Home Study March 12 through 17, 2012
Monday – Read Ephesians 2:1-10
Why is it important to remember that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus and not by works?
However, God has prepared good works for us to do. How can we know what works He created us to do?
Take time to pray for God to reveal or affirm the works He would have you do in His church and kingdom.
Tuesday – Read Romans 12:1-2
What does it mean to “offer your bodies as living sacrifices?”
Why is this important?
To be a living sacrifice implies more than a one-time event, how can we live a lifestyle of sacrifice?
How does this passage challenge you? How will you respond?
Wednesday – Read Romans 12:3-8
By what measure should we consider how we live for Jesus?
Why is it important to use the proper measure?
What can happen if we use the wrong measure?
Why is it important for every believer to know and use their spiritual gifts?
How does this challenge you? What will you do?
Thursday – Read I Corinthians 12:27-31
Who gives us the spiritual gifts that we receive?
How does God intend for all of the gifts to work together?
How do these different gifts make us dependent on one another to fulfill the work that God has given us?
Friday – Read Ephesians 4:11-16
What is God’s purpose for the spiritual gifts He gives us?
How does the operation of each gift allow us to mature in Jesus?
How important is each gift to the Christ’s church and kingdom?
How does this passage challenge you? How will you respond?
Saturday – Read Luke 1:26-38
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Want To Come To Church?
If you have been wondering what classes you can attend here at MFC, here are a few options.
- Jr. High– Patsy Burton and Drew Krupp lead a Sunday School class for kids 6th-8th upstairs.
- High School-Dave Gomez leads a Sunday School class for highschoolers in Ross Chapel.
ALSO, Jr. Highers and High Schoolers meet on Wednesday nights from 7-8 in Ross Chapel for worship and small groups. Simple Dinner is at 6 before Youth Group starts. This is lead by Dave Gomez.
Other different classes you can attend at MFC are as follows-
- Hispanic Service– meets on Fridays upstairs in Harmony Hall at 7 p.m.
- Hispanic Service– Meets on Sundays upstairs in Harmony Hall at 1 p.m.
- Polynation Christian Fellowship– Meets on Sundays at 4 p.m. in Ross Chapel
As you can see there are a few options to choose from at MFC and there is something here for everyone to grow stronger in their faith with Jesus Christ.
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Song Of The Week
Ok, This week’s song is Me And Jesus by Stellar Kart. Stellar Kart wrote this song when they were at a church camp and some of the kids at the camp were telling them about all these thing that they were going through and so they wrote this song. This song is basically just a reminder that no matter what, Jesus is there for you. The link for this on youtube dosn’t have the lyrics in the video but there is lyrics in the box below so you can read as you listen. So….here… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OzzywdDozo
Stellar Kart- Me And Jesus-We Can’t Stand Sitting Down
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March Youth News
Paul Wright Concert.-Thursday, March 15th at the 1st Nazarene Church, 1974 E.McAndrews Rd. The cost is free!! For rides meet at MFC at 6:30 p.m.
Girl’s Night In The Word– This month’s topic is self-hate/injury. Takes place at Community Bible Church in Central Point on March 11th from 6:00-8:30 p.m. For more information go to girlsniteintheword.com.
Mexico Missions Trip 2012– If you are going to Mexico this summer to build a house for someone in need, the cost is $425. You must have a valid passport, ID and $100 Non-refundable deposit due on Sunday March 26th.
Camp Auction– If you are going to camp this summer you need to be at the camp autcion to get money. Even though it takes place in May, you need to start planning what you are going to need to do. So just be aware! Because before you know it, It will be May in a blink of an eye!!
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Sunday, March 4th Satila and Melody Tuivanu, pastors of the Polynation Christian Fellowship that meets in Ross Chapel on Sunday afternoons at 4 p.m., will be sharing in worship the vision and calling that God has placed on their hearts to reach Polynesian people in our valley.
Things to Remember!
Daylight Savings Time begins March 11th
Spring Break March 26-30
Lord’s Supper Service Sunday, March 25th at 6 P.M. II Corinthians 11:26 says, “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.”
On March 25th we will hold a Lord’s Supper service for those who appreciate using the elements to proclaim Jesus’ death until He comes. The service will feature worship, reflection and repentance, sharing the elements and open sharing.
Ladies You are Invited to a Baby Shower for Kim Woodbridge, Thursday, March 15th, at 7 p.m. in the fireside room at MFC. Kim and Ben are having a baby boy, and they are registered at Target.
Ladies Meetings in March:
FWMF (Friends Women Missionary Fellowship) is open to all women of our church. Our time together is spent in fellowship and learning about the work of our missionaries, their needs and the people to whom they minister. All ladies are welcome to join us at the home of Donnalee Archibald, Thursday, March 15th, at 10 a.m. A buffet luncheon will follow the meeting.
Friends Women – All ladies are invited and welcome to join us for sharing & caring fellowship. We will meet Tuesday, March 20th, at the home of Glenda Workman.
Ladies, Mark Your Calendars For the Annual Spring Rally April 21, 2012.
This year’s theme is “Glow in the Dark” (I John 1:5) and will be held at MFC. More information coming soon!
All Jr. and Sr. High Students are invited attend!
What: Paul Wright Concert
Where: 1st Nazarene Church, 1974 E. McAndrews Rd.
When: Thursday, March 15, 2012
Cost: Free – for rides meet @ MFC @ 6:30 p.m.
At Community Bible Church in Central Point – March 11, 6 to 8:30 p.m.
This month’s topic is self-hate/injury. All Jr. Hi and High School girls are invited to participate. You can get more information at girlsniteintheword.com – empowering teen girls to make wise choices – hosted by Jimmelynn Rice.
All Church Potluck – Sunday, March 18th – Everyone is Welcome!
Bring a main dish & a salad, vegetable or dessert and join in the fellowship following the 11 a.m. Sunday School hour.
Help Wanted- The Christian Education Committee is exploring the possibility of holding a Vacation Bible School in mid-June. If you would be interested in directing this ministry or serving in it, please circle “V” on the back of the information sheet or contact Lena Anderson. Thank you!
June 16-24, 2012 Mexico Missions Trip – Cost is $425. Must have valid ID, passport and $100 Non-refundable deposit due on Sunday, March 26th. Contact Dave Gomez for more information.
Missionary Breakfast at MFC Saturday, March 24th at 8:00 a.m.
Dr. Fred VanGorkum, Regional Director for Africa with Christian Veterinary Mission, will be sharing about the many ways that God is working through the veterinary missionaries in Africa. Plan to come to be blessed by Fred’s report. Stan Schlosser will be preparing the meal. There will be opportunities to RSVP during worship services this month or you can call the church office.
Financial Report
February 2012 year-to-date
Income $14,997.39 $32,238.33
Expenses 18,609.49 36,958.09
Difference -3,612.49 -4,719.76
We have kept spending under our budgeted amount but our giving for the months of January and February has not kept pace. We are thankful to everyone who supports the ministry of Medford Friends in all of the ways that you do and we thank God for His faithfulness to always meet our needs as we seek to serve and honor Him.
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Seek and Follow
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5 and 6
We are probably all familiar with this promise from God and I expect we have all claimed it more than once in our lives. It’s easy to understand what it means to not trust in our own, or in any human understanding or wisdom, but to instead seek and trust in God’s wisdom and leading; but what does a straight path really look like? I had an experience the other night that illustrated it for me.
I live about four miles from the church and on my way home there are 13 traffic lights. Needless to say, if I hit one or two lights at the wrong time it can be a long, slow trip home. While stuck at a light I have often fantasized about how cool it would be to have a traffic signal controlling strobe light on my car just like the ones on fire engines and on a recent trip I got to find out just how cool it would be.
While driving home, about two blocks into my drive a fire engine pulled in front of me with lights and sirens going. After it passed me I tucked in behind it at a safe distance and had green light all the way home. Thanks to the light controlling strobe, my path was cleared of all obstructions, it was like God parting the Red Sea and made for the best drive home ever.
That experience got me to thinking about how it is when God is leading in our lives, when we are following and He is making our paths straight. When we seek His will and His way, He opens the doors, turns the lights green, and removes obstacles from our path so that we are able to go the way that God has planned for us.
And the opposite is often true. When we are moving against God’s will, pressing to get our own way or to do things in our own time, we can encounter road blocks and difficulties that God intends to stop us so that we will turn back to Him and seek His will, in His time and in His way.
Of course, not every road block or difficulty means we are on the wrong path, James 1:2 and 3 tell us that God will use our difficulties to produce perseverance in us. However, when we seek God’s will, seek His way, seek His timing, and follow as He leads, He will allow us to know His will and will open the door and clear the path that He has set for us.
It’s my hope and prayer that the promise of Proverbs 3:5 and 6 would become the norm for each of our lives and for our church family as we seek and follow Jesus.
God’s Grace and Peace,
Mark
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Home Study march 5th through March 10th, 2012
Monday – Read Isaiah 42:1-9
In Matthew 12:15-21, this passage is applied to Jesus.
What does this passage tell us about the work of Jesus?
How would you describe His approach to those who need His salvation?
Why are we able to put our hope in Him?
What does this say to you about how to share Jesus with others?
Tuesday – Read Isaiah 42:10-12
Why can we praise the Lord?
How far is His praise to extend?
How does this passage challenge you? How will you respond?
Wednesday – Read Isaiah 43:8-13
How can people have ears but be deaf and have eyes but be blind?
How can we be God’s witnesses?
What other savior is there besides Jesus?
Why does the world need to know this?
Thursday – Read Isaiah 43:14-19
God recounts what He had done on behalf of His people, but in verse 18 what does He call them to do?
Why do we sometimes miss the new things that God is doing?
What can we do to see them and join Him in them?
How is God challenging you? How will you respond?
Friday – Read Ephesians 2:4-10
By what are we saved?
Why?
How should we respond?
What impact does our response to being saved by grace have on other people?
How can you better share this truth with the people you know?
Saturday – Read Luke 1:5-17
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Song Of The Week
This week’s song is Free To Be Me by Francesca Battistelli. This song is about how we don’t know what we want to do with our lives when we are younger, and in some cases, when we are all grown up, and how imperfect we are but with God, he will lead us the right way and when we are with him we can be ourselves and not worry.So here you go…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38LcrMZutJs
Francesca Battistelli-Free To Be Me- My Paper Heart
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Home Study February 27th through March 3rd
Monday – Read Romans 10:9-13
Who can be saved by believing in Jesus and confessing Him as Lord?
Would you agree that to be saved is simple but a hard thing to do?
Why is that?
How is Jesus challenging you? What will you do?
Tuesday – Read I Timothy 2:1-7
Who does God want to be saved?
What has God done to make that possible?
According to verses 1-3, how should we live so that people may see Jesus?
How does this passage challenge you? How will you respond?
Wednesday – Read II Corinthians 4:1-6
How has Satan blinded the minds of unbelievers?
How can we as followers of Jesus help them to see Him?
How important is it that we grow in our knowledge of Jesus?
What will you do to continue growing in knowledge and faith?
Thursday – Read Romans 15:13
What do we receive when we grow in trust in God?
How do we grow in trust?
Take time to examine your life and ask God to show you the areas of your life where you need to trust Him more.
Friday – Read I Corinthians 16:13-14
What are we called to do here?
Which of these things seems the easiest for you?
Which of these things seems the hardest for you?
If something is hard for us, in whose power and strength may we do it?
Why is it so important for us to do these things, and all things, in love?
How is God challenging you? What will you do?
Saturday – Read Isaiah 42:10-12
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Please Pray for Ukraine!
Last Wednesday we had a guest speaker Named Jacoby. Jacoby and his wife Lera are missionaries in Odessa, Ukraine. If you don’t know, Odessa is the southern part of Ukraine.The picture below shows where it is exactly. It is part of the orange colored region. Here are some things that are going on in the Ukraine that stuck out to me.
One thing is that Ukraine has the most teenage alchohalism in the world. I found this very intresting. I never would have thought that out of all the places in the world that teenage alcohalsim being the worst would be Ukraine! It is a very scary thing that is happening too much.
Secondly, there is a big problem with kid napping, and prostitiution in Ukraine. Lots of teenage girls will apply for a job and they will get kid napped and then be forced into prostitution. It’s very sad and not right at all. It is very disturbing. But unfortunantly, it is happening.
Next, Ukraine is hosting a soccer tornament of some sort I guess, and they have a bunch of stray dogs running around in Ukraine. If you love dogs a lot you may not want to read this because it is a bit distrubing, but they need to get rid of all these dogs. So what they are doing is they are injecting poision into them and they are waiting for them to die. Then once they die, they burn them in order to get rid of the bodies. It is really sick and I absolutoly 100% HATE it, but they have no money to put all of them in pounds and such, so that is the only thing they think they can do with them.
Lastly There is a very high drug use in the Ukrain expecially in Kids.
There is so much more to pray for, for the Ukraine. Please go to this website and learn more about what Jacoby and Lera are doing.http://projectodessalife.com/partnerserve/
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