Class Lesson January 2, 2011

Hey Gang,

Well, I'm praying that this is going to be a Happy New Year for each one of you in 2011.

This Sunday we begin a 5-week series entitled "The Roads Less Traveled" you remember the poem by Robert Frost - "Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I --- I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." Our new series introduces 5-Spiritual Roads (Disciplines) less traveled, but if taken and practiced they promise to make all the difference in our spiritual growth, walk with God, and fruitfulness in God's kingdom. The 5-Spiritual Disciplines are: Community, Humility, Service, Sacrifice, and Meditation.

This week's lesson is entitled: A Lifestyle of Community. Paul will explain to us in Ephesians 4 what the foundation, purpose and characteristics of community are all about. Now, give a little thought this week to who your models might be for following Christ? Who are you watching and learning from? Here's a tougher question: Are you an example or model for someone else? 

In today's world, people desperately need examples or models who can show us how to love our spouse and make a marriage last; how to relate to our kids; how to do business with integrity; and how to handle conflict like Jesus would. These are all lessons we learn from others. These are all lessons we learn from community.  Now maybe you feel like your religion is a private matter and you shouldn't have to share it with anyone or maybe you think, "What is the big deal with being with others in church? Why can't I just be a Christian on my own?" Well, we will talk about that because you see, when we come to Christ, we become part of His body - the church. The church is not an afterthought so we'd have something to do on Sundays. It's not an activity to prove what good people we are. The church is vital to people as we interact in loving community.

I hope that you have a blessed rest of the week and year - hope to see you Sunday!

In His Love,

David & Susan 

Class Lesson December 26, 2010

Hey Gang,

Well Christmas is here - are you ready? This question has a little deeper meaning than before, especially after our lesson last week. What level are you living on this Christmas - is it Survival, Success, or Significance...you were created for significance. Remember Mark 8:35 (TLB) "If you insist on saving your life, you will lose it. Only those who throw away their lives for My sake and for the sake of the Good News will ever know what it means to really live." Last week we watched as Jack Baker found out that it's only when you lose everything...that you realize what you really have.

One of the special gifts of Christmas at our age and time in life is that we tend to reflect on life and the roads we've traveled during the past year or so. When the shepherds found Mary and Joseph and the Christ child in Bethlehem, they left and spread the word about what had happened to them that Christmas and people were amazed at what they had to say. And then there was Mary, remember what she did? The Bible says that she treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. I want us to close out this year with reflection on where we are this Christmas. Our question this week on the day after Christmas is this - what am I thankful to God for this year? Or what have I treasured up and pondered in my heart this Christmas? And what am I going to give to Jesus for His Birthday? 


Our prayer requests last Sunday are listed below:


Dewalds - Ryan had his wisdom teeth out on Monday.


Carys - Strength and wisdom.


Scheesers - Allison's surgery was a success. Please continue to pray for healing, decreased swelling and pain.


Dunaways - Justin for healing from a sinus infection. Joshua for wisdom in a relationship. Sheila for wisdom.


Aulers - Praise for Sandy has a new 6-month job assignment back at Carolina First. Traveling mercies for family members.

Merry Christmas to all of you and I hope to see you Sunday!

In His Love,

David & Susan 

Class Lesson December 19, 2010

Hey Gang,

Well, it's hard to believe it, but Christmas is almost here! Are you ready? What does that really mean to you when you're asked, are you ready for Christmas? You know Christmas is a pretty big deal when you think about it. It's the largest celebration around the world each year. Other holidays get a single day, but Christmas is emphasized for an entire month, one twelfth of every year. During the Christmas season, billions of people set aside their normal routines to decorate their homes, send out greeting cards, buy gifts, go to Christmas parties, attend church services, sing Christmas songs, watch Christmas TV specials, and travel long distances to be with their families. Christmas sights and sounds fill the air everywhere. There are stores, and even careers, that are exclusively dedicated to preparing for and celebrating this holiday. When Christmas comes, you can't miss it. It's everywhere.

Have you ever wondered what the real purpose to Christmas might be? In Ecclesiastes 3:1 it says, "To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." Could there be more to this holiday than I have ever really considered?  I know it's Jesus' birthday, but do I really even celebrate that? Isn't it ironic that at most Christmas parties the person whose birthday we're suppose to be celebrating is completely ignored. He's never even mentioned. Although Jesus is the reason for the season, He's often overlooked in all the busyness of the holiday.

Our series is entitled, "Change the World" and the lesson this week challenges us to read a familiar story, the Christmas story, and find the three gifts that God gave us when He came into our world. The night Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem, a small group of poor shepherds were quietly tending their flocks of sheep in a nearby field. Looking up at the stars, nothing seemed any different from a thousand other nights. But what was about to happen would transform not only the shepherd's lives but billions of other lives as well. The world changed and would never be the same.

We are going to watch the ending to "Homeless for the Holidays" and see how Jack Baker's world also change one Christmas. Jack is a high-powered, fast track executive who is unexpectedly fired to cover up a mistake in his company. As Jack's family finances worsen, they end up sitting around their fireplace singing Christmas carols and talking. The children are excited about the family togetherness even though there are no presents for Christmas. They give their last amount of cash, $40 - to a homeless man. They end up losing their home, but they learn a valuable lesson about Christmas and it's purpose. Watch the trailer below for a sneak peek!

Homeless for the Holidays 

Click Here

What is the purpose of Christmas? We will read Luke 2:8-16 on Sunday and uncover God's three gifts for you and me this Christmas. Regardless of your background, religion, problems, or circumstances, Christmas really is the best news you're going to hear this season. Beneath all the visible sights and sounds of Christmas are some simple yet profound truths that can transform your life for the better here on earth and for eternity. Right now there's nothing more important for you to understand than the implications of Christmas for your life.

Have a blessed rest of the week as we prepare this Sunday to Focus on Jesus this Christmas.

In His Love,

David & Susan 

Class Lesson December 12, 2010

Hey Gang,

We begin a new series this week that is entitled, "Change the World." We boomers started into adulthood with big dreams and determination to change the world. Too many of us have lost this drive along the way, convinced that little we do makes any real difference. Others continue as eternal optimists, persistently seeking opportunities to fix our world. What are the secrets to continuing to make a difference? To putting our hard-earned experience to work in ways that don't make us feel like we're beating our heads against a wall? To informing our dreams with the wonders of reality rather than letting the few evil ones drag us down.

We are beginning with the December 12th lesson this week that is entitled, "Go and Do." This lesson is based on the parable of the Good Samaritan, and it emphasizes moving beyond merely knowing biblical truth to seeing needs in the world and putting compassion into action. Let me emphasize it another way - it's ordinary people ripping open their shirt like Superman to help someone in need. Wow! That's send chills up my spine just thinking about it, ordinary heroes today charging into action to help someone in need, is it possible, would someone really do that today? What do you think - are you a Superman, that's OK...how about a Clark Kent? Watch this short video below:

Change the World 

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Imagine ordinary people trying to change the world simply by showing compassion for those in need. Be thinking over the next few days of how you could be one of these ordinary world changers that really care about what Jesus says when He tells us to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself. Oh, and just who is my neighbor?

Take a stroll this week through a familiar biblical story and look for the truths that speak to you about seeing need and showing compassion - Luke 10:25-37.

Hope to see you Sunday, have a blessed rest of the week!

In His Love,

David & Susan

Class Lesson December 5, 2010

Hey Gang,

Last week was another challenging lesson on the importance of the church and the Christian life. The disturbing question from last week was whether or not we are "doing" church the way God intended us to. Think about it, have we forgotten what makes our faith so radical and replaced it with something that's simply comfortable? Why do we go to church? Do we go because we are hungry to learn and grow in our relationship with Christ? Do we go because we want to worship a Holy God and be with other believers that love us as God does? What do you think is most important to God about how we do church? I asked you this question last week, how do we as the church compare the celebration of a $23 million dollar new building to raising $5,000 dollars to help 350,000 Sudanese refugees dying of malnutrition? Something just isn't right about this, anyway, I'm still thinking about it and I hope you are too.

This Sunday we will complete our 13-week series on Apologetics and the Christian Hope,  Faith, and Life - it's been quite a journey. Our lesson is entitled "Life Worth Sharing" and yes it's on sharing your faith.  At this time of year we all are making lists of some sorts whether it's for gifts or just things we need to get done. When was the last time you made a list of the people you know that need to know the Lord? 


Our lesson says that the single greatest cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, then walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable. Now that sounds a little strong, but did you know that God is going to hold you responsible for the unbelievers that live around you? Here's what a lot of Christians say about sharing their faith, "I'm sometimes timid about my faith, feeling like I don't have the right to push it on others." And then there are those that question this, what if I just don't often feel a burden for the lost, and I don't know why? And then there's always those that wonder why we need to go on mission trips when there are people here in Simpsonville or at our place of work that need Jesus too? Something to think about this week as we explore Paul's reasons for sharing the gospel in Romans 1:14-17; 9:1-3; 10:1; 14-15; 15:17-20. Imagine you were charged with walking into a faculty meeting at a prestigious secular university and telling the story of a Jewish carpenter who rose from the dead and claimed to be God. This is the cultural context of Paul's proclamation - that he was not ashamed of the gospel and he was eager to share it.

The image at the top of the page is from the movie Schindler's List - we'll be watching a segment from the movie this week as we consider those on or not on "Our List." This part of the movie has always made me wonder if this is the way I will feel when I go to heaven and God shows me those I could have saved, but didn't while I was here on earth. You know  something, witnessing is often a series of encounters - maybe one in the series is a conversation you have with someone, maybe one is someone observing your behavior,  and maybe another is  someone seeing how you handle a difficult situation in life. Everybody needs Jesus - give some thought this week to who you will put on your list this season. Click below for a preview of the clip we'll see Sunday.

Schindler's List 

Click Here

Have a blessed rest of the week and I hope to see you on Sunday.

In His Love,

David & Susan   

Class Lesson November 28, 2010

Hey Gang,

Last week's lesson on Living Life in Light of Eternity opened some eyes, mine especially, to seeing and watching out for the problem of $-Greed-$. Gordan Gekko told us that greed is is a good thing. 

 Greed is Good

 Click Here

But very quickly we saw from our lesson that greed and the Christian life cannot coexist. It was interesting to learn how greed could be influencing my understanding of retirement and my planning for it. We learned that if your plans for the future focus on self and not on God and others - then you are no different than the rich fool Jesus spoke of in His parable. The most effective way to overcome greed is to begin using what we have for the benefit of others. How does one live life in light of eternity? By making the kingdom of God the focus of our life - if we do, He promises to do two things:

1. Provide all things necessary for life and body. (Luke 12:31)
2. Give us the kingdom or all things necessary for the soul. (Luke 12:32)

This week we explore the importance of the church to the Christian Life. Now, did you know that the number of Americans that don't go to church has mushroomed from 39 million to 75 million since 1991? It raises a question, could people be interested in the Christian faith but get turned off by Christianity? How could that happen? A lot of people confuse religion with God and  end up walking away from them both. Listen, the point isn't Christianity. The point is being a Christian. What are we missing about this? And what about the people that do attend church? Many times people that attend church do so out of a sense of duty or simply because they think that they are supposed to. When it comes to church what do you think God has in mind? These are just some of the questions we'll explore this week.

This weeks lesson is entitled Life Together and it focuses on the true and vital importance of the church and the fact that when it's done right, peoples lives are changed. How can we be a part of this amazing process. There are 3-progressive points this week: Identify - Experience - and Commit to the Church! We will go back to the very beginning of the church in Acts 2:41-47 and see a real alter call! Then we'll look at Hebrews 10:23-25 to see the importance of our commitment to our church. Something we might need to consider this week is whether we are really "doing church" as God intended or have we simply reshaped the whole experience to fit our comfortable lifestyles? There are people throughout the world today that are risking their very lives to attend a bible study in secret because they are desperate and hungry to know and worship God! Why will you attend this week?

Guess what? It's beginning to look a lot like - Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope to see you on Sunday.

In His Love,

David & Susan

Class Lesson November 21, 2010

Hey Gang,

Last week was a great start to our final 4 lessons on "Making The Case For The Christian Life" and we learned a lot from Malcolm Tucker's visit to Mayberry on a Sunday afternoon. 

Malcolm Tucker in Mayberry on Sunday

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"You people are living in another world" I love that line and it does happen to be biblical. We saw from the episode that the Christian life is about personal relationships: with God and with others. When Jesus was asked to summarize His religion, He said that it was simply to love God and our neighbor. Are there rules that Christians are expected to abide by - yes, but the rules should never be the focus of the Christian life - they do exist, and for good reason.

The Christian life involves a number of different aspects, I gave you 4 last Sunday:

1. Fellowship with God
2. Our relationship with others
3. Obedience to God's commands
4. Discipline

Last week we had to answer the question of why we believe that the Christian Life is a better way to live. Can you answer that question now?

Great, because this week we venture into a topic that might be closer to each of us than we would like to admit. We are talking about $-Greed-$ and the Christian Life. Can they co-exist? Some say greed is good, some say it makes you miss what's truly important. Should I feel guilty for enjoying life here on earth, is that bad? What if I worry about money, is this a bad thing? Is it wrong to horde what I have earned and accumulated over the years? How do I balance wise planning for the future and generous living now?  Our lesson this week is entitled - "Life in Light of Eternity."

Wow...I don't know about you, but I can relate to all of these questions.  This week takes us through the parable of the rich fool in Luke 12:13 - 21, where we are told to see what life is not and how this kind of life is a lose-lose situation. Then we are shown a win-win situation through the life of Paul in Philippians 1:21-26. This will be a good topic to discuss - be ready!

GUESS WHAT? 

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The 2nd Half of Marriage Class will be hosting its first Christmas Party Friday, December 10th at the home of Larand & Monica Spencer. The festivities begin at 6:30pm (confirmed) and we'll be passing around a sign-up sheet for appetizers and desserts. Don't forget to bring your White Elephant gifts - 2 gifts per couple. This is always a hoot!

Hope to see you all on Sunday, have a blessed rest of the week.

In His Love,

David & Susan 

Class Lesson November 14, 2010

Hey Gang,

Another great discussion last week as we journeyed with Indiana Jones to the true meaning of biblical faith. Remember the question: "It's time to ask yourself - what do you believe?" Indiana had three challenges to his faith:

1. Only the penitent man will pass - kneel before God.
2. Proceed in the footsteps of the Word.                         
3. Path of God is a leap of faith - you must Believe.

I would venture to say that we all face these challenges to our faith each and every day and that we too should understand that "only the penitent man will pass," and that our humble journey of faith should always be in the footsteps of God's Word. The path of God is a leap of faith and we must believe in order to proceed. You want a life adventure better than an Indiana Jones movie - then surrender your life completely to Christ and see what adventure or journey He will take you on!  It will be more than you could ever have imagined - why, you'll be able to tell a mountain to move from here to there and it will happen! Nothing will be impossible!

We learned that our salvation comes only through a personal faith and commitment in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. When we exercise personal faith, God declares us righteous just like He did Abraham. The life of faith is like a long-distance race in which believers are runners. Such a race requires learning from other believers, both living and dead. Our steady focus  throughout the journey must be on Jesus.

This week we begin a case for the Christian Life, itself - is it really any better? When people think of the Christian Life they sometimes think of it as only a set of prohibitions: "Why don't Baptists have sex standing up? Because it might lead to dancing." Fortunately this is a joke, but sometimes even Christians have gotten carried away with rules. Some will say, "I see miserable Christians and contented non-Christians all the time." Well, maybe we need to look a little more closely at the people and their life to recognize true contentment. And then there are those who ask, "If you take eternal life out of the picture, how's the Christian life any better?" Well, because eternity for the Christian starts now - God is with me all the time and I can depend on His power each day of my life. And then there are some who will even agree, "I think the Christian life is the best way, but I'm just not sure how to explain that to others." We understand what God wants by proceeding in the footsteps of the Word, (I've heard that before) believing it and then acting on it - You remember, Trust & Obey! 

This week we'll journey, no let's adventure through John 14 and 15 to see Jesus, Himself explain how the Christian life is better. The hope is that you'll be able to answer if and when someone asked you why you choose to live the Christian life. Your greatest apologetic is explaining to them what living in a relationship with God is all about.

Hope you have a blessed week and we'll see you on Sunday!

In His Love,

David & Susan 

Operation Thanksgiving in Afghanistan

Hey Gang,

The Care Packages are on their way to Afghanistan! What a wonderful way to give thanks at thanksgiving - to our troops! Monica & Larand Spencer were our project leaders and what a great job they did pulling everything together and getting everything packaged and sent - Great Job! Monica also took some great pictures of the project that I've posted below.

I'm listing the names of the soldiers again for you to continue to keep in your prayers as our Care Packages arrive: Richard Padgett, Jordan Mayural, Jose Ruiz, Miguel Romero, Korey Ehinger, Jason Haight, Erin Patton, Joshua Hensell, Ryan Grigg, Robin Yerger, Michael Suarez, Jonnathan Burke, Vinvent Lopez, John Jackson, Donald McCutchan, Michael Snell, Robert Wilson, Nathan Baker.

Please continue to pray for each soldiers safety while in Afghanistan and their safe return home. Please pray that God will bless and touch each one in a special way through this thanksgiving gift from our class and that God will be glorified. Please pray that God will lead us to help someone else in a special way and give thanks to God for letting us be a part of His care and grace.

Below are the pictures from the project:

What a great opportunity to give thanks to our troops for serving our country!

I want to thank each of you that helped and participated in our class project - it was a great success and blessing!

In His Love,

David & Susan 

Class Lesson November 7, 2010

Hey Gang,

Last week was a really good discussion on Jesus being the only way to God and your only way to salvation. He is our Savior and Lord! This is the basis for our faith and what we claim to believe. 

This week we are going to look directly into what faith really is - both the faith that saves and the faith that remains loyal to Christ. The former addresses what happens the moment a person believes in Christ and is based on passages from Romans 4:1-3, 23-25 and 10:9-13; and the latter concerns what kind of lifestyle God expects from those who have received Jesus as God's Son and Messiah, and is based in the Book of Hebrews 12:1-2.

Hebrews 11 summarizes faith actions of many God followers. The "large cloud of witnesses" named in Hebrews 12:1 refers to these men and women of faith. From Abel to Noah to Sarah to Rahab, they were described as living "by faith." All were imperfect people yet God used them in mighty ways because of their choices to express faith. We can learn how to do faith from these and other faithful-to-God Christians.

With their help, we as Christians can examine our relationship to God to determine if we have been living in a way that pleases God - by faith. Here's where many are today - "I've got an intellectual understanding about God, but I'm not sure of the next step."  Or maybe this is you, "I've got faith, and that's enough!" Or maybe you just don't know how to bridge the gap from faith being an intellectual exercise to faith being a way of life. Well, I think this lesson is pretty important because: first we need to have more than a mere knowledge - we need biblical faith, second, the power of faith is in its object. Because our faith is in Christ, we know that we have the power of the Almighty behind our faith. Third, faith involves all of me, not just my intellect, it's a lifestyle and I need to fully understand this.

This week's lesson is entitled "Making Sense of Faith" and is the last lesson in our series on The Case for Jesus, next week we will begin the final series on "The Case for the Christian Life."

I hope to see each of you this Sunday as we continue in our understanding and defense of our faith.

Have a blessed week!

In His Love,

David & Susan 

Class Lesson October 31st

Hey Gang,

A special thanks to Scott Ballew for teaching for me last Sunday! I missed everyone and I can't wait to jump back in to our series on making "The Case for Jesus." This middle part of our overall series on "Apologetics" began by getting each of us to realize and understand the seriousness of sin and the fact that everyone has sinned. The following week we talked about the common notion of trying to improve ourselves enough that God would find us as acceptable and allow us into heaven as a reward for our good behavior. But wait, Paul told us that no one is good, no...not even one! Jesus answered the rich young ruler when addressed as Good Teacher, "Why do you call me good, no one is good except God." So is it not true that good people go to heaven? Well, the interesting thing about that is this ... if you ask most good people if when they die will they go to heaven, the most common response is "I hope so." What kind of hope is that? We learned that "Good" will never be good enough and that this kind of hope is nothing more than an unachievable effort to earn God's favor - you can't win! Why? Because you don't get it, and you clearly don't understand the case for Jesus if this is where you are. 

So, last week our lesson explored just what makes Jesus so different from  any other teacher or founder of a religion in history. Well, we learned that Jesus was unique in that He rose from the dead, never to die again - different than any other religious person in history. We learned that His teachings and miracles demonstrated that He was more than just another teacher or prophet. And did you know that there is no reliable historical data out there today that  shows that any founders of the world's major religions ever claimed to be God, but Jesus did! Why? Because He is God! And what could be more different than that. 

This week we explore the apologetic that Jesus is the only way to God.  Now, many people our age realize that Christianity is important, but also feel that other religions are important too. Some think that it sounds a little intolerant to say that Jesus is the only way to God. Why couldn't there be other ways and expressions that lead to the same God? What about those people that have never heard of Jesus, but are following a moral path that they believe leads to God? We will look at three answers to this question: first, we will read the most well-known verse in the Bible - John 3:16-18 to see the importance of Jesus being God's One Son. Secondly, we will read John 14:6-11 to explore how Jesus described Himself as the One Way to God. And our third answer will come through Paul's letter to Timothy (1 Timothy 2:3-6) where he warns Timothy that there will be many false teachers out there that will try to say that there are other ways, but that there is only One God, One Son and One Way - sounds pretty consistent to me...there must have been a plan. 

You know we were very fortunate to have Dr. Phil in the class a couple of weeks ago, but guess who I've got coming in this week?

 OPRAH WINFREY

We are going to see what she has to say about this question of Jesus being the only way - should be interesting. 

Class News:

This Saturday our class is participating in the church's Trunk or Treat event.

We have four cars assigned and each family should be getting a letter from the church with specifics about the event. We are all suppose to be at the church at 5:30 on Saturday with our candy - those of you that are using your trunks will be given parking assignments in your letter. Remember that afterward we are having a coffee and dessert social at "The Man Cave" better known as the Dewald's home! Be sure and let Traci and Joe know that you're coming for a headcount and directions to their home. 

Also, we are in the final week of collection and preparation for our class project: Operation Thanksgiving in Afghanistan. All of you should have received Monica and Larand's email this week, so be sure to show-up Sunday and help us wrapped up this special gift of thanks from our class to 18 soldiers serving in Afghanistan for our country. This is a busy week ahead for everyone and I pray that it's a blessed one as well.

See you Sunday!

In His Love,

David & Susan 

     

Class Lesson October 24th

Hey Gang,

Dr. Phil gave us some good advice Sunday, on how to deal with adult children that make fuzzy moral choices and don't want our advice. Our guests on the show were parents of an adult daughter that made a choice against their wishes to live with her boyfriend outside of marriage. The daughter at the time believed that it was the right thing to do, after all, the boy said he loved her and wanted to marry her, but it turned out terribly bad. Now the daughter feels guilty, used, and ashamed, but also angry at her parents and blames them for letting her live with this boy. 

What was Dr. Phil's advice?

To the daughter, he said, first and foremost you are not alone - everyone makes mistakes. Secondly, you have to stop blaming your parents - you made a grown-up decision and you are facing a grown-up consequence for that decision.

When the audience was asked what else they thought the parents could have done, they felt that it was important that the daughter be given scriptural reasons for why this was wrong and that she understand that God is the standard by which we should measure all choices made. When God's Word is not the standard for our choices, then all choices seem fine. Parents need to reinforce that God is the standard for right and wrong in all matters of life and it would help to live it as well. Lessons caught as well as taught - "I rather see a sermon than hear one, any day."

We learned that Jesus Christ was the daughter's only answer to her situation. She needed to surrender to Him, repent and receive His forgiveness. Her guilt was actually a sign that God was already working in her life and that through His forgiveness she could start a purposeful life over again. Her sin is no different than ours, for we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  It's important for us to understand that our efforts to improve ourselves in order to be good enough for God is not what it's all about. You will never earn God's acceptance! Goodness is replaced with forgiveness and righteousness.

This lesson spoke to three basic issues with why good is never going to be good enough and the age old question of whether good people go to heaven. 

1. Evil Rationalized - Isaiah 5:20-23 "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil..." This is where we all are and we all fall short of God's standard in different areas of our lives. Paul says to us in Romans 3:12 "there is none who does good, no, not one..." We talked about how our society has fallen into "Moral Confusion" about what's really right and wrong, many times under the false idea of Tolerance.
2. Righteousness Realized - Romans 3:21-26 "...This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe." This is where we all want to be..."justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."  But something has to happen many times for us to realize true righteousness...stay with me.
3. Holiness Recognized - Isaiah 6:1-5. Isaiah is called up into the very presence of God and is overwhelmed by God's sovereignty. It makes him feel dirty beyond anything but simple expression, helplessly weak and feeling that he is doomed. He says, "Woe to me! I cried. I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty." Wow...this is how we get to a realized righteousness through the recognition of God's holiness.  This is what the daughter was experiencing and feeling with Dr. Phil - she felt convicted. What does it take for us to experience that right mix of fear and devotion to God?

Do good people go to heaven? No, because no one is good except God alone, but forgiven people do - forgiveness made possible by the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ - this is the case for Jesus. This righteousness has nothing to do with who we are, but everything to do with Who God is. One of the most powerful evidences (apologetics) that God is real is the way He changes human beings. Don't settle for your unreliable standards. Apply God's standard of holiness to every part of your life - today!

This week I will be out, Susan will be there, and we will have a guest teacher, but I have laid out the lesson for the week and it's a great one as we continue to make the case for Jesus. This week answers the question: What's so different about Jesus?

Take a look at all of the light bulbs in the header above, they all look similar don't they? But only one actually gives light. The others either have no power source or simply are not real. In a similar way, some people want to say that all religious leaders are essentially the same and lead to the same God. But in real life, only Jesus has the power and identity to actually give light.

Many don't deny that Jesus is an important religious teacher, but how is He any different from other great religious leaders in history? Take a stroll this week through the Bible and see how Jesus' teachings (John 6:66-69), miracles (John 9:17, 24-25, 31-33, 35-38) and resurrection (John 20:27-29) all give evidence that He is God.

Hey everyone, guess what...Jim and Esther Best are back! Be sure to say hello and welcome them to our class this Sunday. We missed all of you that were out Sunday!

Don't forget about our class project: Operation Thanksgiving in Afghanistan. We took up a collection Sunday and we will collect again over the next two Sundays for the project. See Larand and Monica Spencer for details. Also, we are set for Trunk or Treat night October 30th and our coffee and dessert social after the event - put it on your calendar! I heard a rumor that Joe Dewald might open the "Man Cave" for the social. Also, there is a special prize for the class that has the highest participation for Trunk or Treat - sounds like a challenge to me.

Hope everyone has a blessed week and I'll see you in two weeks.

In His Love,

David & Susan

Class Lesson October 17th

Hey Gang,

Sunday the 10th we will be in the Life Center during Sunday school listening to our Church's Kingdom Cause II question and answer opportunity.  The mission continues...

Sunday the 17th we will resume our series on Apologetics and making our case for Jesus by discussing why "Good" isn't good enough. 

Do good people go to heaven? Well, a grandmother of 90 years of good living, standing by her dying husband till the end, serving her community, loving her grandchildren, paying her taxes, and driving the speed limit ... is asked by her granddaughter, "Grandma, we've never really talked about heaven before. Are you sure that when you die you will go to heaven?" The grandmother got big tears in her eyes and responded the way the average good person responds to this question. She said, "I hope so, honey."

Why is it, that really good people at best can only "hope so" when it comes to knowing whether or not they will go to heaven? 

Well, we're going to talk about that, but first we have a special guest coming to our class this week to answer an empty-nest parenting question that is relevant to each of us.

Ask Dr. Phil

How possible is it to have a helpful discussion with your young adult children when we see them making fuzzy moral choices and they don't want our input?

Both questions above frame our lesson this week on The Case for Jesus. In our lesson we will see Dr. Phil, I mean Isaiah tell Judah that they have learned to rationalize their evil ways. (Isaiah 5:20-23) Next we will watch and read how Isaiah is given a vision of the holiness of God and what this means to how we see "Good." (Isaiah 6:1-5) And finally Paul will tie everything together in Romans 3:21-26 where he explains the importance of "Righteousness" through Jesus.  Why isn't good, good enough? Hope you have an answer for that.

This lesson is the halfway point in our overall series on Apologetics. Not that there's going to be a final exam or anything, but hopefully you are drawing some conclusions and explanations for the hope you have in your heart, the faith you have in Jesus, and the reason you have chosen to follow the Christian life. I don't know about you, but a turning point for me was the experience and revelation that Isaiah had in the presence of God... wow.

I can't wait to go through this lesson...see you on Sunday!

A couple of updates:

1. Class Prayer Groups - If you are interested in a Saturday morning prayer and support group, please contact Brenda Stephens for the ladies and Clif Dunaway for the men. 
2. Trunk or Treat - Our class will be sponsoring two "Trunks" Saturday, October 30th and having a coffee and dessert social following the Trunk or Treat event. All you have to do is bring a bag of candy (one bag per family) to the event and help give the candy out to the kids. 
3. Class Project - We are going to prepare, as a class project, 30 care packages for a unit of military personnel in Afghanistan right now serving our country. The plan is to prepare these packages and mail them out in time for Thanksgiving - what an opportunity to give thanks! Monica and Larand Spencer are facilitating this project and will update us in class on the 17th.

Have a blessed week everyone.

In His Love,

David and Susan 

 

October 10, 2010 Kingdom Cause II

This Sunday, October 10, 2010 will be EPIC! 

10:00am Sunday School Class Hour 

Family Life Center

We will meet in the Family Life Center during the Connect4 hour. We will have a time of fellowship and encouragement. Personal stories will be shared and a brief devotional will be given. This will also be a time for any questions you may have about Kingdom Cause II.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

We need to decide if we want to do a Class Trunk for this event. We need some feedback and a volunteer trunk to decorate for the evening. We can decorate it anyway we want as long as it's not scary! Also those of you that have kids in high school that need to collect volunteer hours, this is a good opportunity to do this. We were thinking that if the class wants to do this then we could have a mini-social following the trunk or treat event somewhere with coffee and dessert! You can post a comment on the blog or send me an email, but let's decide if this is something the class would like to do.

Class Prayer Groups

Don't forget the prayer groups being organized for Saturday mornings. Contact Brenda Stephens for the ladies prayer group and Clif Dunaway for the men's prayer group. Both are being scheduled for around 8:30am on Saturdays. Locations are still being worked out, but let's commit to these opportunities to pray and support one another. Contacts are below:

Brenda Stephens
(864) 963-8441  Home
bdstephens@charter.net


Clif Dunaway
(864) 967-8015  Home
csdunaway@yahoo.com