Supplementing Your Faith Sunday School Lesson Take Aways

Supplementing Your Faith Sunday School Lesson Take Aways

Dear Class:

 

Today we concluded our study of the Book of Leviticus as we looked at Leviticus 17-27.  Our focus however was on chapters 19 and 26 in which God calls upon His people to be holy and promises to bless those who are faithful to Him and discipline those who are not.  The blessings and the discipline are both an expression of God’s love.

Our class discussion migrated toward the question about how separated from the world should we Christians be.  I suggested that we might do well to ask ourselves if we spend too little time ministering to the lost because we spend most of our time fellowshipping with other believers.  Please know that I’m not suggesting that the time we spend in fellowship with saved people is wasted.  But I am asking if we’re spending enough time ministering to the lost as our Lord did.

In His prayer of intercession for His disciples in John 17 and indeed for all “those who will believe in Me” John 17:19 (that’s us), Jesus asks for their protection from “the evil one” as we go into the world.  “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world” (John 17:15-16).  Is it God’s intention to only use us when we are fellowshipping with other believers?  I’m reminded of the account in Mark 2:16-17 of Jesus being criticized by the Pharisees for associating with “sinners”And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, “How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?”  When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
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Note:

Please note that next Sunday, Dec. 3, we will begin our study of Acts 13-28 with a focus on Acts 13.  In this chapter we see how Paul and Barnabas were sent out by the church in Antioch to share the gospel with people very different from themselves.  We also see how universally appealing the power of the gospel message was.

 

Special Note:

Please save Sat., Dec. 9 (2:00-6:00pm) as the date of our class Christmas fellowship.  Look for details in a forthcoming email.

 

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Coming Soon – Praying 25 Days of Christmas

Coming Soon – Praying 25 Days of Christmas

25 Days of Praying During the Christmas Season

Keep your eyes open!

December 1st thru the 25th we will again pray through the Christmas Holiday.

This is always a favorite here at Common Thread Ministries.

So be ready! And don’t miss a single day!

Mark S Mirza Signature

Coming Soon – Praying 25 Days of Christmas

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Coming Soon – Praying 25 Days of Christmas

Prayer In The News, Prayer Box In Front of Church

A couple of years ago I was speaking in Rincon GA and saw the “Prayer Box” that you see above. It’s a great idea!

I love how a number of churches have these, of various shapes and sizes, in their church entry, and of course their church prayer rooms.

Below is an article about a Catholic Mission in Branford FL doing the same thing.

Now before my fellow Baptist pastors begin to hyperventilate, remember, there will be a few people in heaven that pray differently than you do, there will be some folks there who vote differently than you do, and, God forbid, there will be some folks in heaven that baptize differently than you do.

Just enjoy the “Prayer in the News” article:

Prayer Box in Front of a Church in Branford FLBRANFORD — The Angels of Mercy of San Juan Catholic Mission has recently announced a new initiative in its service to the community — a Prayer Box to help in serving the spiritual needs of the community.

The Prayer Box, located in front of the church at 304 Plant Avenue SE, will receive short notes of the spiritual needs of those who wish to have the church parishioners pray, whether for themselves or for family members or friends who are seeking intercessory prayer for their needs.

To take part, one simply drives by the clearly marked box and drops in a note of the prayer need. The prayers are distributed to a group of people who pray for persons in need — sickness, other need or for the deceased. The prayers are also presented in a group on Sunday Mass for prayer by the entire congregation.

The initiative compliments and rounds out the outreach the church provides for the community. The Angels of Mercy of the Catholic Church has provided free clothing on the third Friday of each month (3-6 p.m.), without charge, identification or any limitation. A person or family can come and take as much clothing as they need. In recent months the Angels have also distributed a small bag of food for those needing a few meals.

Most recently, San Juan Catholic Mission has joined with the local Ministerial Association —Branford Area Inter Church Ministries to provide it with a table in conjunction with the monthly clothes give-away in order to provide a brown bag lunch to those that wish to have it.

The President of the Branford Area Inter Church Ministries (BAICM) is Pastor Bruce Arnold of Beachville Advent Christian Church.

http://www.suwanneedemocrat.com/news/san-juan-mission-adds-prayer-box-initiative/article_126a677c-cbe0-11e7-8e63-f3bbf631edc5.html

 

Blessings my friends,

Mark S Mirza Signature

 

 

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Thanksgiving With DIFFICULT People

Thanksgiving With DIFFICULT People

Thank God For Who? No Way!

I often teach on thanking God FOR everything. It’s time for me to relate that to the Thanksgiving Day Holiday.

This Thursday many of you will sit down to eat with people that will STEAL YOUR JOY from you (if you let them).

And I know what you’re saying to me, “But you don’t know them, Mark!” Or, “But you don’t know how they treat me, Mark!

Thank God and Sing

Let me share with you from a wonderful man I look forward to meeting when I get to heaven, the Swedish Reverend Hammarsten. He writes about Ephesians 5:18-21. If you’ll pardon my efforts, I have greatly reduced his devotional for this day:

“. . . The Gatherings of God’s children easily become spiritless. The time is consumed in unprofitable conversation. They do not always “redeem the time” when they come together. Then, having whiled away the meeting, they perhaps sing a song as a pretense to cover the mischief, but . . . even singing can put God’s Spirit to flight. . . Hence in connection with singing, Paul exhorts the Christians to thank God in [and FOR] all things, and submit themselves one to another. . . But how can I sing? Begin by thanking God, thanking Him for everything. All that He sends you is worthy of praise.

Reverend Hammarsten then ends with this:

Begin to thank Him, and you will soon sing.

Counter-intuitive Christianity

Do you realize why God wants you to thank Him FOR everything? It doesn’t always makes sense to me, but, because He works counter-intuitively, I’m willing to go on a little faith.

I’m like you! I would rather complain about the things that are in my life that I do not like. So it does not make sense to thank God for the difficulty (or difficult person/s). But amazingly, when I thank him FOR that thing, person, etc. He gives me a peace which completely transcends my understanding.

You probably recognize those words from Philippians 4:6-7, but what is often missed in that passage is the strong admonition to “Thank the Lord.” Some would argue that when you dissect the sentence it actually says, “be thankful for that which makes you anxious.”

How CRAZY is that?

Let me wrap this up. Take with you on Thursday, a special song that causes your heart to rejoice. And thank the Lord FOR your crazy relatives and friends. Then, watch God give you a peace you have rarely had on Thanksgiving Day (unless your football team is favored to win).

Love you guys!

 

MARK S MIRZA