Jewish leadership, flogged them, told them to keep quiet and let them go. The apostles, considering it an honor to suffer for Jesus, and went right to the streets to tell people about Jesus, “proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.”

In some ways, not to stretch the analogy, Jerusalem at that time was like Palm Springs today. Smart, skeptical, hurting, the people of that time needed to hear God’s word but did not want to be messed with. Some of the reason the brand new church grew was the boldness of the apostles whose lives had really been changed. God grew the church but it was the inspired and motivated followers who were the voice of God to the people.

I’ve gotta believe that the followers of Jesus joyfully shared the message and did not discriminate about who they talked to. It has to be the same with us. God will prosper us as we boldly go out and tell folks that God cares about them and so do we. I think the church took a wrong turn when it started having “ministers,” people who worked for the church because some people thought it was the minister’s job to do this outreach. God’s plan of outreach is to put us out there and for us to get to know folks and share with them from the reality of our lives, not to “convert” them so much as to share what we know.

People hate to be worked but they love to be included. That’s our goal for 2008 in this larger space and out there, on the streets, beyond this place. Share what you know, they’ll listen.