Trinity Bible Church Ottawa

My Dear Friends,

Have you ever experienced any pain in your life? If you have then you’re normal and welcome, to the human race. We all experience pain. Did you know that God is in the business of bringing good things out of pain. It’s true. That pain that you are in can be used by God for incredible good for you and, those around you. In order for good to come out of pain we need to understand how to co-operate with the workings of the Holy Spirit.

This Sunday we will wrap up our “Life’s Healing Choices” series by exploring how God can bring good out of bad, how good comes out of pain. This Sunday we will learn how to co-operate with the workings of the Holy Spirit.

One of God’s great promises in the Bible is Romans 8:28. It’s one of the most well known verses in the Bible. It’s also one of the most misunderstood. On Sunday we will explore it word by word.. This is God’s promise. “We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God...” In Celebrate Recovery we are reminded of what this verse does not say.

“It doesn’t say we know that everything will work out the way I want it to work out. That’s not true. It just doesn’t happen that way. Things don’t always work out the way I want them to work out.

It does not promise that all things will have a happy ending here on earth. That’s not true either. There are a lot of unhappy endings on earth. This is a broken planet. It’s not heaven. We shouldn’t expect everything to have a happy ending here on earth. It doesn’t.

What does this verse promise to us about recovery and about growth?

First it says, “We know.” In other words, we’re not guessing, we’re not hoping, we’re not wishing, we’re not desiring. We know for certain. This is a fact of life. We can be confident. We can be absolutely certain. We know this for a certainty, that we can stake our lives on it.

What do we know? “We know God causes.” What does that mean? It means your life is not an accident. There’s no such thing as random chance. There’s no such thing as bad luck. There is a grand design behind everything. Our lives are not a result of fate. Our lives are not a result of chance. Our lives are not a result of accident. You are not an accident. God had a plan and purpose for your life long before you were even born, and there is a grand design.

We make mistakes but God never makes mistakes. Everything that happens in life happens because of choices, not chance. Choices that God has made, choices that I have made, and choices that you have made. It’s not chance; it’s a choice.” See ya Sunday.

If you have never been baptised by full immersion and would like to be please contact the church office. We will be having baptisms at church on Sunday March 21st during the regular worship service. This is a wonderful opportunity. Also, if you have a child that has not been dedicated why not give us the opportunity to celebrate with you this incredible gift that God has given you by having your child dedicated. Child dedication Sunday is also March 21st.

God bless you all

Shawn