February 3, 2019

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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

REMEMBER THE REST OF THE DAY TODAY!

After services — Potluck — we have plenty of food!

2:30 — Timbers worship service. We need singers.

5:45 — Our normal study in Proverbs — 15 minutes early

7:15 — Superbowl party at Claytons' — pizza, popcorn, and drinks provided.

NEXT SATURDAY — BREAKFAST BUFFET AND WORK DAY! At 9:00 next Saturday morning we will get together for a time of eating and enjoying each other's company, and then we will organize into work parties to prepare the building for the new construction. Plan to be here and enjoy good food, good company, and getting the first step in fixing our building's problems done.

WEATHER PROCEDURE. If the weather is bad for any service we have we will use a phone tree to advise everyone of whether services are canceled or not. The Gibsons are the closest ones to the building and will make the final decision based on road conditions in Dowagiac. If services are canceled we have a phone tree set up where anyone who attends regularly will be called. If you have doubts, call the Gibsons at 782-4564 or the Claytons at 687-9426.

TODAY'S LESSON

HAVING A HEALTHY HEART
John Clayton

INTRODUCTION — Romans 10:10; Matthew 15:17-20, and the SONG: “Purer in Heart, O God”

A. Definition: “The seat of emotion” — Webster — what we really feel, how we think, and what we are.
B. We can influence our heart.

I. A WILLING HEART — Exodus 35:5

A. Acts spontaneously and gladly, not of necessity.
B. 2 Corinthians 9:7 — “In his heart” — If you cannot give cheerfully, do not give!

II. A PERFECT (COMPLETE) HEART — 1 Chronicles 29:9 — Be sincere, genuine, involved. Be a WE not a they.
III. HAVE A TENDER (RESPONSIVE) HEART — 2 Chronicles 34:27.

A. What is your reaction to what you hear from God?
B. Are you a “yeah, but” person? Or yielding, pliable?

IV. DO NOT FEAR HAVING A BROKEN HEART — Psalm 34:18.

A. Can you feel sorrow over sin or are you defensive?
B. Psalm 51:3-4

V. MAKE UNITY WITH GOD A GOAL — Psalm 86:11.

A. Do not have a divided heart — Matthew 22:37.
B. 2 Corinthians 6:14 — Be careful what you are “yoked to.”

1. Good causes can go bad.
2. Lots of things clamor for our allegiance.

C. Plan your relationship to God — have some dreams.

VI. ENLARGE YOUR HEART — Matthew 9:35-36 — Do you care about … ?
VII. HAVE A HEART AT PEACE — Proverbs 14:30.

A. Know why you (we) do what we do — Crowd out cynicism.
B. Ask questions, be involved in answers.

VIII. HAVE A PURE HEART WITH AN OPTIMISTIC SPIRIT.

A. Proverbs 15:15
B. Matthew 5:8 — Be positive, hate evil (not prudish)!

IX. WORK TOWARD BEING 100% TRUE — Hebrews 10:22 — Genuine — Church is not about show.
X. HAVE AN HONEST AND GOOD HEART — Luke 8:15

A. What kind of soil are you?
B. Are you willing to be changed by the Word?
C. Does your faith change you?

THE BACK PAGE

THE BEST AND THE WORST

Well, we survived the coldest winter period that we have had in Michiana in a long time. There were lots of warnings about how cold it was going to get, and on Tuesday most of us were stocking up on things to help us survive the -20 + or - degree temperatures. What was interesting to me was to listen to people as they talked about what they were going to do during the coldest stretch, because many businesses were closed as well as schools.

As I was checking out at Martin's I noticed the guy in front of me had a cart full of beer and several bottles of whiskey. “I'm getting all the antifreeze I can,” he said laughing to me. The woman in front of him said, “I'm going to barricade myself in and watch all the movies I have rented, and I'm not even going to answer the phone.”

On the way home I listened to the local news. There were stories about people being taken to the Hope shelter on Michigan Street in South Bend. There was a guy who was interviewed who said if someone was having furnace trouble and needed help, he was licensed and would come and fix it for them free. There was another guy who was offering to take seniors who were afraid of driving in the snow and cold to doctors' appointments.

One of the most beautiful passages in the teachings of Jesus to me is Matthew 25:32-46 where Jesus describes the judgment scene and those who are on his right and his left. Jesus does not describe religious leaders or public speakers in these passages as those who are saved, but rather those who clothed people who needed clothes, those who fed people who needed food, those who ministered to the sick, etc. This latest weather crisis has allowed us to see real Christianity played out in the way people react to the crisis. Some are holing up and looking only after themselves, but some are looking at this crisis as a time to minister to others.

— John Clayton

Our sign by the street!

The Sun melts snow into water, the Son melts our hearts into love!

The quotation on the sign is Julie Marcussen.

Scripture links/references are from BibleGateway.com. Unhighlighted scriptures can be looked up at their website.