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December 2, 2012

WELCOME!
WE'RE GLAD YOU'RE HERE

We 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 and 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.

FAMILY NEWS

POTLUCK TODAY — It is the first Sunday of the month, and we have the joy of a fellowship potluck — good food, good friends, and the joy of being with brothers and sisters in Christ. We have plenty, so plan to stay and eat with us.

FLOAT HELP NEEDED — Every year Dowagiac has a large community Christmas parade. We have participated for a number of years showing our support for the community and being a part of the celebration. Last year Bill Gibson led the whole town in the singing of Christmas music. Our “float” is a hay wagon with lights on the wagon and the van, and us singing a few songs and waving and exchanging with the crowd. We also get an annoucement made as we go by the reviewing stand of who we are and what we are about. We need you on the float to be a part of this. This Friday we will be in the line of floats and we need you there by 6:45. Bring a blanket and warm clothes.

COAT GIVE AWAY — Another thing we do every year is give coats to children who don not have winter coats and whose families cannot afford them. We can get them wholesale December 7 and 8 and we plan to get some $500 worth of coats. More later.

TODAY'S LESSON

POWER IN THE TIME OF CRISIS

Acts 12:1 – 17

INTRODUCTION
A. Life is nearly always in some crisis.
B. Do we “lose our religion” or “use our religion”?
C. 1 Corinthians 10:3 – 4
D. The Bible is full of success stories of how God acts.
1. Our story today is Peter in an impossible mess.
2. Peter is going to be killed — Acts 12:1 – 3.
3. This is unfair and political.
4. This is his third time in prison (Acts 4, 5).
APPROACHES TO THE IMPOSSIBLE
A. What solution do you think Peter had in mind?
1. He is not going to be pardoned.
2. He is under a quaternion of soldiers.
3. He is in darkness, chains, between two guards.
B. He is sleeping — angel has to wake him up (verse 7)
1. Can you sleep when you are about to die? How?
C. The church is praying without ceasing (Verse 5)
1. Have we given up on people in tough situations?
2. We do not shoot our wounded.
3. We need to pray without ceasing for the “impossible”
BE PREPARED FORTHE OPPORTUNITY GOD OFFERS (verse 7ff).
A. Peter has to act — God simply gives an opportunity.
1. 1 Corinthians 10:13
2. A light shines in the darkness.
3. Peter comes to his senses (vs 11).
B. God can solve your problems, but will not force you.
THE CHURCH'S REACTION IS UNBELIEF (Verses 12 – 17).
A. They prayed, but lacked faith — do we?
B. Peter declares what God has done (verse 17).
1. Look what God has done among us.
DO NOT DENY THE POWER OF GOD.
A. Allow prayer to be a part of how you deal with life.
B. Galatians 6:2
1. We extend an invitation to allow this to happen.
2. Share — act — use your faith.

THE BACK PAGE

IT MATTERS

It is great to be home after 4,126 miles of travel. One nice thing about working with different congregations of the church is to see what is being done and how it is being done. Our first stop on our November trip was in Holly Hill, Florida, near Daytona Beach. This congregation is on US Highway 1 and in the center of a huge tourist area. The crime rate is high and the number of homeless people is huge. I met a number of homeless people who were from Michigan and said they came to Florida so that they could sleep in a place where there was no snow. The congregation there has a wonderful outreach to these folks, with a class or support group meeting every day in their building. Every night when we went to our meeting there was at least one other group meeting in the building. It matters how we use our facility, and I hope we can find more ways to use our meeting place to serve the community.

Our second stop was in Lafayette, Louisiana, where Glynn Langston, the blind missionary we have had visit with us, lives. The congregation there sponsors Glynn's work in reaching the blind which is international in scope. The congregation is about the same size as ours and supports Glynn as you have supported our work. They are growing and have a great reputation in the community. Our third stop was a meeting with Buck Griffith and James Curry who have operated the jail ministry in Texas for almost 50 years. We support the jail ministry in our area financially, and have many prisoners taking our correspondence courses. Both of these works are bearing great fruit for the Lord, and are functioning where no one else is working. Dealing with the issues of the blind and the incarcerated are difficult fields that the secular world has no interest in. It matters what you believe and what you support, and being a part of works like this should encourage us all.