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November 9, 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.

THANKS: To everyone who came to Audrey Gibson's birthday party at Timbers Wednesday evening. What a great time to celebrate 95 years of life on the part of a great Christian woman. It was a great learning experience just to be in her presence.

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?

 Sound on icon

John Clayton
INTRODUCTION — REVIEW OF THE LAST TWO WEEKS
A. WEEK 1 — Man has a soul.
1. Genesis 1:26 – 27
2. We are all identical twins — spiritually.
B. WEEK 2 — Romans 8:16; Acts 2:38 — Promises about the Spirit — what the indwelling of the Spirit does for us.
I. THE HOLY SPIRIT FUNCTIONS IN TWO CATEGORIES.
A. God's direct action in the creation —  Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2
B. In reference to man — Genesis 1:26; Romans 8:16
1. Indwelling and gifts both exist
II. IN THE HISTORY OF THE EARLY CHURCH — SPECIAL GIFTS
A. Religious con artists have always existed.
1. Acts 19 and Acts 8:9 – 11
B. There was no defense before Bible — who to believe?
1. Hebrews 2:3 – 4
C. When God's Word came, validation was no longer needed.
1. 1 Corinthians 13:8 – 10 — Perfection was not heaven.
a. 2 Tlmothy 3:16 – 17; Revelation 21:1; 2 Peter 3:10 – 13
III. MIRACULOUS GIFTS CAME DIRECTLY FROM APOSTLES.
A. 1 Timothy 4:14 —laying on of hands of presbytery (elders)
1. Acts 8:14 – 19 — not by preachers
B. 1 Corinthians 12:1 – 13 — Gifts powered the work of the church.
1. Gifts ended when Word came — 1 Corinthians 13:8 – 10
IV. SATAN USES HUMAN EGO TO CORRUPT USE OF GIFTS.
A. 1 Corinthians 14:1, 20, 33, 40
B. Confusing history of early church with today is bad.
1. Mark 16:17 – 18
2. 1 Corinthians 12:12 – 27
V. ARE YOU A FUNCTIONING PART OF GOD'S ONE BODY?


THE BACK PAGE

THE HOLY SPIRIT

Our lesson this morning is the final lesson in a three-part series on the Holy Spirit. In lesson 1 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. What sets man apart is his spiritual makeup. We are created in the image of God we have an eternal soul. In our lesson 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 he will do only that which promotes his existence.

In lesson 2 we discussed what the indwelling of the Holy Spirit means. We saw it was promised in John 14:1 – 18 and Acts 2:38 – 39, but we also saw it can be grieved (or strangled) in Ephesians 4:30. We then looked at the ways the indwelling helps us as Christians. That it cleanses us (1 John 1:7 – 8), it helps our understanding (1 Corinthians 2:13 – 16), it helps our prayer life (Romans 8:26 – 28), and it brings us to fulfilling lives (Acts 9:15; John 9:3).

Today we look at “spiritual gifts.” Humans have a tendency to substitute mysticism for faith. We tend to want God to force solutions on our lives and give us gifts which elevate us above our peers. This happened in Corinth, and 1 Corinthians 12 – 14 deals with this abuse. In today's world this problem continues. People want a miraculous experience that elevates them and gives them special recognition, or they want a feeling of special consideration by God. The whole New Testament works against this view of faith. Galatians addresses this struggle that existed in Paul's day and still does today. “If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself without comparing himself to somebody else. Each should carry his own load” |Galatians 6:3). Galatians 3:26 – 29 talks about being free of labels and of all being equal. Spiritual gifts should not be a source of division and conflict.

— John Clayton


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Our sign on the street

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