Our lesson this week is about the Sacrifice of Christian Hedonism. For those of you who may have mixed feelings about John Piper, this is our last Sunday with him. Yeah! Our passage this week is found in 1 Corinthians 15:19 and 4:10-13 and 2 Corinthians 11:23-28. We learn that Paul concerned himself with knowing Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. He did not worry about having righteousness of his own but his relationship with the Lord. There are 3 reasons why Paul focused on God. First was obedience. Scripture for obedience is Acts 19:6, Acts 14:22 and Luke 9:23-24. The second was Breaking of Self Reliance. Scripture for that is 2 Corinthians 1:8-9. The third was to Magnify the Glory of Christ. The fourth was to Endure For the Sake of the Gospel. The scripture for this is Galatians 1:24 and Hebrews 10:14. Piper went on to say that Jesus Christ was the perfect sacrifice and the only thing lacking is the physical presence spreading the gospel. In other words for it to truly be the perfect sacrifice, the people need to learn about it. The only way they will learn is for God's people to go spread the Word. As you go this week, think about your role in the perfect sacrifice. As a Christian, are you spreading the gospel? Are you telling other about the perfect sacrifice? Allow God to work in your life this week and as he does, be sure to share that He is the one in control not you. You never know, it may start a conversation that ends with the perfect sacrifice.
Happy Anniversary:
Josh and Melanie - May 20 (Belated since I did not post last week)
Kim and John - May 21 (Belated since I did not post last week)
Andrew and Rachel - May 31
Prayer Requests:
Remember the McMillan family whose son drown this weekend while on vacation. He was 4 years old.
Also remember all of the families who are traveling for the holiday and pray for safe return.
VBS is a week from today! Start praying for all of the workers, teachers and especially the many children who will be touched by God that week. For those of you working, do not forget our meeting next Sunday at 12pm. Lunch will be provided.
Kim and John - Jed and Sally are both sick. Pray they will get well soon.
Joey and Kelly - The El Salvador group was coming home today. Pray for their safe arrival. Jonathan was included with that group.
Greg and Jennifer - They are still trying to sell their home in Vernon. Pray it will sell. Jack is going to have to repeat kindergarten next year. Pray that he will adjust well and other siblings will not make a big deal of it. All 4 kids are home for the summer with Jennifer and she wants to be able to use the time to learn and teach as well as have fun together. Pray she will be able to accomplish all of these tasks.
Rachel and Andrew - PRAISE! Rachel's dad has accepted a job. He will be selling the products he use to work with. Today is their anniversary! Happy 7 Year Anniversary!!! Rachel's brother has a job but would like one in his field. He may have to leave AL to get one. Pray he can find something in his field.
John and Susie - John's mom had shoulder surgery Tuesday and is doing well. She is in alot of pain and going through therapy right now. Pray she will heal quickly and have minimal pain. Johnny Gill, who works with John, also had hip replacement surgery. Pray he too will recover quickly.
Tyler and Heather - Heather's grandmother was hospitalized for a severe kidney infection. She is home and trying to recover. Tyler's grandfather is having to move to an assisted living facility. Pray for this transition. Tyler's cousin and her mother are going to Nigeria for 6 weeks to help work in orphanages. Pray for safe travels. Tyler is starting to look for jobs for when he graduates in 11 months. They would like to stay here but realize they may have to move. Please pray that God will lead them where they need to go.
Rebecca and Jason - Bailey is trying to start crawling. Parents are excited but we assured them that movement is not always the best thing. Good Luck!
Scotty and Lesley - Continue to pray for Scotty's family as the reality of his mom's death starts to sink in. His sister is having a hard time dealing with her loss. They are also concerned about his dad because he has no family in Pensacola. Pray that God will give them peace and help them know they are not alone.
Doug and Christy - PRAISE! School is out for summer! They will be traveling this next weekend to the beach. Pray for safe travels and no oil! They will be going this week to meet the new nephew.
Jon and Amber - Pray for my mom as she travels this Wednesday to be with my grandparents. My grandfather goes Thursday to the oncologist to follow up from his visit in January where they were told the cancer was back. Pray for grandmother who is having a very hard time dealing with this and is nervous about the news they will receive this week. Also, continue to pray for Chad and Courtney. They are in route from Houston, TX to Oakland , CA. They are going very slowly and it will end up taking them 4 days to get there. Today is day 3. Pray for safe travels for them and that they will have an apartment once in Oakland. Most of you know that Jon and I have been trying for 2 and a half years to have another baby. We went through infertility but stopped once we found out that insurance would not cover it. We have decided to pray hard about where to go next. We will either go forward with the infertility and pay out of pocket or decide to have a complete family with the three of us. Please pray for us and with us as we try and make this difficult decision.
Loyd and Lisa - Thank you for the words of encouragement Loyd about infertility. We truly appreciate that! Loyd spoke in front of a group of people this week for work. He said it went great! Unspoken.
Have a great week and we will see you Sunday!!!!
Amber
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