2023 Fall Kickoff

Sunday morning, September 3, was our Fall Kick-Off time.

Eating donut holes, drinking some orange juice, cider, and coffee

and even more so

sharing about and praying for many exciting opportunities to learn and grow
together and personally

during this school year.

 

ACE (Adult Christian Education) Fall Class

Middle School & High School Youth Group

TBC KIDZ Fall Update

Small Groups @ TBC

AWANA Registration

To Connect with Missionaries & Ministries,
Contact Pastor Jason

Some Personal Growth Resources

School Year Bible Reading Plan

Fighter Verses Bible Memory Plan

 

No Broken Bones

Over the last eight weeks, I have been thinking about and reading Psalm 34.  I have preached on Psalm 34:1-3 and wrote posts about several sections.  

This Psalm reminds us to praise God.  To praise Him continually.  To praise Him with others.
This Psalm reminds us to savor the Lord.  To enjoy Him.
This Psalm reminds us to watch what we say and pursue peace.
This Psalm reminds us that we need to cry out to the LORD.

Today is the last day of Psalm 34 on Fighter Verses. 

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.
He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.
Affliction will slay the wicked and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
The LORD redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

The last set of verses are 19 through 22.  There are some big promises in these verses -
deliverance of the righteous,
punishment of wicked,
redemption of God's servants, and 
freedom from condemnation.  

The promise that struck me when reading and thinking about this verse throughout the week is verse 20.  "He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken."  In a sermon on Jesus' crucifixion, John MacArthur makes reference to this verse.  "In perfect complement to the type of the Passover Lamb, with no broken bone, Jesus will not have a bone of His body broken."  (See also John 19:33, Exodus 12:46, and Numbers 9:12).

Because of Jesus, the perfect, once-for-all, sacrifice for my sin, I have true, eternal life with God that began the day he saved me from my sin!!

This song captures the greatness of this promise of no broken bones and the truth of John 3:16, Romans 14:11, and Revelation 7:9   

Cry for Help

Psalm 34:17, 18 

When the righteous cry for help, the Lord 

hears

and delivers them out of all their troubles.

Lord is near to the brokenhearted 

and saves the crushed in spirit.

These verses serve as a great reminder of humble prayer.

Here are some important points from these verses.

• The righteous will face trouble and need help.
•  The brokenhearted and those crushed in spirit need comfort that only the LORD can before (nearness and salvation).

The truly righteous, those who have been made righteous by God, understand that God has already saved them and blessed them beyond anything they could even imagine.  So crying out to him for help with the troubles of this world is an obvious decision, not necessarily easy.  

God is the faithful deliverer of those who are broken and humble.   

God not only hears the righteous' cry, but he also delivers the righteous one.  

Fighter Verses:  Set 5:  Verses 32

A Response to Suffering

This week's Psalm 34 post will focus on 1st Peter 3:10 - 12.

Yes, you read that right.  Peter quotes Psalm 34:12-16 to support his teaching in verses 8 and 9.

Peter tells everyone to have "unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart,  and a humble mind."  While not repaying evil for evil or reviling for reviling.  "On the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing."  Psalm 34:12-16 is the reason he gives for doing this.  Psalm 34:12-16 reads...

What man is there who desires life

and loves many days, that he may see good? 

Keep your tongue from evil 

and your lips from speaking deceit. 

Turn away from evil and do good; 

seek peace and pursue it.

The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous

and his ears toward their cry.

The face of the LORD is against those who do evil,

to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

The question in verse 12 shows the reader that everyone desires the good life.
However, the truly good life comes from living life that is dependent on God and seeks to glorify Him.
This is evident in the way you speak and what you pursue.

God cares for his children and His wrath is upon those who are against Him.  

These truths are what helps the believer suffer for the sake of righteousness, a common theme throughout 1 Peter.  

As you meditate and memorize Psalm 34, you may want to read Peter's first letter which was written to the "elect exiles of the dispersion" (1:1).  In your reading of this New Testament book, see if you can find another reference to a part of Psalm 34.  

Fighter Verses Devotional Set 5: Week 30

Taste and See

Fighter Verses continues it's summer in Psalm 34 this week with verses 9 through 11.

Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack!

The young lions suffer want and hunger, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

The second Fighter Verses devotional for these verses states that "the fear of the LORD is good.  It captures our souls for Christ, causes us to bow in adoration of Him, and ignites earnest pursuit of Him."

The young lion on the prowl for physical food will be hungry again.

The one who seeks the LORD lacks no good thing.

Now, you may have read these verses and thought to yourself that these and other verses refer to the fact that those who follow Jesus Christ will never be hungry or thirsty.

Look at John 4 and 6.

John 4 contains the story of the Samaritan woman at the well.  Jesus begins talking about water and this woman thinks Jesus is talking about physical water.  Beginning in verse 13, Jesus answered her, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst again.  Indeed the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

John 6:25 - 59 contains Jesus' interaction with others about him being the Bread of Life.

In verse 34, the crowd begged Jesus to give them this heaven.

Jesus declared to them "I am the bread of life.  Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."

Those who seek the LORD, seek the best!

Those who hunger for the LORD will not be in want.

"The Good Song" by Seed Family Worship is a good way to remember a Bible verse and to rehearse a big truth.  

Better

Psalm 34:6 - 8

Seek the Lord: Psalm 34

Sunday I had the privilege to preach at Trinity Baptist Church.  The passage was Psalm 34:1-3 which was last week's Fighter Verses.  

This week's Fighter Verses are Psalm 34:4 - 5.

I sought the Lord and he answered me

and delivered me from all my fears.

Those who look to him are radiant,

and their faces shall never be ashamed.

This week's Fighter Verses continue in Psalm 34:4-5.  This week's devotionals can be viewed at fighterverses.com/set-5-core-esv/week-27/.  The two devotionals are

  Reliable Emergency Plans for Your Darkest Hour

  Unafraid and Unashamed

Over the next several weeks I will be posting the Fighter Verses devotional links.
There may also be some additional resources and other posts.

Psalm 34

(updated on July 7, 2020)

Psalm 34

Very thankful for the opportunity to preach from this Psalm a couple of times this summer.

It is filled with deep truth and heartfelt expressions of who God is.   

To celebrate God, David uses each letter of the Hebrew alphabet to begin the verse.  This type of Psalm is called an acrostic.  In preaching the sermon on the first three verses of this Psalm, I decided to use a similar format in my sermon outline.

1. Always praise God (v. 1)
2. Boast in God and Be humble (v. 2)
3. Come together to praise God (v. 3)

As a result of actively thinking about who God is and how great God is, David is overwhelmed with the need to invite others to worship with him, to magnify God, and exalt His name.

It is my hope and prayer that these resources will stir in you a desire to worship God more and invite others to join you in that worship.  

Here are some sermon-based questions

• What do you tend to put your hope in when you know it should be God?
• Why is a foundation so important?  Why are "always praise God," "boast in the LORD and be humble," and "come together to worship God" foundational parts of worship?
• If you want to grow as a worshipper of God, what do you specifically need to pray and do?

Fighter Verses page for Psalm 34:1-3

https://fighterverses.com/set-5-core-esv/week-26/ has two devotionals 

Let's Begin (June 27, 2020)

Contagious Worship:  All the Time, All Together  (June 30, 2015)

There are going to be seven additional posts related to Psalm 34 throughout the summer.  Each post will contain a link to that week's Fighter Verses devotional.  Some of the posts will contain a little more than that.

Time For the Talk: Leading Your Son Into True Manhood post (https://drodgersjr.blogspot.com/2014/09/time-for-talk-leading-your-son-into.html) that contains the following definition of humility along with some other keywords.

 

To pursue humility means choosing to accept the fact that your knowledge and abilities are limited and in light of that, you are regularly seeking help and graciously receiving advice and correction.

While this book is specifically to sons and fathers, it contains teaching that would be helpful for any parent.  The six character qualities are especially helpful.

Telescope Magnification Resource

When David says "I will magnify God with thanksgiving," he does not mean:  "I will make a small God look bigger than he is .  He means: "I will make a big God begin to look as big as he really is."  We are not called to be microscopes, but telescopes."

 

The whole duty of the Christian can be summed up in this:  feel, think and act in a way that will make God look as great as he really is.  Be a telescope for the world of the infinite starry wealth of the glory of God."

For the whole message, go to https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/i-will-magnify-god-with-thanksgiving

 

Family Resource Link 

This link is to a short children's lesson on this passage - www.pursuegodkids.org/praise-god-everyday-psalm-34/

 

God has provided me with the opportunity to preach at three different churches in July and August.  I am going to be preaching the same passage at these churches.  On July 5, I preached at our church, Trinty Baptist Church in Grand Rapids.  I will also be preaching for two pastor friends while they are on vacation.  On July 26, I will be at Oakfield Baptist Church in Rockford where Chris Minor serves as pastor.  On July 2, I will preach at Montrose Baptist Church where Shane Miller serves as pastor.  

Pray that as I share the message of always hoping in Jesus Christ these churches would be encouraged.  Also for these Shane, Chris, Brett, our pastor at TBC, and other pastors who continue to faithfully serve the Lord during these very challenging times.

Ultimate Good

For several different reasons, I haven't posted recently.  But with everything going on in the world and my life right now, I decided to share part of a recent journal entry.  This entry is about a very tough Monday.
I was temporarily laid off at the warehouse.
I also received two "no" emails from churches I had interviewed with.
So today, Thursday, I decided to do some "stay-at-home" time and read, meditate and pray Romans 8:28-39.  For the last month and a half, the Fighter Verses have been Romans 8:28-39.

Here is part of the prayer I wrote in my journal.

God,

I am so thankful that you sent your Son - You didn't spare Him.  Thank you so much for the life-changing fact that Jesus died for our sins - even more than that, thank you that Jesus rose from the dead so that we could have victory.

In seeing and understanding all that God has done for His church, help me to see and be thankful for the ultimate good that has been given to me.

As I think about job loss and the coronavirus epidemic, I need to remember that nothing can separate me from your love.

For God's glory, I am, and we are, going through what we are going through.  Help me remember that.  All of this is serving your purpose, and while I have no idea what that maybe, I do know that you are in charge.

God help me remember this quote from Misused Verses in the Bible...

During times we don't know how to pray about a situation, we have to rely on the Holy Spirit to help us and intercede for us.  But even though we don't always know how to interpret our day-to-day struggles or even know how to pray about things due to our human limitations and weaknesses, there is something we do know:

We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).

This "good" is described in Romans 8:29 - conformity to the image of his His Son, becoming more like Jesus.

God, help me to trust you more and more at this time.

I almost wrote "Help me understand what you are doing" but I don't need an understanding of the situation.

I almost wrote "Help me know what to do next" but I don't need action steps.

God, I need you more than anything or anyone else in the world and I need a deeper, growing trust in you.

Amen.

Look at the Book resources:
Romans 8:28 part 1:  www.desiringgod.org/labs/all-things-work-together-for-good
Romans 8:28 part 2:  www.desiringgod.org/labs/do-you-love-god
Romans 8:28 part 3:  www.desiringgod.org/labs/called-according-to-gods-purpose

Note:  This is similar to a post I wrote on August 12, 2018, our last Sunday at WCBC, Romans 8:28 was the scheduled verse for that Sunday's lesson.  This year, Romans 8:28-39 is the Fighter Verses passage right now.  These verses keep coming up right when I need them   I am very thankful for His sovereignty.

Life is Hard AND God is Good

It was, and is, my prayer that the message - Life is Hard AND God is Good -  would remind followers of Jesus Christ of the hope we have in Him.  HERE are the sermon notes. 

As I was preparing for this message I read the following statement by James Montgomery Boice as he was preparing for a series on the Psalm.  

"I decided to make a point every day of acknowledging God’s goodness in some area to some person.”

Boice “realized how much time frequently went by without having praised God for anything.”

In studying Psalm 9, especially verses 9 and 10, I wanted to remind those listening of three things.

We need to run to God in times of trouble (v. 9).

We need to walk with God daily (v. 10a).

We need to remember that God will not abandon his children (v. 10b).

In Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy, Mark Vroegop writes “Lament is how you live between the poles of a hard life and trusting in God’s sovereignty.” 

This sermon was so much more than just information that I researched.

This sermon has been a truth that I have had to process and am continuing to learn how to apply to my life.

At the end of the message, I wanted to share some practical things people could do to help them remember Life is Hard AND God is Good.

Run to God in times of trouble.  This is a model of lament prayer from Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy.

• Cry out to him. 
• Complain to him. 
• Pray bold prayers. 
• Trust in Him.

Walk with God daily.

• Read your Bible. 
• Meditate on specific passages of scripture for longer periods of time – http://www.fighterverses.com
• Pray every day. 
• Make connecting with your church family a priority.
• Read articles and books that remind us of spiritual truths.

Remember God will not abandon His children.

• Rehearse Biblical truth like those found in Romans 8.
• Read Christian biographies.  Listen to Christian biographies.
• A great biography to check out is The Hidden Smile of God by John Piper.

Psalm 9

This Sunday, September 1st, I have the privilege and responsibility of preaching God's Word at Montrose Baptist Church.  I am preaching on Psalm 9.  The title of the sermon is "Life is Hard AND God is Good!"   Originally, I thought about preaching only Psalm 9:9 - 10.  These were the Fighter Verses for the week in which Shane asked me to preach.  In preparing, I realized it was essential to put these great truths in the context of the whole Psalm.  

It is my prayer that God would use this sermon to share about the hope we can know no matter what our circumstances are. 

I will be posting more from Psalm 9 this week.

Here are some devotionals/readings related to the sermon and Psalm 9.

1. The Gospel Coalition (TGC) post "Life is Hard.  Jesus doesn't make it easier" by Collin Hansen on June 10, 2019
2. "Unfair!" Fighter Verse devotional for the week of August 3, 2019
3. "Run into the Stronghold" Fighter Verse devotional for the week of July 27, 2014
4. My blog post "My Favorite Gospel Primer Entry" from May 18, 2017
5. TGC post "Give Thanks... Always?" by Trevin Wax on November 24, 2010.  The Chinese Folk story I used in my sermon is here
6. Pray the Word by David Platt on on August 11, 2017

Crossway's post about Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy by Mark Vroegop -
https://www.crossway.org/books/dark-clouds-deep-mercy-tpb/

My review of Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy -
https://drodgersjr.blogspot.com/2019/06/dark-clouds-deep-mercy.html

A personal post about my learning how to lament in the midst of difficulties -
https://drodgersjr.blogspot.com/2019/08/learning-to-lament.html

Be Here Until...

The preliminary result of my Michigan Teacher Certification exam for Mathematics is PASS!!

I have to wait for 5 to 6 weeks for the final results.
I have also emailed the Department of Education to verify that everything is ready for the renewal of my certification.

The plan going forward is to BE HERE
in Grand Rapids
with the kids at Northpointe Christian School
involved at Trinity Baptist Church
UNTIL WE ARE NOT HERE.

I am also going to prayerfully continue with the pastoral ministry search while beginning the search for a math teaching position.  I have shared before that my passion is for pastoral ministry but over this past year God has not provided this.

Recently, I read an article entitled 6 Distinguishing Marks of a Call to Gospel Ministry by Steven Lawson.  Here are the six marks:

• Inner Compulsion
• Loving Concern for Other
• Overwhelming Constraint
• Sobering Humility
• Corporate Confirmation

Thinking through and journaling about these six marks has confirmed my calling to pastoral ministry.

At the same time, I need to pay bills and be responsible.  God has used and continues to use In On Time as a means for me to do this.  I also believe God has given me the ability to teach along with a passion for teaching. 

This is the reason why I am going to begin searching for a teaching position.

Now I want to point out a specific phrase I used a couple of times in this post.
Pastoral Ministry.

I did NOT write that I was looking for a ministry because I believe that even if I am not in a full-time pastoral position, God provides opportunities for me and my family to minister to others.  We want to make the most of these opportunities to minister wherever we are.

He also provides each and every Christ-follower with opportunities to minister no matter their occupation.

Another part of this "Be Here Until We Are Not" mindset includes making the most of opportunities to preach and teach.

This Sunday (09.01), I am going to be preaching at Montrose Baptist Church, where my friend Shane Miller is the pastor.

The passage I will be preaching is Psalm 9, with an emphasis on verses 9 and 10, which were the Fighter Verses the week of August 3rd.

The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
And those who know your name put their trust in you,
for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.

The title of the message is "Life is hard AND God is good."

We would appreciate your prayers for the following...

• wisdom and direction for my job search
• more affordable housing after October
• focused preparation time and clear
• the kids and Krista as they begin the new school year at Northpointe Christian School

Peace and Vengeance

A quote from this week's Fighter Verse Devotional:

"This week's Fighter Verses are a reminder that the beauty of the church must extend beyond the walls of her weekly meetings.  Believers are to work hard at engaging with and commending the gospel to our culture."

This week's Fighter Verses:

"Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord'" (Romans 12:17-19).

Some things I want to share about these Fighter Verses:

I often try to think of ways to teach and talk about Biblical truths to children and those who haven't grown up in the church knowing church language.  Here is an attempt to explain each of these verses.  

Verse 17:  Don't do evil.  Do what is right, honest, beautiful, respectable in the sight of all. 

But hold on, this verse seems to say that we need to consider what others think.  Should we be concerned with what others think or what God thinks? 

This week's Fighter Verses Devotional states that we should care about what others think of Christ.  We should live in a way that helps others see God for who He really is.   

Verse 18: As much as possible. Live in peace with everyone. 

Verse 19:  Allow God to do what God is going to do.  Remember He is God and you are not. 

Not About You

Over the last two week's the Wednesday Night Fight Night studies have been designed to help families see some different ways they can use the Fighter Verses at home.  
In this post, I included the activities we do along with the devotional connections.  

ACTIVITY TIME

Romans 12:14 activity

5 minutes for each person in your group to say verse 14.

and do the following activities:

1. Read information about Adinoram Judson.

2. Answer the question about the quote and ask what stood out in this short story of Judson’s life.

Romans 12:15 activity

5 minutes for each person in your group to say the verse twice,

Have some people share some things that have made them

Rejoice.

Pray as a group:  thank God for these things.

Have some people share some things that have made them weep.

Pray as a group:  Ask God to help in these situations.

Romans 12:16 activity

5 minutes for filling in verse 16 blanks,

have each person in your group say the verse twice,

Ask the group what they think “haughty” means based on what the verse says.

Share this definition:   having or showing an attitude of

superiority and for people or things perceived to be inferior

Work together in your group to decide which of the following items would be the best  (1 = best - 4= worst) to have if you were lost in the woods.  Explain why.  There is not a correct answer.

__  baby pacifier 

__  stuffed animal

__  baseball

__  spatula

DEVOTIONAL TIME

Romans 12:14 says "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them."

This reverse economy of the Christian faith is very challenging.  As a matter of fact, it is impossible to live this way without the Holy Spirit.  

Jesus Christ set the example for us, as stated in 1 Peter 2:21, "For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,"

It is very easy to love those who love you (Luke 6:32-33).  Even sinners do this.  
You are to bless those who persecute you and "do good to those who hate you." (Luke 6:27)

John Stott wrote, “There is no better way to express our positive wishes for our enemies’ welfare than to turn them into prayer and into action.”

Missionary stories are great reminders of what this looks like.
The part of Judson story that was read last night is from the FREE book Adoniram Judson:  How Few There Are Who Die So Hard by John Piper.

Remember it is not about you and your comfort.

Romans 12:15 says "Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep."

On one hand, these two commands seem a little strange.  What is the challenge in these verses?
The supernatural living comes when someone is rejoicing while you are facing challenges or another is rejoicing when you believe it should be you.  
The supernatural living comes when someone is weeping and you are happy something bad happened to that person who may have hurt you. 

Remember it is not about you and your circumstances.

Romans 12:16 says "Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.  Never be wise in your own sight." 

John Piper states the following in his sermon "Bless Those Who Persecute You"

Virtually all the commands in verses 14-21 assume that something deeper has happened.  All these commands are rooted in freedom from self-preoccupation and self-infatuation and self-exaltation. And, much more than that—though that is crucial—they are rooted in Christ-preoccupation and Christ-infatuation and Christ-exaltation... 

We could go to verse 1, look at the words, “I appeal to you by the mercies of God” and show how all of this chapter is the fruit of being overwhelmed by the mercy of God in Christ spelled out in Romans 1-11. That would be exactly right.

Remember it is not about you.  

"God's motivation of his love for you isn't that you are great. It's that He is great."  Matt Chandler

Serve Pray Love

Last night and next Wednesday night (05.16), I would like to use our FIGHT NIGHT Bible study times to help families learn some ways to use the Fighter Verses with their families this summer and beyond.  

To begin the evening small groups, led by a father, went through the verses of Romans 12:11-13.

The moved to various stations through the church and had several minutes to talk about some questions and share prayer requests.

The questions were in yesterday's post but I want to share them again in this post and connect them with what we talked about during the devotional time at the end of the night.

You can do this same family time or something similar thing with your at home.

What I shared in the devotion time is in italics after each set of questions.  

Romans 12:11 "Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord" 

FIND AN AREA IN AUDITORIUM

5 minutes for filling in the blanks on the verse sheet, answering the following four questions, praying that you and your family would be hard workers.

If there is time left talking about the difference be hard worker & laziness

1. What are some animals that appear busy and hard-working?

2. What are some animals that appear lazy?

3. Who are some hardworking people you know?

4. What are some ways you waste time and are lazy?

Some busy hard, hard-working animals we mentioned were bees, ants, and beavers.
Some of the lazy animals were the sloth and some bears because they are slow and hibernate a long time.  I mention a slug.

Proverbs 6:6 - 11, a passage of laziness and hard work, begins with the following observation.
"Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise."
Romans 12:11 tells to work hard and serve the LORD.  
The first verse of this chapter, command to "present your bodies as a living sacrifice."
Our hard work needs to be done in God's strength for God's glory.  

The idea of the word "fervent" is fired up. John MacArthur writes in his commentary of Romans 9-16 "The idea here is not of being overheated to the point of boiling over and out of control but like a steam engine, of having enough heart to produce the energy necessary to get the work done."
Remember:  SERVE GOD AND OTHERS WITH GOD'S STRENGTH FOR GOD'S GLORY.

Romans 12:12 "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer" 

FIND A SPOT IN KID WINGS (NOT NURSERY)

5 minutes doing the following two activities, praying for these requests.

If there is time left talking about your favorite songs about Jesus.

1. Take some time on the back of this paper or the other to write down some joys you have to rejoice about.

2. Take some time on the back of this paper or the other paper to write down some troubles you are currently facing.

Romans 12:12a says "Rejoice in hope."
Psalm 71:5 say "For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O LORD, from my youth."

So we need to rejoice in the LORD, who is supposed to be our hope.
My hope is not in created stuff or circumstances.
My hope is in the Creator and the One who controls everything.

We can be patient in our tribulations and troubles because we know that God wins!!

Because our hope and joy is in the LORD and we know that he provides for His children,
we need to constantly depend upon Him through prayer and the way we live.


Remember:  PRAY BECAUSE GOD IS WORTHY OF OUR PRAISE AND MORE THAN ABLE TO HELP US IN TIMES OF TROUBLE.

12:13 "Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality"

FIND A SPOT IN CALEB’S KIN ROOM

5 minutes for filling in the blanks on the verse sheet,

answering the following five questions, and

if there is time left planning out some of the ways you can encourage your neighbors..

1. Church

A. Think about some ways your family can help someone from church this week.

B. Pick at least one and plan to do it. 

2. Neighborhood

A. What is something you like about your neighborhood?

B. Who do you know in your neighborhood?

C. Think about some ways you family can encourage people in your neighborhood this summer.

Because God loves us, we need to love others.  
Our attitude towards Sunday mornings and other church ministries should be to glorify God and help others to do the same.  
Parents, our main priority when talking to your child about Sunday classes should not be to find out if they had fun.  

Remember:  LOVE THOSE IN THE FAMILY OF GOD SO THEY AND YOU WILL BE ENCOURAGED TO GROW IN CHRIST & LOVE THOSE WHO ARE NOT IN THE FAMILY OF GOD SO THEY WILL SEE THE TRUTH OF THE GOSPEL LIVED OUT!