August 5, 2018

Home

Worship Services

Sermons

Location

Contacts

Bulletins

Links

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: Please plan to stay for lunch today. We have plenty of food and it gives us a chance to visit and catch up on things. After the potluck we will conduct a worship service at Timbers at 2:30. We need all the singers we can get, so please help out.

BUSY SUMMER: The past month has been incredibly busy for the congregation here. Beginning with the Fun Fair we have been pushing hard from one project to the next. We want to thank everyone who spent time and energy to help all of these projects be a success. We do not have a major effort for a while now; but, there is some cleanup and follow-up needed on the Cass County Fair. Thanks again for being positive and receptive to all the things that have been going on.

BUILDING PROBLEMS: You may have noticed that our children's classes have been taking place in the fellowship area. The problem is that there have been some erosional issues with the basement of the builidng. Sand has been escaping from under the floor and the building is settling with some walls developing cracks. There is no danger in the upstairs area, but there were concerns about the safety of kids in the downstairs classrooms. Bill Gibson has been working with the insurance company to get this paid for and fixed. It is a complex situation. More later.

TODAY'S LESSON

STICKS AND STONES — WORDS
John Clayton

INTRODUCTION

A. Cute children's line is a lie. Words do hurt.
B. James 3:2-12
C. Trying to take back words is like unringing a bell.
D. Can we work on what we say?

I. WORDS REFLECT THE MATURITY OF THE SPEAKER.

A. James 3:2
B. Knowing when to shut up is a key to management (Proverbs 15:1). Do you have to have
....the last word?
C. Learn to have speech that reconciles — Matthew 5:23-27.
D. Swearing, profanity indicate immaturity.

1. Matthew 5:34-37
2. What is the purpose of swearing?

E. People read our speech — Matthew 26:71-74.
F. We need to grow up in our talk — James 1:19.

II. WORDS REVEAL THE DESIRES OF THE HEART.

A. James 3:3-6 — look at verse 6

1. What happens when a boy tells a girl a dirty joke?
2. What happens when a girl tells a boy a dirty joke?
3. What do songs express about our desires?

B. Ephesians 5:1-12 talks about what Christians are like.

III. WORDS REVEAL THE INFLUENCE OF EVIL.

A. James 3:6-8
B. Be reminded of how much our words can hurt.
C. Realize what our casual conversation says about us — grandparents and kids.
D. Need to understand how we can help each other.

IV. WORDS REVEAL THE CONDITION OF THE SOUL.

A. James 3:9-12
B. 1 Corinthians 15:33
C. James 3:13 — How does a wise man show his wisdom?
D. What do your words say about your soul?

1. James 3:8 — “No man can tame”
2. Romans 10:10 — Your mouth can make confession.

THE BACK PAGE

SINGING

One of the unique characteristics of humans is our ability to use music to express emotions, to worship, to motivate, and to celebrate. When animals “sing” it is not to do any of these things, but rather to attract mates or threaten possible invaders. The first record of singing in the Bible is in Exodus 15 where the Israelites after crossing the Red Sea, sang a song to the Lord. In the Old Testament we are frequently told of singing by Israel (see Numbers 21:17; Judges 5:1, 3; etc.). Israel also used instruments of music in their celebrations (see 1 Kings 10:12; Exodus 15:20; etc.). Most of the Psalms were poems that were intended to be sung, and in fact scholars describe the book of Psalms as “the hymn-book of the Second Temple.”

In the New Testament we have specific examples and commands about our singing. Romans 15:9 tells us “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing the praises of your name.” 1 Corinthians 14:15 finds Paul saying, “I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding.” Ephesians 5:19 tells the Christians, “speaking to one another in psalms, and hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord.” Colossians 3:16 adds “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”

The normal response of people to this is to say, “Yeah, but an orchestra sounds better. They are always on pitch and have good harmony. Our singing is not always on pitch and our song leaders get goofed up every so often.” My question to all of this is to say “How do you know?” Singing is not a spectator sport. If we are worshiping in spirit and in truth we cannot hear whatever imperfections there might be in the song leader's leading.

If we speak to ourselves from the heart, focusing on the words and the message and not worrying about pitch and rhythm, etc., our singing will lift us and encourage us. God does not worry about mechanics, he listens to our hearts.

— John Clayton

Our sign by the street!

Thanks for visiting us at the Cass County Fair! Red Cross Blood Drive--9/8

Scripture links/references are from BibleGateway.com.