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November 2, 2014

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. Thank you for worshipping with us.

POTLUCKTODAY: This is the first Sunday of the month and we will have our monthly potluck after services today. Plan to stay and enjoy a great meal and special time together.

CHRISTMAS FLOAT — SAVE DECEMBER 5 when we will have a Christmas float in the city holiday parade. We need everyone there for this event, so please mark it on your calendar. All you need to do is sit on a hay bale on a wagon, smile, wave, wish people in Dowagiac a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and join all of us in singing “Jingle Bells” and a few Christmas carols — sheet music provided.

WINTER COAT PROJECT COMING UP: Every year we buy a large number of winter coats wholesale and give them to children in the area who do not have a warm winter coat. We need other people involved in this project besides Bill and Patty Gibson. We can get the coats from several different sources, so contact Bill or Patty and volunteer to get the coats and help distribute them. The church pays for the coats, we just need workers to get them and distribute them.

TODAY'S LESSON

WHAT IS THE INDWELLING
OF THE SPIRIT AND
HOW DOES WORK IN US?

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John Clayton
INTRODUCTION
A. Genesis 1:26 – 27
1. Cannot be a physical likeness or we would all look the same. John 4:24 — “God is a Spirit.”
B. We are all identical twins — spiritually.
1. Man is not just an animal — he has a soul.
2. Vital to what the worth of a human being is.
C. Romans 8:16; Acts 2:38 — Promises about the Spirit
D. Erroneous claims about the “Indwelling of the Spirit”
I. THE HOLY SPIRIT FUNCTIONS IN TWO CATEGORIES.
A. God's direct action in the creation
1. Genesis 1:1, 1:2 — Always with a verb
2. In Creation itself — Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2
3. In the establishment of the Church — next week
B. In the daily lives of Christians — John 14:13 – 18; 15:26
1. Acts 2:38 – 39 — Promise made to all Christians
2. We frustrate God's Spirit by not using it — Ephesians 4:30.
II. THE INDWELLING OF THE SPIRIT CLEANSES US.
A. 1 John 1:7 – 8
B. Romans 7:14 – 8:1
III. THE INDWELLING HELPS OUR UNDERSTANDING.
A. 1 Corinthians 2:13 – 16
B. 1 John “Walking in the light” versus “in the dark” — 1 John 2:11
C. Helps us deal with life — Job 42:1 – 6
IV. THE INDWELLING HELPS OUR PRAYER LIFE.
A. Romans 8:26 — Have you ever not known what to ask?
V. THE INDWELLING BRINGS US TO FULFILLING LIVES.
A. Paul in Acts 9:15; The blind man in John 9:1 – 3
B. How fulfilled are you in your life?


THE BACK PAGE

THE HOLY SPIRIT

Our lesson this morning is the second in a three-part series on the Holy Spirit. Last Sunday we talked about our soul. We saw that there is massive scientific evidence that what distinguishes man from all other forms of life on this planet is not our biology or our chemistry. Man's creative ability in art and music, his ability to be taught to think, his capacity to feel guilt and sympathy and compassion cannot be explained in terms of our brains or our genes. If apes are 99% the same as us genetically, and if our genetics was what caused us to do the things we just mentioned, then apes should do 99% of what we do; but in spite of the best efforts of sociologists and psychologists, this just does not happen.

What sets man apart is his spiritual makeup. We are created in the image of God. In our lesson last week we concluded that this is of massive importance. If man is just an animal and if “survival of the fittest” is what controls our destiny and our role in life, then giving to others, caring for others, serving others makes no sense. If man is just an animal and not spiritually unique then I will do only that which promotes my existence. There have been books written by well educated atheists like Richard Dawkins and Peter Singer to promote this idea. Recently Dawkins was asked by a pregnant woman what she should do if her child was determined to be a Down's Syndrome child. Dawkins answer to her was “Abort it and try again.” Singer encourages society to empty the mental hospitals and nursing homes by euthanizing the mentally ill, aged, and children with birth defects to balance the national debt.

The fallacy in all of that is very clear to thinking people. What is NOT clear to many of us is how we can have the strength to do what God calls us to do. How can I give sacrificially of my time, money, and energy when I would rather spend all I have on selfish things that I personally would enjoy? How can I deal with the reality of my own existence — my pain, poverty, illness and the unavoidable problems of old age? This is where God sends direct and practical help through the Holy Spirit. People want a flashy miraculous demonstration of the Holy Spirit, rather than a practical understanding that has daily value. That is the subject of our lesson this morning.

— John Clayton


Our sign by the street!

Our sign on the street

Sign saying from www.sayingsforchurchsigns.com