Take it to the Lord in Prayer!

Take it to the Lord in Prayer! 
Dr. Jay Wolf

God’s Word invites us to live in the atmosphere of prayer. “You shall make your prayer unto Him, and He will hear you, and you shall pay your vows.” (Job 22:27)

The dear hymn reminds us, “O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry, everything to God in prayer.” 

Follow me down this ordinary road.The meeting with your friend started as an amiable encounter that awkwardly morphs into a disagreement. What commenced as a conversation turns into a confrontation. The tension becomes so thick you can cut it with a knife. Wisdom prompts you to separate before things disintegrate. Then when you separate, it’s time to communicate with the Lord. When you get alone with God then the communion of conviction comes and you move from confusion into revelation. More often than not, the Holy Spirit has shown me that I was in the wrong and need to ask for forgiveness.Next, you make a vow to the Lord to untie the relational knot.You operate in the spirit of Isaiah 1:18, “Come let us reason together, says the Lord, though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow.”

Summary: Use prayer to untie relational knots by retreating, reflecting and receiving God’s instructions.

To Whom or What Are You Enslaved?

Dr. Jay Wolf

"For he who was called in the Lord as a bond-servant is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a bond-servant of Christ. You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men." (1 Corinthians 7:22-23)

 We are surrounded by slaves!

Every day you interact with people who are functional captives. You may protest: "That's impossible. Slavery is illegal!" Actually, slavery, bondage and captivity exist in a multitude of forms.

Many are bound with invisible chains. Some people are slaves to their work. We call that workaholism - it is legal, encouraged in many circles and is widespread. Others are slaves to possessions. That form of bondage bears the title of materialism. Countless people are enslaved to the expectations of other people. Their bondage comes in the form of an insatiable desire to please people.

Every form of ugly slavery and seductive idolatry diminishes your walk with God. Beloved, the Lord calls you to know His truth and find freedom in Christ. You can break free from enslaving bonds to people, things, work, substances or self-defeating habits. God calls you to the counter-intuitive decision to enslave yourself to Jesus and in doing so you are set free! When I became captivated by the love of Christ and consumed with His expectations for my attitudes and actions, I was set free from conforming to the expectations of others.

Here is how it works: YOUR CHAINS AND IDOLS LOSE THEIR GRIP, WHEN KING JESUS CAPTAINS YOUR SHIP!

For Sunday, March 20, 2016

THIS WEEK'S LESSON 

JOHN 10:7-15, 27-30

This is the third of seven "I AM" statements from the Book of John.

"I am the good shepherd."

Jesus provides protection to his flock!

SEE YOU THIS SUNDAY!!!!!

For Sunday, March 13th, 2016

THIS SUNDAY

MARCH 13th!!!!

Remember to change your clocks!!!

Move them forward !!!

Yes, you will lose one hour of sleep!!!

We will focus on the second of seven "I Am" statements of Jesus; as recorded in the Book of John.

John 8:12-20

"Our Need for Direction"

March 3rd, 2016

THIS SUNDAY

MARCH 7th, 2016

IS

             BREAKFAST SUNDAY!!!!!!!

We will be studying 

John 6:26-27, 35-40

The Pat Howard SS Class

LAST WEEK - FEB. 7th, 2016

We had a great Sunday with different breakfast dishes. Everything was terrific!

We continued with our study from the "Sermon on the Mount."
Our lesson was focused on the scripture of Matthew 5:21-26

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

Mrs. Pat will continue the study as we focus on Matthew 5:27-32. 

The title of our lesson is "Distinct in My Relationships."

The Setting for This Week's Lesson

1.       Jesus’ longest recorded sermon, the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5—7),

a.       Details given to kingdom citizens, Christians, how we should live—

b.       We should be distinct, living above the norms of the world.  

2.   Jesus began this Sermon by listing actions and attitudes that are blessed by God and that cause us to be distinctive in our character (the Beatitudes, 5:3-12).  

3.   He continued by commanding His followers to make their influence count for what matters, making them distinct in their influence (v. 13-20).  

4.   Jesus concluded this section by stressing that the “greater righteousness” of those who follow Him should surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees (v. 20).

5.     In Matthew 5:21-48 Jesus explained that “greater righteousness” by citing six examples from the Law and showing what God intended those laws to do so that a person could “be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect” (v. 48). 

a.       Murder (v. 21)

b.       Adultery (v. 27-30)

c.        Divorce (v. 31-32)

d.       Oaths (v. 33-37)

e.       Retaliation (v. 38-42)

f.         Love & Hate (v. 43-48) 

6.    In the first of these examples, Jesus taught believers to take the lead in resolving conflict, making them distinct from the world by their approach to conflict (v. 21-26).  

7.     This week’s study deals with verse 27-32, in which Jesus commanded Christians to hold on to sexual and marriage purity at all costs so that they would be distinct in their relationships.

Breakfast Sunday

Last Sunday was fantastic!!!!
RENEWAL SUNDAY....
There were "a lot" of people in the class!


THIS SUNDAY IS BREAKFAST SUNDAY!

FEBRUARY 7th

LET'S MEET GOD FOR

We are studying Matthew 5: 21-26

The title for this week's lesson is

"DISTINCT IN MY APPROACH TO CONFLICT"