Join One of 6 Upcoming Classes
Beginning the week of October 10th, we will be offering 6 classes to the congregation. Each class will last 6 weeks. ALL members are strongly encouraged to attend a class. The classes will provide wonderful content and the opportunity to meet and spend time with fellow Church members. It is our hope that these small group settings will ultimately lead to everyone joining a Life Group. Please pick one class to go to for the six weeks…BE A PARTICIPANT!
CLASS SCHEDULE:
Spiritual Gifts—Lyn Smith & Melissa Blount
Wednesdays 10:00 am Oct 12,19,26 and Nov 2,9,16
Spiritual Gifts—Jamy Young & Karen Bulick
Wednesdays 7:00 pm Oct 12,19,26 and Nov 2,9,16
Spiritual Gifts—Scott Wiens & Jerry Francis
Thursdays 7:00 pm Oct 13,20,27 and Nov 3,10,17
Relationships—Rebecca Randall & Brenda Williams
Thursdays 7:00 pm Oct 13,20,27 and Nov 3,10,17
Church History/Governance—Paul Guthrie & Robert Williams
Sundays 5:00 pm Oct 16,23,30 and Nov 6,13,20
Discipleship—Heather Elmatti & Charlie/Dawn Cerney
Sundays 5:00 pm Oct 16,23,30 and Nov 6,13,20
Worship this week
Hi friends! Let's try something new this week. In about 2 hours the worship team will be practicing the songs we'll be playing this Sunday. Here are some links to those songs, so you can listen and be ready to sing with us:
The Earth Is Yours
Hosanna
Beautiful Things
Great I Am
Always Adored
I actually wrote this one, so here's a link to the audio file and lyrics
One-Anothering
Our union with Christ brings us into a body (Rom 12:5). Christ saves individuals, and then ordains for them to grow in fellowship with others (whose gifts and graces they need in order to be healthy), not in isolation. We must embody these imperatives to truly function as His church:
- "A new command I give you: Love one another.” (John 13:34)
- “As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13:34)
- “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:35)
- Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. (Rom 12:10)
- Honor one another above yourselves. (Rom 12:10)
- Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. (Rom 12:16)
- Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another. (Rom 13:8)
- Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way. (Rom 14:13)
- Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. (Rom 15:7)
- I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another. (Rom 15:14)
- Greet one another with a holy kiss. (Rom 16:16; 1 Cor 16:20; 2 Cor 13:12)
- I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. (1 Cor 1:10)
- You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. (Gal 5:13)
- Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. (Eph 4:2)
- Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (Eph 4:32)
- Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. (Eph 5:19)
- Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. (Eph 5:21)
- Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. (Col 3:13)
- Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. (Col 3:16)
- Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. (1 Thess 5:11)
- But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today. (Heb 3:13)
- And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. (Heb 10:24)
- Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Heb 10:25)
- Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. (James 4:11)
- Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. (1 Peter 1:22)
- Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. (1 Peter 3:8-9)
- Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. (1 Peter 4:9)
- All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." (1 Peter 5:5)
- Greet one another with a kiss of love. (1 Peter 5:14)
- But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another. (1 John 1:7)
- This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. (1 John 3:11)
- And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. (1 John 3:23)
- Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. (1 John 4:7)
- Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. (1 John 4:11)
- No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. (1 John 4:12)
- I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. (2 John 5)
Kingdom Birth
Let me introduce you to Nicodemus; a very religious man who meets Jesus, found in John 3:1-10. Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the Jewish ruling council. He knew Old Testament Scripture, adhered very closely to the Law and taught others to do so. He came to Jesus at night, the Bible says. Many have speculated it was because he was crossing “party lines” and didn’t want to be seen. Nicodemus addresses Jesus as Rabbi; a big, huge deal for a Pharisee to do. By acknowledging Him by this title he is indicating that he views Jesus as a teacher, but more than that, as a Jewish religious leader. Nicodemus tells Jesus, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
Jesus realizes that this man who is thirsty for what Jesus has to offer is attracted by his kingdom culture! Jesus responds accordingly, by saying “No one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” What Jesus is saying in essence is “What I came to bring was not a new religion but a new government.” “I came to bring my kingdom on earth and call a people who would reflect my glory, nature, and culture and cause it to infiltrate society” (i.e. the demonstration of Jesus’ kingdom power Nicodemus saw). Jesus tells Nicodemus that he is not interested in being called a Rabbi, but rather to be recognized as king. Nicodemus of course cannot put his head around the term ‘born again’. “How can this happen?” he wants to know. Nicodemus must renounce citizenship of his religious, hypocritical kingdom/country. That kingdom clashes with the kingdom of God! “You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again,’” Jesus says. To be a citizen of a kingdom, you must be born in that kingdom, the king’s territory or domain. “Surely, you understand that don’t you, Nicodemus?” Jesus must be more than a good teacher, moral man, historical figure, yes even more than savior. He is the Christ (which means anointed king). He is the Lord (another title of ‘king’ which means owner). There is no such thing as a so called “Christian who has just not made Him Lord yet.” That is an erroneous teaching. If that is the case, that means you were born into a religion, or born into a church, but not born into the Kingdom.