the Logos

Today, we concluded our series,  Praying the Psalms.  I hope everyone has enjoyed it. If you will pray the psalms, you will find that your prayers will be more God-centered, you will pray about things that you would not normally pray about, you will pray about things that you normally pray about but in new ways, and you will never run out of things to say. I want to recommend a couple of books to you that were very helpful to me during this series:  Praying the Bible by Donald S. Whitney  Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament by Mark Vroegop  We're starting a new Virtual Bible Study series, A Call to Repentance , on the book of Micah, on Wednesday, September 2nd, at 7:00pm. Everyone is invited to join us.

Our next Virtual Church-Wide Prayer Rally is 8/18 from 7 to 8pm. Make a  plan to join us so we can pray together as a House of Prayer . Next Sunday is our Youth Sunday. Also, I'll be preaching at Rooted  Church at their 10:30 am service which is being held outdoors at the Apex Community Park . School is starting on Monday (some have already started). We pray at the beginning of every school year but this year it is especially important. This start of the school year has parents trying to decide what is best for their children and family...do they do online virtual academy or let their kids go to school in person? Some parents may not want to send their children but they may not have any other options because they have to work.  This is why we should be praying for wisdom...for the parents, caregivers, children, school teachers, and staff. Here's my Back to School Prayer ... Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, who te...

Today, we tackled the hard topic of how to pray imprecatory psalms .  My message was on Psalm 109 . An imprecation is a curse that invokes destruction or mishap upon one's enemies. The author of imprecatory psalms calls down calamity and God's anger and judgment on his enemies. One thing we must understand is that imprecatory psalms are not written to be vindictive or for personal vengeance. But they are prayers for God's justice. So as New Covenant believers, we SHOULD NOT pray imprecations against specific people (no matter how tempting it is). We are not to call down curses for our own personal vendettas. Rather, we can pray these types of psalms against our spiritual enemies such as Satan, our sinful nature, world systems of corruption and oppression, and God's enemies. Download the Home Study Guide for today's sermon to discuss and apply the sermon. Our next time church-wide prayer rally is 8/18 from 7 to 8pm on WebEx . Make a plan to join us so we can pray ...

With our theme of Being a House of Prayer, we're having a pastoral prayer every Sunday. We'll have a different topic to pray for each month led by an elder. August's prayer topic is Suffering (physical, mental, depression). Today, Elder Wayne Bullock read Job 1:6-12  and led us in prayer regarding suffering. I resumed our series, Praying the Psalms , with a sermon called "A Psalm of Lament" based on Psalm 77 . You can download the Home Study Guide for today's sermon.  Congratulations to Donnell & Jenae Fordham on their birth of their son Weston Alexander . He was born on July 19th weighing 7 lbs, 7 oz.

Mt. Zion Family , Due to the extension of phase 2, the rising of COVID-19 cases, and children returning back to school next month, we have decided that we will postpone in-church gathering until the 4th quarter . We will reevaluate before October, the start of the 4th quarter. We may decide to start having outdoor service first if possible since the weather should not be as hot. Your servants in Christ , Pastor Willie Harris Elder Wayne Bullock Elder Sean Cherry Elder Bobby Dunn

Today was our Youth Sunday and Sis. Tracy Dunn delivered a message on the Parable of the Prodigal Son entitled " 3 People. 2 Problems. 1 Promise. " Don't forget to submit your family photo for our  Virtual 155th Church Anniversary Celebration by 5pm on Friday, 7/31. Thanks to all the members who attended our Church Family Meeting today.  We gave an update on our church reopening plans . Due to the extension of phase 2, the rising of COVID-19 cases, and children returning back to school next month, we have decided that we will postpone in-church gathering until the 4th quarter. We will reevaluate before October, the start of the 4th quarter. We may decide to start having outdoor service first if possible since the weather should not be as hot.

We continue in our new series, Praying the Psalms, with "A Psalm of Thanksgiving" based on Psalm 136 . Download the Home Study Guide and Youth Personal Quiet Time to review and apply the sermon.  Praise is to admire or glorify God for who He is (His attributes) while thanksgiving often centers on thanking and showing gratitude to God for what He has done. Yet, praise and thanksgiving are so closely related and interconnected that it's hard to do one without the other. The one who praises God thanks Him too! Our next Church-Wide Prayer Rally is Tuesday, July 21st, at 7:00pm on WebEx . Let's come together and pray. If you can't attend, you can submit your prayer requests online. Next Sunday, we'll take a break from our series to have our Youth Sunday. Following the service, we'll have our Church Family Meeting via WebEx at 11:30 am. We will provide an update on our reopening plans as well as do a Board of Directors election. You'll receive a special We...

Today, we started our new series, Praying the Psalms , with "A Psalm of Praise" based on Psalm 8 . Download the Home Study Guide and Youth Personal Quiet Time to review and apply the sermon. We want to recognize our newest member who has completed New Members Orientation: Sis. Ruby Franklin Mark your calendars: My prayer group (Pastors Praying Together) is putting together a Unity Prayer Rally on Saturday, 8/1 at 9 am. It will be outside at Ambassador Presbyterian Church in Apex. More details to come.

With our theme of Being a House of Prayer , we're having a pastoral prayer every Sunday. We'll have a different topic to pray for each month led by an elder. July's prayer topic is Wisdom & Discernment . Today, Elder Sean Cherry read Proverbs 2:6-10 and led us in prayer for wisdom. Mt. Zion is currently in the process of producing a virtual production to commemorate our church’s 155th Anniversary . We would like to add some member photos to the video. If you would like to have your family included, please email the best photo of you if you're single or a group photo of your family to specialevents AT mtzioncary.org. Photos will be accepted until 5:00 pm on July 31st. If you're like me, you may struggle at times with prayer. A lot of our struggle with prayer is because we get bored with praying the same way over and over. Next Sunday, we're starting a new series called Praying the Psalms . We're going to dig into the different types of Psalms and learn...

With our theme of Being a House of Prayer , we're having a pastoral prayer every Sunday. We'll have a different topic to pray for each month led by an elder. June's prayer topic is Revival . Today, I read  Jeremiah 18:7-11 and prayed for national revival . Here's a part of my prayer... Lord, grant us national repentance. Send Your Holy Spirit to bring repentance and saving faith to the lost. Help us to return to You by turning from our evil ways and doing what is right. You said, “Righteousness is what exalts a nation”. Lord, send a revival of righteousness. Turn the hearts of our local and national leaders to do Your will. Give us leaders who will do what is right for the people. Give us court systems that administer justice equally and fairly. May we create laws that better reflect Your law and Your character. May we acknowledge You in all spheres of our society. Lord, send a revival to our nation... Today was our Youth Sunday. Graduating senior Olivia Sallis delive...

With our theme of  Being a House of Prayer,  we're having a pastoral prayer every Sunday. We'll have a different topic to pray for each month led by an elder. June's prayer topic is  Revival . Today, I read 2 Timothy 4:1-5 and prayed for church revival. Here's a small portion of my prayer... Father, send a revival of Biblical preaching and sound doctrine! Give us godly men and women who will preach Your Word in season and out of season and not compromise to the prevailing culture. Father, send a revival of unity! Give us churches that are not divided along racial and denominational lines. But help us be unified on the truth. Help churches whether they are white, black, hispanic, or asian to fellowship and work together because we have one faith, one Lord, and one baptism. Father, send a revival of evangelism and discipleship! Restore the passion to take the Good News of the Gospel out of the church and into the highways and byways. Give us churches who are serious abou...

With our theme of  Being a House of Prayer,  we're having a pastoral prayer every Sunday. We'll have a different topic to pray for each month led by an elder. June's prayer topic is  Revival . Today, I read  Joshua 24:14-15 and Malachi 4:5-6  and prayed for family revival. Here's a small portion of my prayer... There is so much brokenness and dysfunction in families today. Father, please send a revival to the families. Please restore families that are broken. Please turn the hearts of fathers back to their children and the hearts of children back to their fathers! Lord, help families to break sinful patterns that have been learned and passed down through generations. May your grace, mercy, and righteousness be passed down for generations to come. We have a Home Study Guide available to download for today's sermon. So whether you're single, have a roommate, or a family, sit down with the guide to review and apply the sermon. Our next Church-Wide Prayer Rally wi...

With our theme of Being a House of Prayer, we're having a pastoral prayer every Sunday. We'll have a different topic to pray for each month led by an elder. June's prayer topic is Revival . Today, I read Psalm 85 and led us in prayer for personal revival. Congratulations to Minister Ulysses and Deaconess Junève Toche on the birth of their daughter, Jade Arièle Toche. Baby Jade was born 7 lbs 6 ounces on May 31. We praise God for this wonderful new addition to their family.   We have a Home Study Guide available to download for today's sermon on James 5:7-12 . So whether you're single, have a roommate, or a family, sit down with the guide to review and apply the sermon.

Minister Brandi Hancock delivered the Word today. She preached on the topic "The Heart of the Matter" from Ezekiel 36:26-28 .  Infographic for today's sermon: On this last Sunday in May, I want to acknowledge that May is Mental Health Awareness month. Depression and other mental health issues are a form of suffering. The  Bible talks a lot about suffering. Without Scripture, we might think  that suffering is random and useless. Christians can struggle with mental health issues (anxiety,  depression, bi-polar, etc.) and yet have the joy of the Lord. It's not morally wrong to seek counseling, therapy, or take  medication. Just make sure that your ultimate hope is in Christ. If you struggle with mental health issues, you can fight for joy by  spending time with God-saturated people who help you to see God and fight the good fight. Thank you all for your generous donations to our food drive to help  st...

Today, we resumed our Youth Sunday. Sis. Tikayla Downing delivered a message, "Are You Wheat or a Weed?" based on the parable of the weeds .  We're currently doing a food drive to help students and families impacted by the Pandemic. The food drive will run through May 30. Please drop off non-perishable food items at the church during the drop-off times: M, W 6-7pm; Sat. 10am-12pm Here's a quick update on the reopening of the church building .  The elders & I will be meeting this week to start developing our  reopening plan.  We do not anticipate that we'll be gathering inside the building  until NC hits phase 3 which may be in late summer or fall.  Please pray that God would give us wisdom. I'm r eminded of the Samaritan woman who asked Jesus about whether  they were to worship God on the mountain or in Jerusalem . Jesus responded that the hour is coming when it will be neither...

With our theme of Being a House of Prayer , we're having a pastoral prayer every Sunday. We'll have a different topic to pray for each month led by an elder. May's prayer topic is Discipleship (our walk with Jesus and making disciples). Today, Elder Bobby Dunn read  1 Corinthians 3:5-15  and led us in prayer for people who are God’s fellow workers. We're going to take a break from James for the next couple of weeks. Lord willing, we'll finish up James in June. Next Sunday, we're back to having our 4th Sunday Youth Service. If you attended yesterday's Theological Seminar on " Dating Backwards ", you know it was incredible! If you missed it, I encourage you to watch it here . Our next Virtual Prayer Rally will be on Tuesday, May 19th, at 7:00pm on WebEx . If you cannot attend, please submit your prayer request online . We're currently doing a food drive to help students and families impacted by the pandemic. The drive will run through May 30. P...

With our theme of Being a House of Prayer, we're having a pastoral prayer every Sunday. We'll have a different topic to pray for each month led by an elder. May's prayer topic is Discipleship (our walk with Jesus and making disciples). Today, Elder Bobby Dunn read Galatians 3:1-5 and 1 Cor 12:1-11 and led us in prayerful dependence on the Spirit of God . Happy Mother's Day to all the moms and spiritual moms. We thank God for you. But we should also recognize that today can be hard for those who have lost their mothers, those moms who have lost children, and those who desire to be moms but it has not happened.  May God comfort and strengthen you on what can be a difficult day.  Also, I want to remind all women that your identity is not found in motherhood but in Jesus Christ. Being a mother is not what gives you worth. Being a "super-mom" is not what gives you worth. It's having a relationship with Jesus that brings worth. Join us for our upcomin...

With our theme of Being a House of Prayer, we're having a pastoral prayer every Sunday. We'll have a different topic to pray for each month led by an elder. May's prayer topic is Discipleship (our walk with Jesus and making disciples). Today, Elder Bobby Dunn read John 8:31-32 and 1 Peter 1:22- 2:3 and led us in prayer for the proclamation of the Word of God. We have a Home Study Guide available for today's sermon . So whether you're single, have a roommate, or a family, sit down with guide to review and apply the sermon. Parents, our Children's Church teachers are starting to provide lessons and content that you can share with your kids. I would like to encourage everyone to complete the Census. NC, in particular, has a very low return rate. If you've already filled it out, encourage others to do so. If you need help, reach out to us. We have a team that would love to assist you.

With our theme of Being a House of Prayer, we're going to have a pastoral prayer every Sunday. We'll have a different topic to pray for each month led by an elder. April's prayer topic is "the lost". Today, Elder Wayne Bullock read Psalm 146 and led us in prayer for the lost especially those who might be deceived into thinking they are saved. Minister Matt Darby brought a powerful word today on the topic "Fear Not In Times of Trouble" from Isaiah 41:10,13-14 . Next Sunday, we're back in the book of James for our series The Gospel & Works . We had our church family meeting today.  Please be in prayer for the following people who are experiencing bereavement: Sis. Minnie Liverman lost her brother recently due to COVID-19. He was the uncle of Sis. Betty Liverman, Theresa Vinson, and Debra Liverman.  Sis. Peggy Credle lost a first cousin (not related to COVID-19).  Former member, Bro. Cleveland Rich passed away (not related to COVID-1...

With our theme of Being a House of Prayer, we're going to have a pastoral prayer every Sunday. We'll have a different topic to pray for each month led by an elder. April's prayer topic is "the lost". Today, Elder Wayne Bullock read Acts 2:42-47 and led us in prayer for the lost in our city, Cary, our region, Raleigh-Durham, and our state, North Carolina. Next Sunday, we will have our church family meeting for members after our service at 11:30 am. We will give you an update on the first quarter as well as how we want to continue moving forward while we're in this pandemic. The meeting will be on WebEx. We'll be sending out information this week on how to connect to the video conference. Today, Evangelist Tayon Dancy brought us a sermon from Luke 24:13-35  entitled "Come Through Jesus and Increase My Faith" .  Just as the two men who were on the road to Emmaus did not recognize Jesus, we often cannot see God when we're suffering. But ...