{"id":3986,"date":"2022-07-09T15:56:55","date_gmt":"2022-07-09T15:56:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stpaulsmarietta.org\/?p=3986"},"modified":"2022-07-09T15:57:09","modified_gmt":"2022-07-09T15:57:09","slug":"7-10-16-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stpaulsmarietta.org\/?p=3986","title":{"rendered":"7\/10-16\/2022"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/stpaulsmarietta.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/SPc-Logo-2018sm.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"185\" src=\"https:\/\/stpaulsmarietta.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/SPc-Logo-2018sm.jpg\" alt=\"St Pauls GoodNews\" class=\"wp-image-3882\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stpaulsmarietta.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/SPc-Logo-2018sm.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/stpaulsmarietta.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/SPc-Logo-2018sm-300x56.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stpaulsmarietta.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/SPc-Logo-2018sm-768x142.jpg 768w, https:\/\/stpaulsmarietta.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/SPc-Logo-2018sm-150x28.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>This Week<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Sunday: 10:00 Worship<\/li><li>Tuesday: Bible Study @ Jeremiah&#8217;s, 2 p.m.; Elders, 3 p.m.<\/li><li>Saturday: Emmaus Reunion Group, 8 a.m.<\/li><li>AA Meetings: in the Parish Hall:<ul><li>Tuesdays, 6:30 \u2013 7:30 p.m. &#8211; Discussion<\/li><li>Wednesdays, 7:00 \u2013 8:00 p.m. &#8211; Big Book<\/li><li>Fridays 7:00 \u2013 8:00 p.m. &#8211; Discussion<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">July 24: 11 a.m. Semi-Annual Meeting<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sermon, 7\/10\/2022: &#8220;Do Likewise&#8221; Deuteronomy 30:9-14; Luke 10:25-37<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Can you love your enemies? Love those who oppose the gospel without omitting the gospel from your love for them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Looking For A Church<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>By P. J. Tibayan<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Christians need a church family where they can encounter Jesus, deepen meaningful relationships, and make disciples of Jesus Christ. Yet visiting churches and checking out websites is time-consuming and often frustrating. I know what it\u2019s like to visit a church and feel discouraged. I\u2019ve also tasted God\u2019s goodness and grace through the church. So keep looking!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are five things I encourage you to seek in a church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>1. Commitment to Expository Preaching<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cExpository\u201d means the content and intent of the Bible passage shapes the content and intent of the message preached (Mike Bullmore). \u201cPreaching\u201d means that teaching is applied directly to the hearer\u2019s conscience. Many churches say they preach the Bible, but the content and intent of the passage don\u2019t shape the message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You gather with the church to hear directly from God through the Bible preached. A solid church preaches the gospel of Jesus Christ, because that\u2019s the Bible\u2019s main message. A faithful church must believe and teach that man is accepted before God by faith alone through the death and resurrection of Christ alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>2. Clear Vision for Discipling One Another<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The essence of the church unfortunately can be missed by both churches and church-seekers alike. Members of the local congregation are responsible for one another\u2019s discipleship, both collectively and also individually. The church is not merely a crowd gathered on a Sunday. It\u2019s a group of people committed to Christ through repentance and faith, committed to each other\u2019s spiritual growth, and committed to share together in the practices of baptism and communion as commanded by Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This commitment to discipleship should be mutually understood by all members. Is the church you\u2019re considering clear that it expects members to minister to one another? Do leaders expect you to be your brother\u2019s keeper? God does. They should too. If you really want to know if it\u2019s clear, don\u2019t ask church leaders\u2014ask the members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>3. Backbone to Love Wandering Sheep<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Churches should have a backbone. By this I mean they should have the courage to practice church discipline on those who refuse to repent from sin. That may sound a bit harsh and unloving in our day. But Jesus was clear that discipline is an act of love:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If your brother sins against you, go and rebuke him in private. If he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he won\u2019t listen, take one or two more with you, so that by the testimony of two or three witnesses every fact may be established. If he pays no attention to them, tell the church. But if he doesn\u2019t pay attention even to the church, let him be like an unbeliever and a tax collector to you. I assure you: Whatever you bind on earth is already bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth is already loosed in heaven. (Matt. 18.15\u201318)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Paul also encourages the body to practice redemptive discipline in 1 Corinthians 5. You want to join a loving body, which means you need to find one that will care enough to restore you to Jesus and his people at any cost, even if that means biblical discipline designed to win you back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>4. Sense of Mission<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jesus gave the church a clear mission: Make disciples of all people groups (Matt. 28:18\u201320). You were created and saved for great things. Your life has an important and eternal purpose. Join a church where leaders and members remind and equip you for the disciple-making mission Jesus established for all his followers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A faithful church should sweep you up into that life of mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>5. Place with People Unlike You<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many Christians are looking for a church that fits their preferences: their style of music, their style of preaching, their demographic (age, stage of life, ethnicity, culture), a thriving youth group, a first impression of friendliness, or size (large or small).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But none of these factors should be decisive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When these take top priority, you have swapped the essence for the extras. It\u2019s like choosing a car because of the tires or steering wheel. If you buy a car because it has the rims and radio you want, even though the engine doesn\u2019t work and the transmission is broken, you\u2019re confused about an automobile\u2019s main purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The church is a group that takes responsibility for one other\u2019s Christian discipleship\u2014a group of varied ages, ethnicities, musical preferences, and interests. They all love Jesus and the gospel. He makes them a family. Sure, such diversity may bring conflict at times. But that can be a good thing if it challenges our selfishness. When we sacrifice personal preferences for the sake of others, we are getting closer to King Jesus. And isn\u2019t that why we\u2019re joining the church in the first place?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This Week Sunday: 10:00 Worship Tuesday: Bible Study @ Jeremiah&#8217;s, 2 p.m.; Elders, 3<span class=\"more-dots\">&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3986","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-community","no-post-thumbnail"],"featured_image_src":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"Paross","author_link":"https:\/\/stpaulsmarietta.org\/?author=1"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stpaulsmarietta.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3986","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stpaulsmarietta.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stpaulsmarietta.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stpaulsmarietta.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stpaulsmarietta.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3986"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/stpaulsmarietta.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3986\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3988,"href":"https:\/\/stpaulsmarietta.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3986\/revisions\/3988"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stpaulsmarietta.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3986"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stpaulsmarietta.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3986"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stpaulsmarietta.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3986"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}