Greetings Mt. Vernon Family,

I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one Joh 17:14-15.

Knowing who we are and to Whom we belong is especially helpful in times like the present. We who have been born again by faith in Jesus Christ are children of the most-high God. In John 17 Jesus reminds us that we are not of the world no more than He was of this world. Our citizenship is in heaven Phil. 3:20. We are ambassadors for Christ. We represent His kingdom here on earth. Our job is to plead with others to be reconciled to God while there is still time 2Cor. 5:20. Jesus said in this world we will have tribulation (oppression, affliction, distress, trouble). Tribulation has a way of disentangling Christians from the comforts of this world and helping us focus on Christ and the mission. We are overcomers! We must watch, fight and pray!

Take courage!

Pastor Deborah Giles