Scripture & Questions for Sunday (10/23/11)

Announcement
Don’t forget that Sunday is Bring a Friend Sunday. We will be having lunch after church. Lasagna and cheese pizza will be provided, please bring a salad or dessert to share.

Scripture
Matthew 22:34-46 (ESV) 

[34] But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together.  [35] And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him.  [36] "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?"  [37] And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  [38] This is the great and first commandment.  [39] And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  [40] On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets." [41] Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question,  [42] saying, "What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?" They said to him, "The son of David."  [43] He said to them, "How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying, [44] " 'The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet'?  [45] If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?"  [46] And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

Questions for Reflection
1.    What specific question did the man ask Jesus? (22:36)
2.    What kind of love did Jesus describe? (22:37)
3.    What important footnote did Jesus add to His answer? (22:39)
4.    What kind of love for one’s neighbor did Jesus require? (22:39)
5.    How important did Jesus say these two principles were? (22:40)
6.    How do you feel when people ask you a question which you’re pretty sure they already know the answer to?
7.    How do we measure the magnitude of our love for Jesus?
8.    What does it mean to “love your neighbor as yourself”?
9.    How can we keep our focus on what really matters?
10. What does God want you to do more than anything else in your job, family, church, and neighborhood?

Scripture & Questions for Sunday (10/16/11)

Announcements
1.    Bring a Friend Sunday will be October 23^rd please see the attached flyer.

2.    October 30^th will be Youth Sunday and the young people of our congregation will be leading worship.

Scripture
Matthew 22:15-22 (ESV) 

Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his talk.  [16] And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone's opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances.  [17] Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"  [18] But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, "Why put me to the test, you hypocrites?  [19] Show me the coin for the tax." And they brought him a denarius.  [20] And Jesus said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?"  [21] They said, "Caesar's." Then he said to them, "Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."  [22] When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.

Questions for Reflection
1.    What qualities mark a person of integrity?
2.    What group sought to trap Jesus? How? (22:15)
3.    What two groups were sent to Jesus? Why? (22:16)
4.    How did the Pharisees address Jesus? (22:16)
5.    How did the Pharisees describe Jesus’ character? (22:16)
6.    How did the Pharisees describe Jesus’ manner of teaching? (22:16)
7.    After all the flattery, what question did the Pharisees’ disciples and the Herodians finally ask Jesus? (22:17)
8.    Why do we resort to flattery?
9.    How does it make you feel to realize that Jesus can see right into your heart and tell when your motives are insincere?
10. What do you think Jesus called us to do when He said, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and give to God what is God’s”?

Scripture & Questions for Sunday (10/2/11)

Announcements:
1.    The men of the church will have breakfast Saturday morning at 8:00am.
2.    Don’t forget that we have Sunday School for all ages every Sunday morning at 9:45.

Scripture
Exodus 20:1-20 (ESV)
And God spoke all these words, saying,

[2] "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.  [3] "You shall have no other gods before me.  [4] "You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.  [5] You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me,  [6] but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. [7] "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.  [8] "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.  [9] Six days you shall labor, and do all your work,  [10] but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates.  [11] For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.  [12] "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.  [13] "You shall not murder.  [14] "You shall not commit adultery.  [15] "You shall not steal.  [16] "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.  [17] "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's." [18] Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off  [19] and said to Moses, "You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die."  [20] Moses said to the people, "Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin." 

Questions for Reflection
1.    How do you feel when you tell someone something and he or she completely ignores what you say?
2.    Why do governments establish laws and policies?
3.    To whom does God express His love? (20:6)
4.    Why was God so specific in giving the Law?
5.    How do you think God feels when we worship things other than Him?
6.    Why does God not want us to commit sins against Him and others?
7.    What people, things, and other loyalties sometimes captivate your attention more than God?
8.    How do we put space between us and God?
9.    Why is it important to honor and respect God when we come to Him in worship?

Scripture & Questions for Sunday (9/25/11)

Scripture:
Acts 11:1-18 (ESV) 

Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. [2] So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, saying, [3] "You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them." [4] But Peter began and explained it to them in order: [5] "I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, something like a great sheet descending, being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to me. [6] Looking at it closely, I observed animals and beasts of prey and reptiles and birds of the air. [7] And I heard a voice saying to me, 'Rise, Peter; kill and eat.' [8] But I said, 'By no means, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth.' [9] But the voice answered a second time from heaven, 'What God has made clean, do not call common.' [10] This happened three times, and all was drawn up again into heaven. [11] And behold, at that very moment three men arrived at the house in which we were, sent to me from Caesarea. [12] And the Spirit told me to go with them, making no distinction. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man's house. [13] And he told us how he had seen the angel stand in his house and say, 'Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter; [14] he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.' [15] As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. [16] And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' [17] If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God's way?" [18] When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, "Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life."

Questions for Reflection

1.    What did the apostles and Christians in Judea hear? (11:1)
2.    When Peter went to Jerusalem, who criticized him? (11:2)
3.    Who were the “circumcised believers”? (11:2)
4.    Why did the circumcised believers imply that it was wrong for Peter to eat with Gentiles? (11:3)
5.    How did Peter explain his actions? (11:4-17)
6.    How did Peter’s argument prove convincing? (11:18)
7.    How did Peter’s step of including non-Jews affect the church? (11:18)
8.    How was the criticism against Peter helpful to the church?
9.    Whom do you find “unacceptable”?
10.  What principle of accepting others do you want to copy from Peter’s example?

Dude Jarvis

Surrounded by family, friends and God’s love, Kennon “Dude” Beasley Jarvis passed away Tuesday evening, Sept. 6, 2011, in Austin, Texas.

A memorial service celebrating Dude’s life will be held at the First Presbyterian Church in Junction on Saturday September 10, 2011 at 11:30am.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be sent to the First Presbyterian Church in Junction, Nurses of Kimble County, or a charity of your choice.

Scripture & Questions for Sunday (9/4/11)

Announcements:
1.    Men’s Breakfast Tomorrow morning (Saturday, September 3^rd) 8:00am.
Menu: Scrambled eggs, Bacon, Sausage, Biscuits and Grits
2.    Tony Morales funeral will be Saturday at 1:00 PM at First Baptist Church Junction.  Visitation will be tonight from 6 to 8 PM at Kimble Funeral Home.

Scripture
Matthew 18:15-20

"If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.  [16] But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.  [17] If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.  [18] Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.  [19] Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.  [20] For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them."

Questions for Reflection

1.    What societal forces work to divide families, friendships, and churches?
2.    What did Jesus set forth as the first step in resolving conflict? (18:15)
3.    What positive consequences can result from resolving conflict? (18:15)
4.    Why is it best to resolve conflicts in private?
5.    What attitudes can eliminate or help reduce friction in disagreements?
6.    How can a third party help resolve a conflict?
7.    If Christ is with us always (Matthew 28:20), in what unique way is He with us when we gather in His name?
8.    Why is praying in a group a good idea?

Scripture & Questions for Sunday (8/28/11)

Announcements:

1. Don't forget about the last week of Undie Sunday.

2. Also, the Food Pantry at the Methodist Church is still low. You can either drop donoations by the Methodist Church or bring them to our church and we will take them over.

Scripture:

1 Kings 19:1-15  ¹ Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword.  ² Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow."  ³ Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.  ⁴ But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, "It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers."  ⁵ And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, "Arise and eat."  ⁶ And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again.  ⁷ And the angel of the LORD came again a second time and touched him and said, "Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you."  ⁸ And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.  ⁹ There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"  ¹⁰ He said, "I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away."  ¹¹ And he said, "Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD." And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.  ¹² And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.  ¹³ And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"  ¹⁴ He said, "I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away."  ¹⁵ And the LORD said to him, "Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus.

Questions for Reflection:

1. What was one of the loneliest moments you can remember?
2. What did Elijah pray when he had fled to a lonely place? (19:3-5)
3. To what extent do you think Elijah was justified in being discouraged by his circumstances?
4. Why did God reveal Himself to Elijah when the prophet was discouraged?
5. What strikes you as unusual about God’s question to Elijah in the cave?
6. In what settings have you felt that you were the only believer?
7. What important lesson did Elijah learn about how God chooses to speak to people?
8. In what discouraging circumstances can you remind yourself that God is in control?
9. What habit could you cultivate to make you more ready to respond to God’s call at a moment’s notice?