The family of God here at Dowagiac Church of Christ wishes to extend to you a warm welcome.  If you have questions about our worship services and why we do what we do, we will be glad to give you a biblical answer.  The uniqueness of the Church of Christ is that we are trying to restore to the best of our ability those things that we see the first century Church doing.  We are also working hard at building the spirit, unity, and love that Jesus taught and prayed for.  We have no clergy, but are working together as equal co-workers trying to serve one another and the area in which we live.  Come study with us, grow with us, and serve with us as we strive to do God’s will in all things.


Remember our Sunday night studies at 6:00 tonight.  We are continuing our study on the miracles of Jesus.  Tonight we will be reviewing the miracles we have studied, and will be seeing the ultimate purpose that each miracle had.  There is a great deal of erroneous teaching and misunderstanding about miracles in our world today.  Join us for these classes and grow and expand your Bible knowledge.
      

LADIES BANQUET!  December 8 at 6:00 the men of the congregation are preparing a special dinner and appreciation program for our ladies.  We want our ladies to know we are thankful for them, that we do not take them for granted, and that we want to honor and communicate our appreciation to them for all they do.  Ladies, if you are coming we need to know!  There are response forms in the lobby—please fill one out and give it to one of the men so we have a space for you and any guest you wish to bring.  Next Sunday is the deadline.  
POTLUCK NEXT SUNDAY.  Do not forget that next Sunday is the first Sunday of the month, and we will have our monthly potluck and fellowship for December.  After the potluck there will be an important meeting for the men to finalize details on the Ladies Banquet.  The ladies will also meet.

What does Thanksgiving mean to you?_________________________________________________________
We have moved from gratitude to entitlement in America.
We jump from one “gimmie” festival to another.
    There is no reason to give thanks if it is owed to us in the first place.
    The hallmark of ownership is worry.
    The hallmark of stewardship is thanksgiving.
GOD HAS A PLAN FOR OUR POSSESSIONS
    Luke 12:18-21--The Rich farmer
        The man’s plan
        The Lord’s plan
        What is our plan?
    Acts 5:1-4--Ananias and Sapphira
        What drove their giving?
        Matthew 6:1-4
        What drives our giving?
    Matthew 19:20-26
                How hard is it to think right when you are blessed
    Revelation 3:17-18
        Are we rich or poor?
        Do we care about our standard of giving as much as we do our standard of living?
TO  GOD, UNADULTERATED GRATITUDE IS THE PUREST FORM OF WORSHIP.
    Thanks occurs 31 times in Psalms--see Psalm 136:1
    Thanks occurs 50 times in New Testament--Ephesians 5:20
    Hebrew--“Towdah”--thanksgiving as a form of worship
    Greek--“Ucharistia”--thanksgiving as a form of worship
Do we understand that our giving is a form of pure worship?
    Give thanks at meals--stop and think
    Give thanks for what we have
Give thanks for Jesus Christ--“I know whom I have believed”
    Give thanks for salvation and the confidence it gives--“It is well with my soul”
Is it?  God offers peace and security.  


There is a lot being said today about the family.  Our government is even having difficulty defining what the family is, what marriage is,  and what rights a family should have.  There is no such problem in the Word of God.  Marriage is defined in Genesis 2:24 very clearly, and that definition is carried all through Scripture.  In Ephesians 5 and 6 Paul talks about responsibilities that we have to one another as husbands, wives, and children.  The passage starts out talking about all of us giving thanks to God for all we have (5:20) and then tells all of us to submit to one another.  That simply means putting the other person first, and the key to successful families is learning to do that.  Wives are told to respect their husbands in the same way that the Church submits to Jesus (5:22-24).  Husbands are told to love their wives as Jesus loves the Church and that means being willing to die for their wives (5:25).  Verse 28 goes on to elevate men’s love for their wives to loving their wives as they do their own bodies and verse 31 takes us back to Genesis 2:24.  

In Chapter 6 children are told to “Obey your parents in the Lord.”  The implication is clear that without God in the life of all members of the family, obedience, respect, submission, and the kind of relationships that we all want will not happen.  We hear people complaining about their kids, their mates, and their families, and yet they continue to deny or participate in the one thing that would bring them what they want!  The Christian family cannot exist without Christ.  Mom and Dad need to worship together and get involved in the work of the Church.  It is vital that we teach our children and provide them with every opportunity to grow in strong Christian faith.  You cannot build a house if you do not pick up a hammer and saw and start the construction process.  You cannot have the kind of family you want if you do not do some construction.  Be sure your family is here and taking advantage of every learning opportunity available.  Our teachers work hard to have solid Bible classes for all ages.  We need you and your family to be here to take advantage of them.