God's Promise of Answered Prayer

In this message:

• This Sunday's Lesson
• Prayer - AUTHENTIC
• Humor

THIS SUNDAY'S LESSON

God's Promise of Answered Prayer

Luke 11: 5-13

After giving a model for "how to pray" (vs 2-4), Jesus offered some 

additional pointers concerning prayer. Foremost, His message was that 

His followers are to be persistent in prayer. Prayer is driven by knowing we 

have a need that we cannot meet within ourselves. Thus, we go to the 

One we know has the resources, the ability, and the desire to meet 

that need. We are assured the Lord answers the prayer of faith.

At the end of the lesson is the section "LIVE IT OUT". This provides three 

ways to put prayer into action in your life.

1. Use the model prayer

2. Start a prayer journal

3. Be an example: pray regularly

The following comes from  the Wednesday Night Bible Study (WNBS). We were 

studying "The Discipline of Personal Prayer" in the study "Authentic" by 

James MacDonald.Which leads me to inviting you to come and join us on 

Wednesday night. We meet in the Andress Class room. You would be a blessing 

to us by joining us.

• 
• Is My Prayer REAL?
• Public performance prayers are a sure sign of insincerity.
• The secret to prayer is prayer in secret.
• Is My Prayer SIMPLE?
• Prayer is not to inform God.
• The purpose of prayer is to express faith toward God.
• Is My Prayer WORSHIPFUL?
• The Lord’s Prayer is a Model prayer.
• When you begin your prayer, begin with Father.
• This was added in the video and was not noted in the guide:
• A – adoration
• C - confession
• T - thanksgiving
• S – supplication
• Is My Prayer SUBMISSIVE?
• There is no answered prayer where there’s not submission to God.
• I surrender my wants and my sense of timing.
• Is My Prayer PRACTICAL?
• Prayer List – Daily Bread
• Income in every household
• Physical heath
• Emotional heath
• Spiritual health
• Is My Prayer REPENTANT?
• “God, I want You to forgive me the way I forgive others."
• Is My Prayer EXPECTANT?

A wonderful individual shared with me another acronym about prayer:
P.U.S.H. – “Pray until something happens.”

HUMOR & CHALLENGE

• There are three kinds of "givers": the flint, the sponge, and the honeycomb.
• To get anything out of the flint you must hammer it. By doing this you may get chips and sparks. 
• To get liquids out of the sponge you must squeeze it, and the more you apply pressure, the more you will get. 
• The honeycomb just overflows with its own sweeteners. 

WHICH KIND OF A GIVER ARE YOU?

********************************************************************

A doctor broke the news to a man that his wife would have to admitted to an extended care facility. "I'm afraid that her mind is completely gone," replied the doctor. The husband sighed heavily as he responded, "Makes sense. She's been giving me a piece of it every day for the last 50 years."

Congratulations 

Reverend Ben Bowden

on receiving and accepting 

The Call 

to be the Senior Pastor

at 

First Baptist Church Enterprise

THIS SUNDAY

Sept 20, 2015

"GOD'S PROVISION"

Psalm 34:4-14

Jim Arrington - Facilitator

Update September 11th, 2015

 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

For those who were not at church on Sunday, August 6th, 2015:

 The Pastor Search Committee candidate will be preaching in both morning services Sunday Sept.  13.   There will be a special business meeting at 6:00 pm on Sept. 13 at which time the church will vote on the candidate.  Please try to attend and participate in the business meeting.  

Thanks,

JP Sawyer, Chairman 

This week's lesson: God's Promise of Eternal Life

The purpose of this week’s study is to assure all believers they can believe and trust the promises of God and to avoid the false doctrines that have become so pervasive.

Jesus Is God’s Son (1 John 5:6-9)

Lasting Lessons in 1 John 5:6-9: 1.  The Jesus who was baptized and crucified is the Christ, the divine Son of God and only source of salvation. 2.  God’s evidence and testimony to the divine nature and saving efficiency of His Son is superior to any evidence or testimony humanity might offer against it.

Life Is Found In Jesus (1 John 5:10-11)

Lasting Lessons in 1 John 5:10-11: 1.  Rejecting what God says is the same as calling Him a liar. 2.  God’s desire behind eternal life involves much more than never-ending life.

             

We Experience Life When We Believe In Jesus (1 John 5:12-13)

Lasting Lessons in 1 John 5:12-13: 1.  Eternal life is a present reality for believers, not something to be waited for. 2.  Eternal life is a simple matter—the presence of the Son of God in one’s life. 3.  God does not wish for His children to live in doubt about their relationship to Him.  He desires His children to “know that [they] have eternal life.”  God guided John to help us know how to have that assurance.

God’s Promise of Faithfulness

The focus of this study is drawn from the first 18 verses of Psalm 89, which points us to the fact that the One whom we can depend on, even in the worst of times, is always just a prayer away!

I.     II. III.

God’s Faithfulness Is A Cause For Praise (Ps. 89:1-2) God’s Faithfulness Is Celebrated In Heaven (Ps. 89:5-8) God’s Faithfulness Is Experienced By His Followers (Ps. 89:15-18)

Introduction:

We live in a society in which commitments and vows are regularly broken.  Circumstances and life situations change, and people walk away from a commitment or agreement.  Sometimes we “break faith” in a relationship simply because we’ve changed our minds or our feelings.  Fortunately, God is not like us.  God keeps His word to us, and Psalm 89 gives us cause to celebrate God’s faithfulness.

Conclusion:

All of us have gone through some period of trial.  Some trials come because of the evil actions of others, some from living in a fallen world, and some because of our own poor choices and rebelliousness against the Lord and His Word.  During those times, we need something to provide us stability and give us hope.  God’s merciful love and faithfulness is a solid foundation.  Even if we displease Him and even though He may chastise us, He still is filled with mercy and overflowing with faithfulness in every circumstance. 

Even when trials come to you, don’t lose hope!  Remember you can stand firm on the truth that God is faithful in His love for you.  He will not forsake or abandon you in your time of need.  So, where do you stand when it comes to your reliance on Him when trials come your way?  When do you turn to Him?  Is He your first choice when you need help or only when you can’t resolve your dilemma yourself?  Rate your reliance on God on a scale of 1(last choice) to 10 (first choice) when trials come your way?  If He is not your first choice, what do you need to elevate Him to that position?  Ask Him for His help.  You know that He is faithful and just to respond to your need!

What are the implications of these truths for your life?  

THE CHOICE IS YOURS, ISN’T IT!

REMEMBER, the safest place for a believer is in the center of God’s will.

UPDATE FOR THE PAT HOWARD CLASS

First and foremost!!!! This Sunday is the first Sunday in the month!!!!!

YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS!!!!!

FIX IT - BRING IT - SHARE IT
Fix your favorite breakfast item, bring it, and share it with the class!!!


RECAP FROM LAST WEEK'S LESSON
Luke 14:12-24
Invite others to your feasts to share your blessings with them. 
In turn, as Christians, we are to invite others to share
in the feast that King Jesus has prepared for all.

THE UNIT FOR THE NEXT 6 SUNDAYS:
Stand Strong: Building Your Life on God's Promises


THIS WEEK'S LESSON 
God's Promise of Faithfulness
Psalm 89:1-2, 5-8, 15-18

There are times we "break faith" in a relationship simply because we've changed our minds or feelings. Fortunately, God is not like us. God keeps His Word to us. As we will discover in Psalm 89, there is something to celebrate !

NEED A LAUGH???

A new pastor was talking to the oldest member of the congregation, Miss Maxine Sculley. "I am 90 years old, sir, and I haven't an enemy in the world," said the aged one. "That is a wonderful and beautiful thought," said the pastor approvingly. 

Quickly came the reply, "Yes sir, I'm thankful to say that I've outlived them all!"

Update for Sunday, August 23rd

Lesson: Return to the Task
August 23, 2015


Acts 13:1-3, 44-52

The keys to the lesson are this:

1. We, as individual Christians, should return to the task of sharing with others (believer and non-believer) God's grace through the sacrifice of His son, Jesus Christ. (The Great Commission)
2. We, as the Church, should return to the tasks of teaching and uplifting the congregation, evangelizing to all, and providing help and comfort to those in need.

To "Bring'em in - Build'em up - Send'em out"

The following is shared from a Pastor's blog.....

Could it be that God is crossing your path today with people you need to meet and facilitate connecting them to Christ? Let me encourage you to live on SOUL PATROL! Look for people who are looking for Jesus. God could be orchestrating divine appointments that you are missing. Ask the Lord to open your eyes so that you can see the people around you as He sees them. Then be ready in every circumstance to share your witness for Christ. (1 Peter 3:15) Fill you daily experience with divine encounters by looking for people who need Jesus.

I was recently in an airport in Louisville, Kentucky and my Delta flight was delayed. After a quick lunch, I met a young soldier named Robert sitting in a broken massage chair in the airport concourse near my departure gate. I asked if the other vibrating chair was broken, and he affirmed it was also busted, but it was still real comfortable. So, I sat down and asked him some questions about his life and listened to his story. Then I shared with Robert how Christ changed me and asked him if he was connected to Jesus. He said, “Not really but my Mom is a strong believer.” We looked together at the ABC’s of the Gospel brochure and Robert told me he wanted to receive Christ as his Savior!!!


 I have discovered that people are more ready to hear the Gospel than we are to share the Gospel.  People like Robert are all around us. Ask God to open your eyes and experience the divine appointments that surround you!

Update Wednesday, August 19th

Recap of Sunday, August 16th

Lesson from ACTS 4: 31-37

I came across this and I feel it best sums up what the lesson's focus was.

           From: This is Discipleship - Acts 4:31-37 .... www.truekingdon.org

• Conservatively speaking, the Church was now about 20,000 strong, and Luke says they were of "One heart and soul"­this is unity!

• 20,000 believers from various backgrounds and social status, and they are all of one heart and soul. How? 
• Jesus prayed that His followers would be one: "....that they may all be one; even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us; that the world may believe that Thou didst send Me. 22  And the glory which Thou hast given Me I have given to them; that they may be one, just as We are one;" (John 17:21-22 NASB)

• Christian unity is not organizational, it is spiritual. The words "as" and "just as" speak of the nature of our unity. It is to be like that of Jesus Christ and the Father­'s common life; a unity of will, purpose, and goal. It's not people being united because they are in the same container organizationally. It's people who are attracted to each other because they are pulled by the same power. 

• If you take a bunch of ball bearings and put them in a box, they have a unity caused by the container: an organizational unity. If the box breaks, they all go everywhere. Our unity is to be like that caused by an electro-magnet that holds all the ball bearings together because they are all pulled by the same external force which is spiritual. We are pulled together by the power of Christ.

SOMETHIN' EXTRA

Contagious Christianity 
Dr. Jay Wolf - FBC Montgomery

I heard some disturbing news recently about Kermit the Frog. Evidently, Kermit the Frog has acquired swine flu. And apparently, he got it from Miss Piggy!

Well, that's a humorous way to take you to an important topic and that is the issue of being contagious. We all know that physical disease is transferred from one person to another person. I've discovered that there is a type of Christianity that is transferable or contagious. For instance, in Acts 4, Peter and John appeared before their adversaries in the Sanhedrin. The disciples of the Risen Christ were in trouble for healing a crippled beggar and proclaiming that there is salvation in Jesus Christ alone. The Bible tells us when the Jewish leaders saw the courage of Peter and John, they realized that they were "unschooled and ordinary men who had been with Jesus." Peter and John's close contact with Jesus produced a raging case of the Christian faith and made those disciples extremely contagious! Peter and John passed on their contagious Christianity to everyone they encountered. Consequently, in the first century the Christian faith spread like a positive and liberating epidemic throughout the world. Your job is exactly the same - develop a full-blown case of authentic, contagious faith in Christ which comes as a result of intimate contact with Jesus and then pass it on!

APOLOGY!!!!

I apologize to Mrs Pat. Last Sunday I said I had posted on our blog, but upon further investigation, I was wrong. I had a blog ready to post but never posted it! So, to the class and Mrs. Pat, I apologize.

In an attempt to catch up, here are some notes:

• Update from Sunday, Aug 2nd, 2015

1. Thanks for the wonderful breakfast items brought on the First Sunday of the Month.... 
2. Great lesson on that day from Nehemiah 1:3-10, the focus being: "Move forward by returning to prayer." 

• Many times we grumble and fuss about our conditions (social, physical, spiritual). We feel helpless in making the situations right. 
• That is the perfect time for us to worship our God through prayers of submission, intervention, praise, and glorification. 
• Lift your prayers to Him!

• Update from Sunday, Aug 9th, 2015
  

1. Charla is updating the class roll and care groups. If your contact numbers, street address, electronic address, or name has changed within the past two years, please let her know. Her phone # is 347-4342 or email her at   csadkison@hotmail.com  . 
2. Our lesson this past week was from Nehemiah 8:1-8. 

• It portrayed what the Israelites did after they completed rebuilding the temple and the wall of Jerusalem.
• After being in exile, they had lost the practice of turning to God's Word. The Law of Moses had become a faint glimmer of their history. In exile they had intermarried and mingled with other nations and religions. With the rebuilding of the temple and the wall, God came upon them and planted a desire to renew their understanding of God's Word.
• They called forth to Ezra to bring the scrolls of the "Torah" and read it. From daybreak to noon, Ezra read from the Torah. They worshiped and prayed to God.
• Return to God's Word.... How do I do that in today's society. 
• I gave a sheet to the class from James MacDonald's bible study, "AUTHENTIC." This sheet focused on how to renew and sustain a study of God's Word. This sheet came from the Wednesday Night Bible Study blog. You can click on the link to see that sheet. http://wnbsatfbce.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-discipline-of-personal-bible-study.html 
• Three thing to return to God' Word: 
• Pick It Up - you have to have it in your hand
• Size It Up - Look for scripture about God's Word through a concordance or Goggle it.
• Eat It Up - Jeremiah 15: 16  &  Ezekiel 3:3

Have a great week .... Lesson for next Sunday comes from Acts 4:31-37. With the focus being: "Walking with Christ brings us together in unity and purpose."

See you next Sunday!

If you want to read a touching story, click on the link below: it is something to which we can all relate.
http://wnbsatfbce.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-man-next-door-young-man-learns.html