The Pastor’s Blog
Home Study Feb. 10th to 15th, 2014
Home Study February 10th to 15th
Monday – Read Genesis 1:26-27
How does your perceived identity affect your everyday life?
From what are you prone to get your identity, other than Jesus? (I. E. Items, duties, others, longings, sufferings?)
What does being made in the image of God mean to you?
Tuesday –Read Ephesians 1:1-14
What is the difference between biography and testimony?
What does it mean to you to be "in Christ"?
How does understanding your identity in Christ help you battle false identities?
Wednesday – Read Acts 20:17-38
How does Paul describe his ministry in Ephesus?
How does the Holy Spirit guide Paul's steps?
What emotions do you see from Paul toward the elders, and the elders toward Paul?
Thursday – Read Ephesians 2:11-22
What does it mean to be in Christ?
How is Christ Jesus your Cornerstone?
This week memorize verse 22.
Friday- Read Acts 19:23-41
How did Paul's preaching the gospel of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit opening people’s hearts to the Word of God, affect the people of Ephesus?
Why did Demetrius object to Paul's teaching?
What did Demetrius and the Ephesians riots love?
Who protected Paul?
Saturday – Read Ephesians 3:14-21
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Home Study for February 3 through 8, 2014
Monday – Read Proverbs 3:5-8
What does it mean to trust in the Lord and not our own understanding?
What does it mean to acknowledge God in all our ways?
Why is this kind of submission crucial to knowing God’s will?
What is God saying to you? How will you respond?
Tuesday – Read Proverbs 3:33-35
How does God feel about human pride?
Why is He so emphatic about this?
How can pride damage our relationship with God and with other people?
How strongly should we deal with pride in our lives?
How does this passage challenge you? What will you do?
Wednesday – Read Proverbs 16:18-19
What are some pitfalls of pride?
What are some benefits of humility?
Think of a time when pride got you into trouble, how could humility have helped you or protected someone from you?
Why is humility better than riches?
Thursday – Read I Peter 5:5-7
Why do you think humility is so important to God?
How does pride get in the way or receiving God’s grace?
How does pride keep us from experiencing God’s care?
How does this passage challenge you? What will you do?
Friday – Read James 4:1-3
What are some reasons we don’t see more answers to our prayers?
How does pride play into this?
How can humility open us to pray more effectively?
What is Jesus saying to you? What will you do?
Saturday – Read Ephesians 2:1-10
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A Memorial Service for Richard Fleming will be Saturday, February 1, 2014 at 2 p.m. at MFC. A reception with light refreshments will follow. Richard was called home to be with Jesus on January 18, 2014. Please remember Denise and family in prayer.
High School and Middle School Youth – Impact Athletics Invites You to a Super Bowl Party
At Pacific Bible College, 409 N. Front Street, Medford
Sunday, February 2nd Doors Open at 3 p.m. – Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m.
Join us for some fun, games and prizes along with a special halftime presentation. Admission is free. For more information contact Dave Gomez at 541-951-4663.
Ladies Meetings:
Ladies Fellowship Group All ladies are invited and welcome to join us for sharing & caring fellowship. We will meet on Tuesday, February 4th at 7 p.m. at the home of Dawn DuLong. Patsy Burton will be co-hostess.
Friends Women Missionary Fellowship Group All ladies are welcome to join us at the home of Phebe McManama, Thursday, February 20th at 10 a.m. A buffet lunch will follow the meeting.
All Church Potluck – Sunday, February 16th
Please join us for a time of fellowship and good food! We’ll meet in the fellowship hall following the Sunday School & Bible Study hour. Please bring a main dish and salad, vegetable or dessert to share.
MFC Youth to Impact Primetime February 26th
Where Youth Groups Hangout Together! Bring your friends for some fun, fellowship and food at Bobbio’s Pizza in Central Point, from 8:30 to 10 p.m., the last Wednesday of every month. A Large slice of pizza and soft drink is just $5.
Financial Report
January 2014
Income $15,773.80
Expenses 17,515.95
Difference -1,742.15
We are thankful for God’s provision for our needs and for all who contribute to the ministry of Medford Friends Church in so many ways. Please be praying for the Stewardship Committee as they finish up the proposed budget for 2014.
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The National Football League was founded in 1920 and has a long history of change and innovation. Although many of those changes have come incrementally or quite slowly, 2014 saw the league making a couple of its more bold and risky moves. This year they changed the format of the Pro Bowl and for the first time ever, scheduled the Super Bowl in an outdoor stadium in a cold weather city. Time will tell if these changes will pay off or not, but you have to give the NFL credit for being willing to shake things up a bit.
In our spiritual lives it can be easy to become comfortable with the familiar, to get into a rut, to run on auto pilot. It’s not that being in a comfort zone is all bad, that being in a rut can’t still take us forward or that auto pilot isn’t a safe way to fly, in fact, the problem may be that all of those things are too safe and keep us from taking risks for Jesus and from experiencing new ways that He wants to work in and through our lives.
If you look up the word new in a concordance and read the verses listed it’s clear that God is into doing new things. He puts a new song in our mouths, He gives us a new heart and a new spirit, He has made a new covenant with us, He makes us a new creation, and ultimately, He will give us a new heaven and a new earth.
God likes to do new things for, in and among His people and as we move through the pastoral transition process, we should be prayerfully looking for, and even expecting, God to do a new thing among us. And as we seek God’s work and will in our individual lives, as well we should not be surprised that God is doing a new thing in us too.
As God works and moves to do new things among us may Psalm 149:1 be true of us, “Praise the Lord. Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of the saints.”
Trusting as God Leads,
Mark
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