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April 22, 2018

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

THANKS to everyone who helped with the highway cleanup. The weather was not good to us this year, but I believe this is the first time we had rain on a scheduled cleanup date, so we really cannot complain.

THANKS to Karl and Julie Marcussen for going to the trouble of maintaining a sheet that tells us who needs our prayers and who we need to call or visit. Be sure you get it every Sunday and then use it.

DATES TO PUT ON YOUR CALENDAR

  • BIRTHDAY PARTY THIS WEDNESDAY. Some of you know Tim Clayton, John and Phyllis's foster son, who is multiply handicapped and living on the south side of South Bend/Mishawaka. His birthday is Wednesday, and if you are on the south side of South Bend around 5:00 on Wednesday, stop by his apartment to wish him a happy birthday (no gifts). It is drop in from 5:00 – 6:30 PM and subs, cake and ice cream will be provided.
  • May 6 — Potluck and our worship service at Timbers
  • May 13 — Mother's Day
  • May 26 – 27 — Willie Franklin will be here at the Youth Rally, which is from 9:00 AM through 5:00 PM Saturday, and he will be at our Sunday morning class and worship. We will need workers to help with lunch and activities, and all of our young people need to be in attendance.
  • June 16 — Fun Fair

TODAY'S LESSON

HOPE

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1 John 3:1-3

John Clayton
INTRODUCTION — What do you hope for? — SONG: "Whispering Hope"
A. Hebrews 11:1 — “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
1. Hope is not seen, but its presence is clear.
2. The last thing that dies is hope.
3. When you lose hope bad words apply.
B. The word “hope” is used in 150 verses in the Bible;
86 in the New Testament — more than half.
C. Three questions about “hope”
1. What is the hope to which John appeals?
2. How can we know we have this hope?
3. What difference does it make?
I. WHAT IS THE HOPE TO WHICH JOHN APPEALS?
A. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 — look at verse 13;
The transition promised by Jesus Christ.
B. Verse 18 — encourage with a message of change.
What can we offer to the world — Timbers, etc.?
II. HOW CAN WE KNOW WE HAVE THIS HOPE?
A. Biblical hope is EXPECTATION, NOT SPECULATION
No expression of doubt in the biblical message
B. 1 John 1:7 — prelude to the expectation
C. 2 Peter 1:10 — a promise from almighty God — SONG: "Whispering Hope"
D. Do we trust God? Do we believe what he says?
III. THAT DIFFERENCE HOPE MAKES IN HOW WE LIVE?
A. 2 Peter 1:3-9 — Verse 4 — a promise of God
B. Hope provides a radiated attitude toward life.
1 Peter 3:15 — “The HOPE you have … ”
C. Hope provides an anchor for the soul — SONG: "Will You Anchor Hold?"
1. We know who we are.
2. We know what we are.
3. We know where we are going.
D. How do you live without these anchors?
IV. WHAT IS YOUR HOPE? — Retirement, dying without pain
A. Hope of physical relief is a shallow hope.
B. 1 John 3:1-3
C. Is God's promise your hope?


THE BACK PAGE

IS GIVING AN ACT OF WORSHIP?

I am always encouraged when there is some indication that members of the congregation are reading the Christian literature that is in the lobby. Some of those periodicals are mailed to us without our request for them, but we always read them to make sure they are consistent with what the Bible teaches before we put them in the lobby. The weekly journal called Gospel Minutes we do subscribe to and pay for. It is written by people we know and has scriptural articles that encourage, inform, and are always biblically based. Recently I received a note concerning an article in the Gospel Minutes (April 13, 2018 issue) on giving. In the article Clem Thurman maintains that giving is an act of worship, and the note to me said that they believed giving was a personal act of worship you did at home, not a worship act of the corporate church.

The first point that needs to be raised here is that we do have indication in the Bible that giving was done as an act of worship. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 16:2, “On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.” He tells us in 2 Corinthians 8:1-3 that the collection and distribution of funds was done by the congregation as a whole.

More to the point is the question of whether worship is confined to Sunday morning. When you pray privately is it worship? Of course it is. If you sing a hymn as you work or drive your car, is it worship? I would suggest that it is. Corporate worship is not the only worship that should be a part of our lives. There are things we gain by being in corporate worship, and last week we talked about why we need to be in that worship; but I have sat in a mountain pass and been overwhelmed by all that I saw and I have worshiped God alone. Jesus did that as did the apostles. Remember Peter in Acts 10:9 was praying alone.

I personally do most of my financial giving at home, but I also give on Sunday morning. My most important giving is of my time and energy through the week, and giving like time does not just happen on Sunday morning.

— John Clayton


Our sign by the street!

Spring has sprung! Will you faith bloom?

Sign saying from Hebrews 11:1 (KJV)


Scripture links/references are from BibleGateway.com.


www.dowagiaccoc.org
05/02/2018