Special Project

Penny has been her creative self and come up with a wonderful idea!  We are going to use one gallon Ziploc bags as "blessing bags" for Mission Tulsa...just fill one up with the following suggestions or whatever else the Lord would lay on your heart.  These can be put in the Mission Tulsa boxes or given to Penny. Thanks so much for being a blessing!

Blessing Bags for Mission Tulsa

List of suggested things to put in a 1 gallon Ziploc bag

Chap Stick                                                                Packages of tissues

Toothbrush & Toothpaste                                            Comb

Soap or hand wipes, or baby wipes                            Trail Mix

Granola Bars                                                             Snack Crackers

Pack of Gum                                                             Band Aids

Alcohol Free Mouthwash                                            Hand Wipes

Pair of Socks                                                             Instant Coffee Packets

Washcloth                                                                 Fruit Cups

Juice Packets                                                             Nuts

Beef Jerky                                                                  Tuna Packets

Sample Size Shampoo                                                 Pudding Cup

Hard Candy                                                                Notepad and Pen

Deodorant                                                                  (We will add tracts.)

If you are vacationing, keep your hotel lotion, small soaps & shampoo, for the bags!  If you want to donate some items but not a whole bag, we will add items before we distribute.  I am thankful that I am not homeless and want to have compassion on those who are.  Let’s be a blessing! 

Note:

Next week we will be meeting in the Sanctuary for Sunday School hour with Jimmy DeYoung. He will be presenting Bible prophecy.

Life with a Purpose

Sowing to the Spirit and Reaping a Purposeful Life

You need HOPE to COPE.
"Hope deferred makes the heart sick." Prov. 13:12

"Thou will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee..." Is. 26:3

Knowing God's will gives meaning, simplifies, and makes our lives purposeful; it motivates us.
Keep focused on the goal; the past isn't our prison. Phil. 3:12-15
Purpose produces passion:  recognize who we are, what we're called to do, and don't let the weights of the world distract us.  Heb. 12:1-2
We'll have a good testimony through faith. Heb. 11:39-40

What have you done with what God has given you?

1.  We need to have enough faith to accept whatever God designs for our lives.  Jer. 18:16


2.  We need to have a life so yielded to God that we realize His purpose for us.  Phil. 1:6

3.  We need to have gratitude enough to be thankful for His blessings and mercies.  Rom. 11:33

4.  We need to have patience enough to not be bitter.

5.  We need God's smile and approval in all we say and do.

6.  We need grace enough to be sweet under all circumstances.  II Tim. 4:2 

Our Purpose: What Drives You?

(continued from last week)

What drives your life?
*Some are driven by guilt
*Some are driven by anger and resentment
*Some are driven by fear
    (This is a self-imposed prison.)
*Some are driven by materialism
    (Our value is not determined by our valuables.)
*Some are driven by a need for approval
    (Those who follow the crowd usually get lost in it.)

Key verses:  Ecc. 7:9 ; Matt. 10:19-20 ; Rom. 12:3 ; Matt. 6:33 ; Rom. 8:32 ; Matt. 6:24 ; Prov. 12:3

Without God, life is trivial and fruitless.

Of all the words
from speech or pen,
The saddest of these:
"It might have been."

"Our Purpose"

Special thanks to Jim Eller, our fearless leader, for making our class what it is today...we are all blessed from being touched by you!!!

What drives the life of the unbeliever?
What drives your life?

"A man without the Lord is like a ship without a rudder."

*We need wisdom
*We need to serve a life of purpose and be Christ-like
*We need to imitate the apostle Paul as he imitated Christ
*We need to have a purpose, such as Timothy

Key verses:
Psalm 90:1-2, 12 ; II Tim. 2:5-6 ; I Cor. 4:15-16 ; I Tim. 4:12

We are soldiers who need to refuse the distractions of this world. II Tim. 2:4
Godliness with contentment is great gain; we brought nothing into this world and will leave with nothing. I Tim. 6:6-7
Lack of satisfaction with life makes it look like everyone else has it better. Ecc. 4:4

"Much of our activity these days is a cheap anesthetic to deaden the pain of an empty life."
What drives YOU?
Many people are driven by guilt. Psalm 32:1-5  (We are forgiven!!)  :-)
Many people are driven by anger and resentment.  Ecc. 7:9


To be continued...
 

To Better Understand God's Word

Thanks to Jimmy Willis for preparing today's lesson!

1.  We must have faith
     *through faith we understand
     *Enoch didn't see death because of his faith
     *without faith we cannot please Him
     *Noah built the ark because of his faith
     *it will open our eyes

     Key verses:  Heb. 11:3, 5, 6, 7 ; Psalm 119:169

2.  We must live a pure life
     *We must be cleansed from our secret faults
     *everything we say, do and think
     *Lord will not hear us if we regard sin
     *We must lay aside malice, guile, hypocrisies, envies, evil speakings
     *We must delight in the Lord and He will give us the desires of our hearts
     *Wisdom from above is pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to understand

     Key verses:  Psalm 19:12-13, 14, 66:18 ; I Peter 2:1-3 ; Psalm 37:4 ; James 3:17


3.  We must study
     *received in readiness and found out the truth
     *diligence
     *Scripture is trustworthy
     *taking a chance on being deceived if we don't
     *renew our minds through worship of God


    Key verses: Acts 17:11 ; II Tim. 2:15 ; Eph. 4:14 ; II Tim. 3:16-17 ; Rom. 12:1-2

The Riches of God's Grace

Grace = God's Riches at Christ's Expense

*He helps those who are tempted

*We can find grace in a time of need

*All things are open (revealed) to Him

*A soft answer will turn away wrath

*Better to have vegetables with love than meat with hatred

*Enemies will be at peace with us

*Better a dry morsel with quietness than feasting with strife

*A man of great wrath will suffer punishment: bail him out once and you will have to do it again

*We are chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world

*He promises to display us as the trophies of God's grace

*Where sin abounds, grace abounds much more

Key verses:

Heb. 2:16-18 ; Heb. 4:16 ; Heb. 4:12-13 ; Prov. 11:29-30 ; Prov. 15:1 ; Prov. 15:17 ; Prov. 16:7 ; Prov. 17:1 ; Prov. 19:19 ; Eph. 1:3-8 ; Rom. 5:20