Vacation Bible School

You're invited to join us for

Camp E.D.G.E.

Vacation Bible School!

Monday, July 13 - Friday, July 17

from 6:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m.

Each night the kids will take a "truth treck" to Bible days for their lesson, have craft and game time, enjoy snacks and music time.

We hope to see you there!

"Lead Me To The Cross" by Hillsong United

Savior I come

Quiet my soul, remember

Redemption's hill

Where Your blood was spilled

For my ransom

Everything I once held dear

I count it all as loss

Lead me to the cross

Where your love poured out

Bring me to my knees

Lord, I lay me down

Rid me of myself

I belong to You

Lead me, Lead me to the cross

You were as I

Tempted and tried, Human

The Word became flesh

Bore my pain and death

Now You're risen

Everything I once held dear

I count it all as loss

Lead me to the cross

Where Your love poured out

Bring me to my knees

Lord, I lay me down

Rid me of myself

I belong to You

Lead me, Lead me to the cross...

"And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name." Acts 5:41 (KJV, emphasis added)

The disciples understood what it meant to be persecuted for their beliefs. They truly understood the sacrifice that Jesus had made for them. They knew what it meant to take up their crosses and follow Christ - and they were thankful to be able to do so.

My Sunday school lesson this week is about persecution. Last night's devotion was "We must trust God more than we fear men." (Acts 5:17-42)

The above verse (Acts 5:41), really spoke to me. The disciples had been arrested, thrown in jail, had to stand before the council and were badly beaten. And what did they do?

They REJOICED!

They didn't cry out to God with complaints. They didn't whine and pout. They didn't give up and give in to the demands of the council. They were THANKFUL that they had even been considered worthy to suffer for Christ!

Do we understand what it means to suffer today? Do we really know what it means to take up our crosses and stand out and be different in the name of the Lord?

I'm afraid that we have become controlled by fear. We don't want to look like one of those "Jesus Freaks." We're afraid that if anything seems out of place, people will judge us. We're afraid that if things aren't perfect, people will wonder what we did to deserve punishment. We're afraid that if we freely worship God and raise our hands to Him in praise that people will think we're weird. We definitely don't consider it an honor to suffer for Christ.

But that's exactly how the disciples felt. See, they had witnessed the Savior be beaten and die on the cross. They had seen Him die, they had seen Him after He rose from the dead, and they believed in Him.

They didn't care what men thought about them. They didn't care what traditions and rituals they broke ("...We ought to obey God rather than men." - Acts 5:29) They had life-changing news to share and if they had to share it while they were being beaten and stoned, so be it.

They suffered joyfully. (See 1 Peter 4:12-19)

But what does that mean for us today? We don't have to fear being stoned to death for our beliefs, but our fears are just as real. We fear being ostracized by friends, having to miss out on certain activities, or not getting that promotion if we stand up for what's right. But take heart!

We were promised that we would suffer in this world. "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." 2 Timothy 3:12

But Jesus also promised us that we would be rewarded for our faithfulness and perseverance. "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets that were before you." Matthew 5:11-12

So if you're struggling, rejoice in the Lord.

Remember how Jesus suffered for you, and remember that He is still with you always. Consider it an honor to suffer for Christ. He considered it an honor to die for you.

30 Days with Jesus - Days 21-30

These last ten days of our month of devotions are beginning to repeat a lot of the same teachings that we have already covered.

Have you ever wondered why there are four books of the Bible that are dedicated to the life and teachings of Jesus? Now days, most of us are more familiar with the New Testament than we are with the Old Testament. We teach more lessons from the New Testament and find more ways to apply the New Testament to our lives, but the New Testament is very short. And the first four books of the New Testament are basically the same (they tell many of the same stories, each from a different point of view).

Why did God think it was necessary to repeat the stories about Jesus and His teachings four times? I think it was because we are so stubborn.

Think about how many times in these 30 days that we have read the Gospel message of salvation. Jesus gave out His wisdom in little stories so that people could understand things that are not of this world. And He repeated Himself a lot because we needed to hear it over and over for it to make a dent in our thick heads.

For the last ten of these devotions, I would love for you to leave a comment about what you have learned in the past 30 days with Jesus.

Thanks for reading!

Mission Kids Summer Schedule

Mission Kids is our Wednesday Night Class for Pre-school through 5th Grade. We meet in the Family Life Center from 6:45 - 8:00 on Wednesday nights. We would love to have your kids in our classes!

Hello Mission Kids Parents!

We've been doing great with our Treasures of the Nile theme on Wednesday nights these past few weeks. Thank you so much to all of you that have volunteered and helped with the kids. The help is greatly appreciated!

We will wrap up Treasures of the Nile a few weeks early (tonight will be our last lesson in the series), and will be spending the month of July celebrating summer! We have lined up a ton of fun and exciting events for our kids. Check out this summer's schedule below:

Wednesday, July 1st - 4th of July Fun Night

We will learn about the armor of God and will celebrate our country. We will have hot dogs strawberry and grape slush drinks for snack. Donations of food/drinks will be appreciated.

Wednesday, July 8th - Open Gym Night

We will host the Mission Kids Games! Each class will learn about teamwork as they work together to complete an obstacle course and other fun games. Please make sure that your child wears appropriate shoes for the night's events. We will also have slush drinks (orange and grape), and you are welcome to send your child Gatorade. We will be in the gym, and it will be hot, but we will have water breaks and will have the fans on.

Wednesday, July 15th - Vacation Bible School! Camp Edge

Wednesday, July 22nd - Movie Night

We will try to beat the heat and get out of the gym tonight. We've been studying Moses in Treasures of the Nile, so we will be watching a cartoon movie about Moses. We will have popcorn and slush drinks. Again, donations will be appreciated.

Wednesday, July 29th - Puppet Show

We will have special guests, Puppets on the Rock, here to teach and entertain the kids.

We're really excited about all the fun activities we have planned for this summer. I will be posting photos of our events, so please get those photo release forms to me if you have not already. Thanks!

Happy Father's Day!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

"The Influence of a Father"
Sermon by Bro. Rick Taylor

Fathers have a profound influence on the family, therefore they have a profound influence on the church. And because they have a profound influence on the church, they have a profound influence on God's kingdom - as designed by God.

"And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up." Deuteronomy 6:6-7

Joshua 24:14-24

Joshua's Instruction -

1. Fear the Lord (verse 14) "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction." Proverbs 1:7
2. Serve the Lord - Joshua instructed the people to serve God in sincerity and truth. In this verse, sincerity means entirely and wholly. Truth means faithful and stable. In other words, we should give God our all, ALL the time!
3. Put away false gods - Here, Joshua was instructing the children of Israel to put away the Egyptian influence and to beware of the influences of the world. He knew that the people of the world were going to try to influence the children of Israel to stray from serving God, and he wanted to make sure that they didn't allow themselves to be easily influenced.

Joshua's Intentions -

"And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." Joshua 24:15 (KJV, emphasis added)

Joshua was the leader of his household and he made sure that his home and family were in the right spiritual condition, just as a father should. He knew that he had taught his family how they should live. He was confident that his family knew God and would serve Him. Joshua understood the influence he had on his family as the spiritual leader of their home, and he did not take his position lightly.

The People's Intentions -

1. They intended to serve God - "And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods; For the LORD our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed: And the LORD drave out from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land: therefore will we also serve the LORD; for he is our God... And the people said unto Joshua, The LORD our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey." Joshua 24:16-18, 24
2. They forgot their good intentions - "And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel." Judges 2:10

Why did they turn from God? Because of the influence of their fathers:

Their fathers were disobedient

Check out Judges 1:21-36. God had instructed the children of Israel to go into the promised land and destroy all that lived there and take the land for their own. He did not want them to cohabitate with Canaanites because He did not want them to be influenced to sin against Him. But the Israelites did not obey God. They didn't drive the Canaanites out of the land and lived among them. In Judges 2:1-4, God sends the angel of the Lord to rebuke and warn the children of Israel -

"And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you. And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this? Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you. And it came to pass, when the angel of the LORD spake these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept."

As a father (or mother, or big sister, or mentor), the decisions you make effect the future generations. How are you influencing the future?

"Increase our faith" - 30 Days with Jesus - Day 20

Luke 17:1-37

"And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith." Luke 17:5

Has anyone ever told you to be careful what you pray for? I've heard all my life that you shouldn't pray for patience, because God will send you trials that will teach you to be more patient. But what if you really need patience?

The apostles knew that they needed faith, and they asked Jesus to increase their faith. To me, that sounds a little like praying for patience. If your faith is going to increase, it's going to have to be tested and proven. So that's a hard prayer to pray.

But the prayers we usually need to pray the most are the ones that are hard to pray - for example, if you are having a hard time in a relationship with a dear friend, do you pray for God to change her or do you pray for God to change you? We should pray, "Change ME, Lord." We should pray, "Increase MY faith, Lord." We should pray, "Fill ME, Lord."

Why don't we pray this way? Is it because we are afraid to change? Is it because we don't want to admit that we need to change? I think its both.

So I challenge you today - pray for God to increase your faith. He tells us in Luke 17:6 (and Matthew 17:20) that if we have faith the size of a mustard seed that nothing will be impossible to us. Do you know how big a mustard seed is? It's about the size of a pen point. Imagine what we could do if we really had faith! Imagine what we could do with a big faith!

Sure, prayers like that are hard because they usually require us to do some work, but I think the reward is worth the effort, don't you?

Casting Stones - 30 Days with Jesus - Day 19

John 8:1-59

"Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.
And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.
And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." John 8:1-12 (KJV, emphasis added)

I'm sure that I've already told you that John is my favorite book of the Bible. I think Jesus' love for people shines through John's account more than the others. And I especially love the stories that John wrote about women that met Jesus. We've already studied the woman at the well (and if you want to study her story more in-depth, you really need to buy Paperdoll by Natalie Lloyd. It was a great book!), and today we're going to meet the woman caught in adultery.

We all have secrets. I'm sure you have some things that you would not want to have splashed across the front page of your hometown newspaper. We all have things that are private. And, unfortunately, some of those private things are sins.

This woman had a big secret. She was having an affair. I'm sure she didn't try to publicize it. After all, it was a totally different culture and age than the one we live in now. Instead of gossipping and bragging about her affair like women do on tv shows and Lifetime movies, she had to hide it from everyone. She was breaking the Law, and the sin she was committing was punishable by death.

Despite her efforts to keep her affair secret, word somehow got around and she was caught red-handed. Imagine how embarrassed and ashamed she must have felt! Then, to make matters worse, the men that caught her drug her to the Temple, yelling her sins out for all to hear. And of all people to take her to, they drug her up to Jesus, the teacher and miracle worker she'd been hearing about.

I'm sure she felt completely unworthy to look Him in the eye, especially after the men told Him what she was guilty of. He knew the Law, and she was sure that He would be the first to cast a stone at her as punishment for her sins.

But instead of picking up a stone, He just knelt and started writing on the ground. He looked at the men that had brought her there. "Which of you is without sin?" He asked. "Let him cast the first stone at her."

Slowly, all the men left. Not one could say he had never sinned. Her life was spared! I'm sure she breathed a sigh of relief.

But then, He looked at her. I bet she held her breath, afraid of what He was going to say. But all He did was ask her where all the men that had accused her had gone. "Hath no man condemned thee?" He asked.

She humbly looked into His compassionate face and shook her head. "No man, Lord," she said.

"Neither do I condemn thee," Jesus said. "Go, and sin no more."

Do you think that woman skipped home? I do. The Messiah had just spared her life, and He had forgiven her of her sins. He gave her a second chance!

Those men in the village had been quick to point fingers at her and judge her, but Jesus was just as quick to forgive her.

And He is just as quick to forgive us today.

After the woman left, Jesus turned to the people He had been teaching and told them that He was the light of the world. I know that woman felt His light shine in the dark places of her heart that day. She no longer had to be afraid. She was no longer bound by her sin and fear. She was forgiven and free, and He had told her to sin no more.

Whenever a person met Jesus, he or she went away changed. The greatest thing about that is that Jesus is still the same. He is still the light of the world. He still offers forgiveness and redemption. He still tells us that we are not condemned if we just believe in Him.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." John 3:16-17, emphasis added

"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Romans 8:1, emphasis added

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. " John 5:24, emphasis added