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Friday, February 26, 2016

Scripture & Questions for Sunday (2/28/16)

Scripture
Mark 12:1-12 (ESV)  
And he began to speak to them in parables. "A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and went into another country.  [2] When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard.  [3] And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed.  [4] Again he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully.  [5] And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed.  [6] He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'  [7] But those tenants said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.'  [8] And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard.  [9] What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others.  [10] Have you not read this Scripture:
    " 'The stone that the builders rejected
        has become the cornerstone;
    [11] this was the Lord's doing,
        and it is marvelous in our eyes'?"
 [12] And they were seeking to arrest him but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they left him and went away. 

Questions for Reflection

  1. When have you ever been cheated out of something that was rightfully yours?
  2. What was your reaction to a time when you were cheated?
  3. To whom was Jesus speaking? (12:1)
  4. Whom do the farmer, servants, and son in the parable represent? (12:1-6)
  5. Why did the owner of the vineyard send so many servants to the tenants looking after the vineyard? (12:2-5)
  6. How did the tenants treat the owner’s son? Why? (12:7-8)
  7. In what ways is it possible to mistreat the messengers or message God has sent us?
  8. How does God want us to treat His message?
  9. How can we show respect for the message God has given us?

Monday, February 22, 2016

Scripture & Questions for Sunday (2/21/16)


  • Confirmation at 5:00 Sunday followed by our youth meeting at 5:30.
  • Lenten Luncheon Wednesday noon in the First Baptist gym.
  • Wednesday 5:30 Lenten Bible study on the healing ministry of Jesus. Please come join us. This week Mark 5:1-20, The Demoniac healed. 
Scripture for Sunday
Mark 10:46-52 (ESV)  
And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. [47] And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" [48] And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" [49] And Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." And they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take heart. Get up; he is calling you." [50] And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. [51] And Jesus said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?" And the blind man said to him, f "Rabbi, let me recover my sight." [52] And Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well." And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way. 

Questions for Reflection
1. When has persistence paid off for you?
2. In what circumstances might it not be good to be persistent?
3. What was significant about the way the blind man addressed Jesus? (10:47-48)
4. Why did the people rebuke the blind man? (10:48)
5. How did the blind man respond to the criticism from the crowd? (10:48)
6. When have you persistently prayed for one particular request? What happened?
7. What role does persistence play in prayer?
8. What does it mean to be persistent in prayer?
9. What specifically can you learn from Bartimaeus’s example?

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Scripture for Sunday (2/14/16)

Announcements:
  • The first Lenten Luncheon is today in the First Baptist gym at noon.
  • Beginning today, Wednesday February 10th at 5:30 I will be teaching a Lenten Bible study on the healing ministry of Jesus. Please come join us. The class will last for 4 weeks finishing Wednesday March 2nd.
  • February 14th we will begin a Confirmation class for the youth of our church. We will meet in the green room Sundays beginning at 5:00 and we will meet each Sunday through March 14. Confirmation and a baptism will be on Palm Sunday. 
  • Sunday February 14th at 6 PM we will be having an Italian themed covered dish dinner and will host mission co-workers Charles and Melissa Johnson of San Antonio. They will give a presentation on their upcoming trip to Africa.
Scripture for Sunday
Mark 10:17-31 (ESV)  
And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" [18] And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. [19] You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.' " [20] And he said to him, "Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth." [21] And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." [22] Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 
[23] And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!" [24] And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, "Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! [25] It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God." [26] And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, "Then who can be saved?" [27] Jesus looked at them and said, "With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God." [28] Peter began to say to him, "See, we have left everything and followed you." [29] Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, [30] who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. [31] But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

Questions for Reflection
1. Why do you think most people want to be rich?
2. What did the man want Jesus to explain to him? (10:17)
3. Why did Jesus say to the man, “No one is good, except God alone”? (10:18)
4. How did Jesus explain the way to inherit eternal life? (10:19-21)
5. Why could the man not obey Christ’s instructions? (10:22)
6. Why do you think Jesus demanded such a tall order from this man?
7. What can you learn about Jesus from His actions in this story?
8. What can we learn through the negative example of the rich young man in this episode?
9. What makes it difficult for anyone, rich or poor, to enter the kingdom of God?

Friday, February 5, 2016

Scripture & Questions for Sunday (2/7/16)

Scripture
Mark 8:27-38 (ESV)  
And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that I am?" [28] And they told him, "John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets." [29] And he asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered him, "You are the Christ." [30] And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him. [31] And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. [32] And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. [33] But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man." [34] And he called to him the crowd with his disciples and said to them, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. [35] For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. [36] For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? [37] For what can a man give in return for his life? [38] For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."

Questions for Reflection
1. What did Jesus ask His disciples? (8:27)
2. What did people theorize about Jesus? (8:27-28)
3. How did the disciples respond to Jesus’ question? (8:28)
4. How had people connected Jesus with Elijah, John the Baptist, and other prophets? (8:28)
5. What was Peter’s declaration of faith? (8:29)
6. Who do you say Jesus is?
7. How do your beliefs go against the flow of the majority in our world?
8. Why is it important for a Christian not to hide his or her faith in Christ?

Announcements

  • Men's breakfast tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM, coffee will be ready by 7 AM if you would like to come early and visit.
  • Elder training will be tomorrow 9 to 4 at the McMillan's river place.
  • SOUPER BOWL SUNDAY will be February 7th.  Please bring canned soup for our local food bank.
  • Jim and Laurie will be in Abilene Sunday afternoon through Tuesday for her grandmother's funeral. We will NOT have youth group this Sunday or the after school program on Tuesday.
  • Beginning Wednesday, February 10th at 5:30 PM, Jim will be teaching a Lenten Bible Study on the healing ministry of Jesus. Please come join us. The class will last for 4 weeks finishing Wednesday March 2nd.
  • The Lenten Luncheons begin on Wednesday, February 10th at noon at the First Baptist Church multi-purpose building.  We are to help with desserts this week.  Please talk to Linda Johnston if you would like to help.  
  • Sunday, February 14th we will begin a Confirmation Class for the youth of our church. We will meet in the green room on Sundays beginning at 5:00 PM.  We will meet each Sunday through March 14. Confirmation and a baptism will be on Palm Sunday. 
  • Sunday, February 14th at 6 PM we will be having an Italian themed covered dish dinner and will host mission co-workers Charles and Melissa Johnson of San Antonio. They will give a presentation on their upcoming trip to Africa.

Thursday, February 4, 2016

February 2016 Newsletter

Click on the link to view this month's newsletter.

February 2016 Newsletter

Have a great day!
Carmen