Laura Presler - Bridal Shower
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LIVING IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD JULY 31, 2025
Philippians 1:2-11 Grace be unto you and peace, from
God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God upon
every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine, for the steadfastness
of you all, making request with joy, For your fellowship in the gospel from the
first day until now, Being confident of this very thing: that he which
hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ, Even
as it is meet for me to think this of you all because I have you in my heart,
inasmuch as both in my bonds and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel
ye all are partakers of my grace. For God is my record, how greatly I long
after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ. And this I pray, that your love
may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment, That ye may
approve things that are excellent, that ye may be sincere and without offense
till the day of Christ, Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which
are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
As we are now closer to 2026 than 2024, how are we, you,
me, doing in our efforts to “build up the Kingdom of God and to establish His
righteousness?” Are we tightening our seat belts or just “hanging in there?”
Are we planning and preparing or just hoping everything will work out for us.
Things will definitely “work out” but how depends on our efforts to be ready.
The redemption of Zion, requires a people whose goodness shines in their faces
and is confirmed by their actions. If we, of the Restoration, who in general,
seem to live below our potential, truly had the light of the gospel in our
faces and thus in our lives, the good and righteous from all nations would
flock to join us. We all know it is difficult to be that light in our every day
world, but that is our calling. Jesus said, “I give unto you to be the light
and the salt’” Matthew 5, Inspired Version.
A church member neighbor once shared a testimony with me.
It was a dream he had while in the hospital. He was crawling on the ground, it
was dark, the wind was blowing strongly and blowing objects into his face. He
did not know where he was. As he slowly crawled along, his head hit something
very hard. He looked up to see a rock and heard a voice that said, “this is the
Rod of Iron” take hold. As he did so, he pulled himself along until he was at
the feet of Jesus.
Jesus is the Rock, the Rod of Iron, the Way, the Truth,
the Light and Life. As a hymn states, “On Christ, the Solid Rock I stand, all
other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand. Don’t sink,
stand firm in and for the Lord and His Kingdom. The world, the whole realm of
Christianity as well as the entirety of the Restoration need to be the salt and
light that Jesus has given us to be so that God is Glorified and so His Kingdom
may come on earth as it is in Heaven
God be with you always, is His promise,
Paul Gage
Please note the following announcement and mark your
calendars.
RESTORATION BRANCH HIGH PRIESTS
CLASS SESSIONS: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2025.
9AM – 1 PM WALDO AVENUE RESTORATION BRANCH/CPRS
ALL ARE WELCOME AND INVITED TO ATTEND.
SHARE THIS ANNOUNCEMENT HOWEVER YOU CAN AND WITH WHOM
EVER YOU CAN.
CLASSES WILL BE LIVE STREAMED/YOU TUBE.
AN ANNOUNCEMENT HAS GONE OUT TO ALL PASTORS/BRANCHES WITH
CLASSES AND TEACHERS.
Healing Hearts Meetings in August 2025
ZIONWORKS NEWS for JULY 24th, 2025
Auditions for the Musical Review for CPCT!
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In Need of Elderly Care Giver
Care giver needed for elderly man for 5 or 6 hours a day M-F. 8am-1 or 2pm.
Mild assistance to stand and use walker. Needs restroom assistance. Need to assist with lunch.
Start possibly Aug. 5 or 15. Will pay $15.00 per hour.
If interested, please call Marjory Skidmore at 816-328-6288
Hello Medicare
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Women's Wellness Retreat - September 12-14
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LIVING IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD JULY 24, 2025
Dear Saints, Today I can truly send my warmest regards as
we have had a great deal of hot weather here in Missouri. However, as with
everyone wherever you live, the seasons come and go, just like God designed
them.
We humans also come and go, but not always in the ways
God has designed us and asked us to go. We have proven that from the very
beginning. One would think that mankind would have learned our lesson by now,
but it seems the world is on a collision course with God’s plan. Any guesses as
to which will be victorious?
God has not placed us here, with access to His gospel,
Church, and plan for His kingdom to be on earth, as it is in heaven so we can
be like the rest of the world. Remember why Jesus “Gave us to be the salt and
light of the world?” Matthew 5:15-18. We can’t be that salt, light and all the
other characteristics of a “Kingdom Builder” without sacrificing ourselves even
as Jesus did so that the world might see and glorify God. If people don’t see
some glimpse of the kingdom in us, where will they see it?
Perhaps you have heard the story of the house builder who
was called in by his boss and given unlimited funds to build a house for him.
The builder decided he would cut corners and have some money for himself. When
the house was completed, the builder invited his boss to come and look it over.
When the builder gave the keys to his boss, his boss returned them and said,
this house is yours in return for your service to me. Imagine the extreme let
down the builder must have felt when he realized he was the recipient of his
own shoddy work. There are so many scriptures that can be connected to that
story: The unwise servant who had one talent; those who build on the sand, the
five foolish virgins and so on.
As you live in the kingdom, what is your vision of what
it may be like in the fullness of the kingdom when Jesus reigns as King of
Kings. Do you have a vision of the Kingdom/Zion? We have a number of hymns that
mention Zion, but do we truly grasp, what we sing about or are they just words
that we sing and then they are gone. Come Unto Zion, Come All Ye Sons of Zion,
Prayer for Zion, Zion’s Victory Song, Beautiful Zion, O Zion, Onward to Zion, O
Zion, Haste, A Call to Zion, The Glory of Zion, Glorious Things Are Sung of
Zion, We’re Marching to Zion, We Talk of Zion, Onward, Forward, Saints to Zion,
Triumphant Zion Lift Thy Head, Shall We gather Home to Zion, Hail to the
Brightness of Zion’s Glad Morning, Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken, Send
Forth Thy Light, O Zion, Now Is the Hour of Zion’s Fulfillment, Zion Prepare.
Proverbs 29:18 reminds us “Where there is no vision, the
people perish; but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” Do you have a vision
of Zion? Did/do you ever reflect on what it took for Enoch to build the city of
Zion? Read Genesis 7:23-25. The Lord once granted to Patriarch Henry Schaffer
the privilege of talking to Enoch Question 1: How did you do it? Answer: I did
what God told me to. Question 2. How did you do it? Answer: I did what God
told me to when He told me to do it.
Are we as committed as Enoch? What do we see around us? A
shattered, scattered, fractured, factionalized can’t or won’t even engage with
others for any reason. It seems like we are a long way from being of “One heart
and one mind.” There is, of course, two kinds of vision. Physical and
spiritual. The spirit and the body make up the soul of man. Many of us wear
glasses to help with our physical vision. What can we do to help with our
spiritual vision? Go over, at least three of the hymns listed above and “see”
if you can find the answers.
The fourth verse of the hymn, “Zion, (We talk of Zion)
states, To have this standard, we must be one; Be no confusing of how it’s
done. He gave His law so long ago; He waits for US, NOW, our works to show.”
How soon, what is your vision, of when Zion will be a
reality? What if it was today, next week, two months, a year, etc? Are we
ready, individually, as families, branches, groups, etc? We all know that if we
are not ready when it happens, it will be to late and we will hear Jesus say,
“Ye never knew me.” Matthew 7:30-33.
God bless
Paul Gage
Free Scrap Wood
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Kirtland Retreat
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