June 16, 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

FAMILY FUN FAIR A WEEK FROM THIS SATURDAY: June 29 is upon us and a lot of work has been done as we head into the last days of preparation. This will be our last bulletin for June as the Claytons start a campaign effort in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this next Friday. That effort continues through Sunday with both John and Cindy speaking. They will then visit John's brother who is recovering from his heart surgery and they will celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary as they return home in time for Family Fun Fair. We will have guest speakers on the 23rd and 30th.

As we get closer to the Family Fun Fair there will be announcements made about special needs as we set up on the 28th and the morning of the 29th. Sister congregations have been contacted and many of them are bringing workers for the Family Fun Fair from 1:00 to 4:00 on Saturday afternoon.

Needless to say, we need everyone here on the 29th. In many cases we just need someone to keep an eye on what is going on. You do not have to be in good physical condition, nor do you have to do anything. If you have a Church of Christ T-shirt, please wear it that Saturday.

This is a great opportunity to put the congregation in front of the city of Dowagiac, and let them know who we are and what we do. Please be a part of it.

TODAY'S LESSON

FATHER'S DAY
John Clayton

INTRODUCTION — The history of Father's Day

A. Franciscans in 14th century had celebration.

March 19 — celebrated role of fathers (feast day of Jesus' father, Joseph).

B. In U.S. in 1907 after Monongah, West Virginia, mining disaster

July 5, 1908 — 1000 kids left with no father.

C. Harry Meek of Lions Club in 1915
D. 1966 — Lyndon Johnson proclaimed “Father's Day.”

I. IN OLD TESTAMENT TIMES THE ROLE OF “FATHER”

A. Son's place was determined by his father.

1. Saul and Jonathon.
2. Solomon and Rohoboam — 1 Kings 11:43
3. Jesus and Joseph — “The carpenter's son.”

B. Frequently competitive — David and Absalom.
C. Being a father — a mark of manhood — Psalm 127:3-5

II. MANY MEN TODAY DO NOT UNDERSTAND THEIR ROLE AS A CHRISTIAN FATHER.

A. Ephesians 6:4 and Colossians 3:21.
B. 1 Timothy 5:8

III. A GREAT BIBLICAL EXAMPLE OF FATHERHOOD:

A. LUKE 15:11-31
B.Background — Deuteronomy 21:17

1. Many younger sons left — caused much stress.
2. In today's culture it is even more complex.

C. The younger son blows it. Severs his relationships.
D. Verse 20 — Fathers never give up on their kids.

1. “A great way off” — see Acts 2:39; Ephesians 2:13, 17
2. Job 1:5

E. Fathers are pros at forgiveness after repentance.

1. No questions about the past.
2. Best robe (white, a symbol of repentance)
3. Ring on hand — a symbol of authority
4. Shoes on feet — symbol of freedom
5. Feast of welcome — Genesis 18:6-8

IV. THE WORLD'S RESPONSE — SHOCK, CONDEMNATION

A. Luke 15:27-32 — No sense, not fair, but it is love.

1. You are the prodigal. Friends?
2. You are the prodigal.

THE BACK PAGE

HOW DO PEOPLE KNOW US?

It has always been a mystery to me that active Christians will cherry pick the commands of Jesus. What I mean by that is that folks seem to pick out what commands of Jesus they will obey and what commands they will ignore. We have always had this going on in the modern church, and it was a problem in the days of Paul. We have a lot of folks that do not seem to understand that when Jesus and Paul encouraged us to obey God, one of the things to be obeyed was unity. “A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34-35). This command is repeated over and over by Christ in passages like John 17:20-26.

Paul repeatedly called the early Christians to unity. 1 Corinthians 1:10 finds Paul begging the church in Corinth to be one. Ephesians 4:1-6; Galatians 3:28; 1 Peter 3:8; Philemon 2:1, 2; and many other passages repeat the call to be one. Paul devotes a whole chapter in Romans 14 to giving Christians a basis for unity by not focusing on ways to cause division. Verse 19 says “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace, and to mutual edifications.”

Working for unity is not just a nice thing to do, it is a COMMAND of Jesus Christ. In Matthew 20:25-27 Jesus points out that in the world people struggle to be number one. Then he says, “Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave — just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, … .”

So how do people know us? Does the passage in John 13:34-35 define us? Is our love for one another and our desire to put others ahead of ourselves shine so brightly that people in the world who know us recognize that Jesus is making us different from them and giving us something they need and want to have? Or do they see selfish ambition and power struggles just like the world they want out of? We need to pray about this — each of us.

— John Clayton

Our sign by the street!

Free Family Fun Fair, June 29 1:00 to 4:00 Everyone welcome!

This sign's saying is from various places.

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