Announcements, Scripture & Questions for Sunday (3/20/16)

Announcements:

• Services for Max Fischer will be Monday 21 at 2 PM in Kimble Funeral Home chapel with burial at 11 AM Tuesday in Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio.
• Youth Group on Sunday, March 20 at 5:30.  Dinner will be provided. 
• The youth will be stuffing the Easter Eggs tonight. Please bring your plastic eggs and candy to the Fellowship Hall by 5:30. 
• Maundy Thursday Communion Service - Thursday March 24, 6 PM
• Good Friday Service - March 25, 6 PM
• We will have our annual Easter Egg Hunt during the Sunday School hour Easter Sunday.
• Presbyterian Women Mission Conference will be April 1st – 3rd at MO Ranch. Emily will be going for the day Saturday the 2nd.

Scripture
Mark 14:1-11 (ESV)  

It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him, [2] for they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people." [3] And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. [4] There were some who said to themselves indignantly, "Why was the ointment wasted like that? [5] For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor." And they scolded her. [6] But Jesus said, "Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. [7] For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. [8] She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. [9] And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her." [10] Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. [11] And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he sought an opportunity to betray him.

Questions for Reflection
1. When have you ever been criticized for doing something good?
2. What do you think motivates parents to sacrifice for their children?
3. What amazing thing did a woman do while Jesus was visiting Bethany? Where? (14:3)
4. What reaction did the woman’s actions get? Why? (14:4-5)
5. What caused some people with Jesus to become indignant? (14:4-5)
6. What does this incident tell us about some people’s understanding of who Jesus was and why He had come? (14:4-6)
7. Whom did Jesus rebuke? Why? (14:6)
8. How did Jesus evaluate the behavior of the woman who poured out the perfume? (14:6)
9. What can we learn about values from the woman in this story?
10. How can we demonstrate our devotion to Christ?

March 2016 Newsletter

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

March 2016 Newsletter

Have a great day!
Carmen

Scripture for Sunday (3/7/16)

• Saturday 8:00 AM Men's breakfast.

Scripture for Sunday
Mark 12:38-44 (ESV)  

And in his teaching he said, "Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces [39] and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts,  [40] who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation." [41] And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums.  [42] And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny.  [43] And he called his disciples to him and said to them, "Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box.  [44] For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on."

Questions for Reflection

1. In what ways are outward appearances misleading?

2. What does it mean to be poor?

3. What did the “poor widow” give to the treasury? (12:42)

4. Why did Jesus call His disciples when He saw the widow put in her offering? (12:43)

5. How did Jesus compare the actions of the wealthy people to the actions of the poor woman? (12:43-44)

6. Why do you think Jesus purposely sat near the temple treasury?

7. What central principle did Jesus focus on in this story?

8. What else does God want from us besides our material wealth?

9. What attitude should we have about giving of ourselves to the Lord?

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?

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?

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?

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?