August 29th - Prayer Requests

1.  Matt & Amberly - Amberly's grandfather died last week.  Pray for the family as they deal with this loss.

2.  Bill & Nancy - Their daughter Katy was in a car wreck.  Thankfully, she is fine, but she is going to have the doctor check out her ACL.  Pray that everything is ok with her ACL.  Also, be praying for her to find a car to replace the one she lost in the accident.

3.  Lane & Janet - Janet is due on September 5th.  Pray for a smooth next few days and that the delivery goes smoothly.

4.  Joe & Emily - Pray for them to have a peace about decisions they are trying to make. 

"Why Worry?"

Matthew 6:25-34    Do Not Worry

    ²⁵"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? ²⁶Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
    ²⁸"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' ³²For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

This is a subject that we all struggle with.  Here are some of the topics we will spend time discussing in class.
     1.  In the scripture passage Jesus gave specific reasons why we can live without worry dominating our lives.  Why does Jesus say we can live a worry free life?
     2.  Have  you experienced times when your faith in God reduced or removed worry in your lives?
     3.  How have you seen God meet your needs over the past year? What is a serious need you have in your life right now? Is it a struggle to trust God to meet that need?

  I look forward to us analyzing the scripture and discussing its application in our lives.  Let's make sure we take time to pray for each other this week.

Mike

Lunch Out

We will be eating lunch out as a group this Sunday (Sep. 29th).  We are going to go to Jason's Deli right after church.

Hope everyone can make it!

Lesson 5: An Audience of One - August 29, 2010

Jesus calls for us to live for an audience of one. All we do should be to please God and not the people around us.  The scripture for the lesson is Matthew 6:1-18.  Some questions to think about are after the scripture below.

Giving to the Needy

1 "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 "So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Prayer

5 "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 "This, then, is how you should pray: " 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. ' 14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Fasting

16 "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

 

Things to think about.

1.  What are some areas or situations in which believers tend to perform for others rather than for God?

2.  There are consequences if we live our lives for people rather than for God.  What might they be?

3.  If our motivation is to please God rather than people,  what rewards (in the scripture above) do you think Jesus is talking about?

4.  Can you think of a time that you had such a meaningful personal encounter with God that it made you want to do everything for him?

5.  What are ways that we could open ourselves to having this type of very meaningful encounter with God?

6.  What is your motivation for doing what you do?  What would you do or do differently if only God was watching?

Continue each week to read Matthew chapters 5-7 (Sermon on the Mount). I look forward to seeing you Sunday........  Mike

Upcoming Events

August 29th Lunch after church and Sept. 25  Tailgate Party at the Maxey's.

We will decide where we will go for lunch in Sunday School this week.

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Prayer Request - August 15th

1.  Abbi - Pray for Michael and Karyn Brown in their pursuit to adopt a child from Nepal.  See this blog for more details - http://www.newbrownchild.blogspot.com/

2.  Chris Weldon and his wife are home safely from China with their new child.  Pray for this transition period to go smoothly.

3.  Clay - Pray for his mom to have a safe and enjoyable trip (on a cruise to Hawaii).

4.  Happy birthday to Bill (August 15th).  Also, pray for Bill & Nancy's friend Diane who is dealing with cancer.  The doctors do not think there are any more treatments to try.  Pray for the family as they deal with this difficult time.

5.  Kimberly Dobbs - Pray for safety for her husband, Jeremy, who is stationed overseas.

6.  Continue to pray for those that are searching for jobs in the class.

Praer Requests - August 8th

1) Janet and Lane's baby is due soon!
2) Emily and Joe concerning big decisions they need to make concerning their future, as well as, family visiting.
3) Praise that Jessica and Tyler got their car fixed and that they can now find a new one.
4) Pray for those traveling.
5) As always let's pray for our class and reaching out to new members. It was great to have Kimberly visit with us this morning. She is due in Oct./Nov.  Her husband is away with the Air Force.
6) Pray for those who serve our country and their families.
7)  Joel and Abbi to feel better.
8) Joel has two big tests this week.