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January 1,
2012We are a group of believers who simply try to follow the Bible as a guide for all we do. Everything done in our worship service is something for which we have a Bible basis. You are welcome to participate as much or as little as you wish. We will sing hymns together and we will observe the Lord's Supper or Communion together. We will also have an opportunity to give to the work of God in this area. This collection is for the members here, and if you are visiting you should not feel any pressure to give. Our lesson time will be divided into two groups. The young children will go to our classroom area in the basement where they will be taught the Bible at a level they can understand. The adults will stay in the auditorium for a lesson at an adult level. We do try to serve the community, and if you have some needs that we can help you with, mention it to one of the members. Thank you for worshipping with us.
FAMILY NEWS
NO CLASS TONIGHT, NO POTLUCK TODAY. Because so many are out of town, we will not have services here tonight nor will we have our normal "first Sunday potluck." Both of these will be held next Sunday, so bring a dish next Sunday morning, and Dick Hoyt will resume his class on James at the evening service next Sunday.
USE OUR WEB SITE. Most of us are online at one time or another, and some of us may not know that there is a website that is maintained for the congregation by Karl Marcussen. The bulletin is always provided on the site, plus any special announcements or current news. If you are unable to get to services, you can use the website and the sermon outline for your own private study. In your personal quiet time this can be a great tool. The address is dowagiaccoc.org. Take a look at the site and use it. Our thanks to Karl for managing this site.
HAPPY
NEW YEAR !!!!
TODAY'S
LESSON
WELCOME TO 2012
We are glad that you are with us today, as we celebrate the start of a new year. This is a time of hope and anticipation for our country, our city, and this congregation. We all hope that the financial crisis that has gripped our country will end this year. We all hope that we will see all war end this year. We dream that perhaps Democrats and Republicans will get past party politics and focus on the needs of America. We are optimistic that the state in which we live will finally begin to grow economically and that employment will grow so that everyone has a job.
Important as these things are, they are not of eternal significance. We can make resolutions to lose weight or be more disciplined in some area of our lives, but if we fail in those resolutions the world will not end. Perhaps the goals of greatest significance are the goals that we have for this congregation. The church here has made great progress in the past several years, and some good things have been accomplished. We have improved our facilities, made our approaches to the community more visible, engaged Satan in some critical areas such as feeding the hungry, and have organized our teaching and preaching in such a way that the needs of men and women in the area are being addressed.
In 2012 we need to make some growth in critical areas. Perhaps the biggest need we have here is the need to get more people involved in leadership. A congregation that has just a few people doing all of the leading and decision making is a congregation that is likely to cease to exist in the near future. A few deaths, someone moving to another location, sickness developing in a family--all of these things can bring the work to a grinding halt if others are not trained and ready to step in and take over.
Leadership comes in many forms. It can involve men qualifying themselves to be elders. It can be the hiring of someone who can devote full time to leadership in evangelism. It can be men and women getting involved in existing works, learning how they function, and taking responsibility to carry on that work. May I urge you to pray that God will bless you with an understanding of how you can be more involved in the leadership this congregation desperately needs.
CROSSING
THE "RED SEA OF LIFE"
INTRODUCTION
Life is full of dark times.
YOU CAN'T HAVE
LIGHT, DARKNESS AT THE SAME TIMEEcclesiastes
1:1-3, 14
Job 3:1-4 and 11-26
Psalm 10:1-11
The uniqueness
of light is also a biblical
theme.Job 3:1-4 and 11-26
Psalm 10:1-11
Genesis
1:3
John 8:12
John 12:46
1 John 1:5
Sometimes
light comes to us in strange
ways.John 8:12
John 12:46
1 John 1:5
Gabriel
Gifford-- say "light."
Sing "This little light of mine."
Will this be a
year of light or a year of
dark?Sing "This little light of mine."
Logical
and biblical Truth
You cannot be waist deep in light, neck deep, etc.
God's absoluteness is clear in scripture
THE EXODUS FROM
EGYPT, AS AN EXAMPLE You cannot be waist deep in light, neck deep, etc.
God's absoluteness is clear in scripture
The history--no one remembers
when they were not in slavery.
They have adjusted to an
enslaved lifestyle.
God does not half-deliver people.
WHAT DO YOU TAKE
WITH YOU?
Exodus 14:11-12; Exodus 16:3
We have become
enslaved to our culture.
We cannot comprehend freedom
any more than they.
The opportunity
for freedom arrives.God does not half-deliver people.
Exodus 14:21-31
Cannot send a kid back to Egypt to pick up your watch.
They either get free or they do not--us too.
Cannot send a kid back to Egypt to pick up your watch.
They either get free or they do not--us too.
Israelites took what they
could load on a cart.
Exodus 15:20--took tambourines to celebrate.
We cannot take our past with us.
Exodus 15:20--took tambourines to celebrate.
Praise
and joy should be a part of
freedom.
They could not
take the past with them. We cannot take our past with us.
Romans 6:3-4--All things
become new.
Like Israel--thank God for salvation.
Like Israel--thank God for salvation.
WELCOME TO 2012
We are glad that you are with us today, as we celebrate the start of a new year. This is a time of hope and anticipation for our country, our city, and this congregation. We all hope that the financial crisis that has gripped our country will end this year. We all hope that we will see all war end this year. We dream that perhaps Democrats and Republicans will get past party politics and focus on the needs of America. We are optimistic that the state in which we live will finally begin to grow economically and that employment will grow so that everyone has a job.
Important as these things are, they are not of eternal significance. We can make resolutions to lose weight or be more disciplined in some area of our lives, but if we fail in those resolutions the world will not end. Perhaps the goals of greatest significance are the goals that we have for this congregation. The church here has made great progress in the past several years, and some good things have been accomplished. We have improved our facilities, made our approaches to the community more visible, engaged Satan in some critical areas such as feeding the hungry, and have organized our teaching and preaching in such a way that the needs of men and women in the area are being addressed.
In 2012 we need to make some growth in critical areas. Perhaps the biggest need we have here is the need to get more people involved in leadership. A congregation that has just a few people doing all of the leading and decision making is a congregation that is likely to cease to exist in the near future. A few deaths, someone moving to another location, sickness developing in a family--all of these things can bring the work to a grinding halt if others are not trained and ready to step in and take over.
Leadership comes in many forms. It can involve men qualifying themselves to be elders. It can be the hiring of someone who can devote full time to leadership in evangelism. It can be men and women getting involved in existing works, learning how they function, and taking responsibility to carry on that work. May I urge you to pray that God will bless you with an understanding of how you can be more involved in the leadership this congregation desperately needs.