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March 6, 2016

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.


FAMILY NEWS

POTLUCK TODAY: It is the first Sunday of March, so we are taking advantage of it to have our monthly potluck. We have lots of food, so if you did not bring anything, do not let that stop you from staying and eating with us. We also are celebrating the birthdays of Elijah Hernandez, Rose Marlin, Molly and Annabelle Wheeler, and Austin Castaneda who are all March celebrants. We enjoy singing to our birthday folks, so come and be a part of a happy time.

TIMBERS TODAY: We have been having a growing group at Timbers, and today at 2:30 we will have another worship service with the residents and staff. We need singers and people who will greet the residents and take them to their rooms when the service is over. It is only about 30 minutes, but it brings a great deal of joy and love to people, some of whom are isolated and in need of knowing someone cares. We have songbooks, communion, and leaders — we just need people who care and will give some time.


TODAY'S LESSON

ADVERSITY

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John Clayton

INTRODUCTION
A. Church is always involved with problems.
1. Death, health, illness, injuries
2. Poverty, broken families, misfortune
B. We need to balance this with joy, success, etc.
C. Our attitude affects how we deal with life.
1. Blame God — bitterness towards God
2. We fail to see the good things — look at blessings.
3. Denial, anger, blame
4. Rash actions — running out, selling out
D. The Bible instructs us in this area of life.
I. ADVERSITY BRINGS A TOTAL DEPENDENCE ON GOD.
A. Job's story gives us several approaches
B. Job's friends try to explain it away.
1. Eliphaz — Job 4 – 5 — Theological explanation
2. Bildad — Job 8 — Philosophical explanation
3. Zophar — Job 11 — Political explanation
4. Elihu — Job 32 — Psychological explanation
C. Job's wife blames God — despair — Job 2:9.
D. Job never fails to believe God will give an answer.
E. Israel had a hard time believing what God can do.
1. Deuteronomy 1:21; Joshua 1:5 – 9 — God's promise
2. Deuteronomy 1:26 – 28 — They do not trust what God can do.
3. Result is 40 years — doubters die
F. Next time the situation is equally bad — Exodus 14:9ff
G. Israel trusts God (and Moses) — Exodus 14:31.
H. What does it take to make me trust God?
II. ADVERSITY — A MEANS OF SPREADING THE WORD
A. Acts 7 – Acts 8:4
B. 2 Corinthians 4:8 – 10
C. Analogy — Palmetto Pine and Douglas Fir
1. Wars, domestic violence
D. Philippians 3:10 – 14
1. What can you do now that you could not do a year ago, or ten years ago?
2. Does it take a tragedy to get us busy ?


THE BACK PAGE

THE CHRISTIAN AND POLITICS

We are all caught up as a country with the rhetoric of politicians as they try to convince us to vote for them. Some denominations have endorsed a candidate and expect their members to conform to the endorsement. It is not the job of the church to tell you how to vote.

In the days of Christ and of Paul, the political system was brutal and violent. In spite of that, Jesus told his followers to “Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's” (Matthew 22:21). Paul writes in Romans 13 that we are all to submit to “the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.” He goes on to say that a person who resists authority “is rebelling against what God has established and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves” (verse 2). He also says that the magistrate is God's minister and obeying is the right thing to do (verse 5). How could Paul say such strong things when the government of his day was so corrupt and immoral? Why would Jesus and Paul not commend those who were in opposition to Rome?

The rest of Romans 13 talks about Christians loving one another (verses 8 – 11), about being honest (verse 13), and avoiding the obsession the world has with alcohol, lewdness, and violence. The chapter ends with Paul telling us to clothe ourselves with Christ and make no provisions for earthy cravings (verse 14). Material promises by candidates are not as important as their position on the moral issues of the twenty-first century.

As an American, it is a civic duty and is hopefully based on what you believe about righteous living. Your vote should not be a one issue vote, but should be based on knowing the candidates beliefs and character.

— John Clayton


Our sign by the street!

Our sign on the street, which says You are free to choose, but you are not free from the consequence of your choice.


Sign saying from www.jesus-is-lord-the-way-the-truth-the-life.com