March 2019 Newsletter

The Church Newsletter, The Messenger, is back in action.  Thank you to Sherry Hubbard for taking the lead to compile all the information in the newsletter.  And thank you to all the contributors which help to keep the newsletter fresh and updated.  Hope y'all like it!

Click on the link to view the newsletter.

March 2019 Newsletter

Scripture & Questions for Sunday (2/17/19)

Pot Luck Bridal Luncheon honoring Mary Whitworth and Joel Dyer following worship.  Mary has requested recipes for her shower - Lisa Sandlin has recipe cards. Brisket and sausage will be provided, please bring a side dish or dessert to share.

Scriptures for Sunday

Philippians 2:1-11 (ESV)

1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Matthew 22:22-33 (ESV)

22 When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away. 23 The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question, 24 saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.’ 25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother. 26 So too the second and third, down to the seventh. 27 After them all, the woman died. 28 In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her.” 29 But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 31 And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.” 33 And when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.

Questions for Reflection

Imitating Christ's Humility - Philippians 2:1-11
   Open It 
1.    When was the last time you had a squabble with a family member?
2.    *How much of a peacemaker are you?
   Explore It 
1.    *What four qualities mark unity with Christ? (2:1)
2.    How can Christians show their unity in Christ in practical ways? (2:2)
3.    *What did Paul say about self-centeredness? (2:3-4)
4.    What did Paul exhort believers to have? (2:5)
5.    What did Christ set aside when He became a man? (2:6-8)
6.    How did Jesus limit Himself? (2:6-8)
7.    How was Christ fully God and fully man at the same time? (2:6-8)
8.    *How is Christ the best example of humility and unselfishness for us? (2:6-8)
9.    Why did Christ take on the limitations of being human even though He was of the same nature as God? (2:7)
10. How did God exalt Jesus? (2:9)
11. How did Christ win sovereignty over all people and over everything? (2:10)
12. What confession will every person make? (2:11)
   Get It 
1.    How does your life show that you count on Christ?
2.    How do petty quarrels hold you back in your Christian walk?
3.    *How can Christ help you keep peace with others?
4.    What hinders unity in your church?
5.    What kind of disposition does Christ want us to have?
6.    *How does Christ’s example of humility challenge our natural self-centeredness?
   Apply It 
1.    *What practical steps can you take this week to demonstrate humility in your relationships?
2.    For the sake of unity in Christ, what petty squabbles should you clear up right away? How?

Adult Questions for LESSONMaker.

What Does Reformed Mean?

What Does Reformed Mean?

The term “Reformed” was two different connotations.  It can refer to a particular way of interpreting the Bible. This is often referred to as Reformed theology.  Reformed Theology is a particular way of interpreting the Bible. It stresses the sovereignty of God in all things and the centrality of faith in Christ.

It can also refer to particular tradition or branch of the Christian churches. These churches have their historical roots to the Protestant reformation in the 1500’s and are based on the teachings of John Calvin. The reformer stressed 5 things (solas) when they split from the Roman Catholic Church:

1. Scripture Alone (Sola Scriptura): This means the Bible is God’s inspired word. It is the ultimate authority in our life and guides all aspects of our life.
2. Christ Alone (Solus Christus): This means that Christ is the only way to that one can be saved and have an eternal relationship with God.
3. Grace Alone (Sola Gratia): This means  that salvation comes by God’s grace or “unmerited favor” only.  It is a completely free gift and not based on anything done by us, the sinners.
4. Faith Alone (Sola Fide): This means that our righteousness and  justification (things we need to have a relationship with God) is received by faith in Jesus Christ alone.
5. Glory To God Alone (Soli Deo Gloria): This means that all glory is to be due to God alone, since salvation is accomplished solely through His work, will, and action

Sermon Series

Week 1: February 10, 2019 Laurie
Sola Gratia Reflections on Grace Isaiah 6:1-8; Psalm 138; 1 Cor 15:1-11; Luke 5:1-11

February 17, 2019 Lewis Allen Preaching

Week 2: February 24, 2019 Jim
Sola Scriptura 2 Timothy 3:14-17

Week 3: March 3, 2019 Jim
Sola Fide Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-10, 24-25, 39-40

Week 4 March 10, 2019 Jim
Solus Christus Colossians 1:15-23

Week 5 March 17, 2019 Laurie
Soli deo Gloria 1 Peter 4:1–11

Scripture & Questions for Sunday (2/10/19)

Scripture for Sunday
Luke 5:1-11 (ESV) 

1 On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, 2 and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3 Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4 And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” 6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. 7 They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” 9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” 11 And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

Questions for Reflection
1.    How did Simon reply to Jesus’ instructions to cast their nets again? (5:4-5)
2.    What happened when Simon lowered his nets into the water? (5:6)
3.    When Simon saw their nets were tearing from the weight of fish in them, what did he do? (5:7)
4.    How did Simon react when he realized Jesus had just done a miracle for them? (5:8-9)
5.    How did Simon and the others respond to Jesus’ invitation? (5:11)
6.    What does God expect us to do when obeying Him does not yield any immediate benefit?
7.    In what way is Simon’s reaction to Jesus’ miracle an example for us to follow?
8.    What do we have to "leave behind" in order to follow Christ today?

Scripture & Questions for Sunday (2/3/19)

Men's Breakfast on Saturday morning, 8 AM. 

Coffee will be on at 6:30 so come early to visit and bring a friend.

Scripture for Sunday
Luke 4:21-30 (ESV)

21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” 23  And he said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Physician, heal yourself.’ What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.” 24  And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. 25  But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, 26  and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” 28 When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. 29  And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. 30  But passing through their midst, he went away.

Questions for Reflection
1.    What does the old saying mean, "You can never go home again"?
2.    How did Jesus apply the passage He read from Isaiah? (4:21)
3.    What difficulty were the people having in accepting Jesus’ words? (4:22)
4.    What were the main points of Jesus’ words to the people in His hometown? (4:23-27)
5.    Why were the people angry with what Jesus said? (4:23-29)
6.    How did the people express their anger at Jesus’ message? (4:28-30)
7.    What kind of reception should we expect when we speak the truth?
8.    How did Jesus’ message illustrate the fact that God does not favor one culture over another?
9.    What did Jesus know firsthand about rejection?
10. To what extent will people go to avoid hearing the truth about themselves?
11. Why do we sometimes try to avoid facing the truth about ourselves?

Scripture & Questions for Sunday (1/27/19)

ANNOUNCEMENT: The Emmaus Community and friends will be providing a lunch at the Methodist Church Fellowship Hall for family and friends of Dennis Land on Monday, January 28, at noon following Dennis’ Funeral at 11:00 AM at the Methodist Church.  Donations of food are needed for chips, sandwiches, desserts, etc. for the lunch.   Please text or call Tammy Bundick at (830) 459-7888 to volunteer for providing food.  The food will need to be taken to the Methodist Church Fellowship Hall, starting at 9:00 AM on Monday, January  28.  Your help will be appreciated.  

Scripture for Sunday
Luke 4:14-21   

14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country.  15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.  16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read.  17 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,  18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,  19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."  20 And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.  21 And he began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." 

Psalm 19:1-14  

1 For the choirmaster Psalm Of David The heavens declare the glory of God, the vault of heaven proclaims his handiwork,  2 day discourses of it to day, night to night hands on the knowledge.  3 No utterance at all, no speech, not a sound to be heard,  4 but from the entire earth the design stands out, this message reaches the whole world. High above, he pitched a tent for the sun,  5 who comes forth from his pavilion like a bridegroom, delights like a champion in the course to be run.  6 Rising on the one horizon he runs his circuit to the other, and nothing can escape his heat.  7 The Law of Yahweh is perfect, refreshment to the soul; the decree of Yahweh is trustworthy, wisdom for the simple.  8 The precepts of Yahweh are honest, joy for the heart; the commandment of Yahweh is pure, light for the eyes.  9 The fear of Yahweh is pure, lasting for ever; the judgments of Yahweh are true, upright, every one,  10 more desirable than gold, even than the finest gold; his words are sweeter than honey, that drips from the comb.  11 Thus your servant is formed by them; observing them brings great reward.  12 But who can detect his own failings? Wash away my hidden faults.  13 And from pride preserve your servant, never let it be my master. So shall I be above reproach, free from grave sin.  14 May the words of my mouth always find favor, and the whispering of my heart, in your presence, Yahweh, my rock, my redeemer.

Questions for Reflection
1.    What is your favorite outdoor scene?
2.    What do you think of when you hear the word law?
3.    In what ways does nature impact your everyday life?
4.    What do the heavens and skies have to say to us? (19:1)
5.    On what two themes did David focus in this psalm? (19:1-14)
6.    How can people who have never heard the gospel of Jesus Christ still learn about God?
7.    What has nature taught you about God?
8.    What attitude did David have toward God’s law?
9.    What role does God’s Word play in your everyday life?
10. What steps could you take to be more open to God’s Word?

Scripture & Questions for Sunday (1/20/19)

• Lawson Swift (grandson of Charlie and Joanna Swift) has been diagnosed with leukemia, please keep him in your prayers.
• Laurie hurt her knee at practice on Wednesday. We went to the ER in Fredericksburg Wednesday afternoon and surgeon yesterday. She will have an MRI next week. 

Scripture for Sunday

John 2:1-11 (ESV) 

On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. [2] Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples.  [3] When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." [4] And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come." [5] His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."

[6] Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. [7] Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water." And they filled them up to the brim. [8] And he said to them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast." So they took it. [9] When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom [10] and said to him, "Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now." [11] This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

Questions for Reflection
1.    What makes an event miraculous or supernatural?
2.    What supernatural or miraculous events have you witnessed?
3.    What did Jesus’ mother say to Him? (2:3)
4.    What was Jesus’ response to His mother? (2:4)
5.    How did Jesus’ mother respond to His reply? (2:5)
6.    Why did Jesus perform this miracle? (2:11)
7.    How did Jesus’ disciples respond to this miracle? (2:11)
8.    What is something you would like Jesus to change in your life?
9.    What recent miracle has Jesus done in your life?
10. How does Jesus reveal His glory to us today?