Beloved Brothers and Sisters:
What a blessing and a privilege it is to serve and fellowship alongside you. I know I am not alone in having long prayed that I would be able to be a part of this kind of church body; one that is devoted to Christ and to one another. I pray that we would all be consciously thinking about how we might esteem each other above ourselves. This is especially needful as our situation is in a constant state of change and uncertainty as a fellowship moving forward in Maynardville.
As the form and structure of our times together continues to be refined and take shape, we need to be mindful about keeping a sense of order in our gatherings, and making our time together a priority in our busy schedules. It is important that when we set times to meet together we determine to be prepared and on time. This is not only a courtesy to each other, but as people from the community come and join us, this is a matter of our gospel witness. We are not simply meeting together to relax and enjoy some singing and teaching; we are meeting together in the hope that God would prepare us for the serious calling of making disciples among the nations.
In case you missed it
Sunday we began a new study through the book of Hebrews. I introduced us to the book, painting a picture of the Jewish Hellenistic (those strongly influenced by Greek language and culture) Christians who received this word in the first century. The major themes of Hebrews were introduced, and we heard about Jesus as the final and perfect revelation of God. If you missed it, or want to listen again, you can find the sermon audio here. Take some time to meditate on Hebrews 1:1-4, as brother Matt will continue to expound on this passage Sunday evening.
We were also encouraged by Diane’s testimony (available here). We have been greatly ministered to these past weeks in the hearing of how God has worked in the lives of our fellowship. I ask everyone who has not yet given their testimony to begin praying over the opportunity each of us will have to give God the glory for all He has done for us. Everyone who is in Christ has a worthy story to tell. As John Piper wrote; “being raised from the dead is never boring.”
Yesterday we officially began our study through the Firm Foundation discipleship curriculum. Brother Ken led us through the first lesson. Unfortunately, due to some technical error, we do not have the audio recording from last night. The main emphasis was on the reliability of Scripture, and the dominant theme / characters of Scripture. The point of history is the agreement that God the Father, Son and Spirit made with one another before creation to obtain a redeemed bride for the Son. The main characters to keep in view throughout Scripture are; God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, and man.
Scripture Reading and Prayer
In order to promote unity of heart and mind among us, we are encouraging as many as are willing to join with us in reading through the entire Bible this year together, as well as devoting specific Scriptures to prayer each day. It is our prayer that as we meditate and pray over the same Scriptures each day, that God will work in our midst to bind us to one another, and to give us a common vision for the ministry here in Maynardville. Prayerfully consider joining with us in this endeavor, and we will see how God will work in our midst.
Our Scriptures to pray over this week are:
- Thur (1/16): Ps 63:1-3
- Fri (1/17): Ps 51:17; Heb 13:15; Ps 51:15
- Sat (1/18): Heb 12:1-2
- Sun (1/19): Heb 13:20-21
- Mon (1/20): Luk 17:5; Mar 9:24b
- Tue (1/21): Ps 51:1-11
- Wed (1/22): Luk 18:13
- Thur (1/23): Ps 66:18
Our Scripture reading schedule for the week is:
- Thur (1/16): Gen 32:13-34:31; Matt 11:7-30; Ps 14:1-7; Pr 3:19-20
- Fri (1/17): Gen 35:1-36:43; Matt 12:1-21; Ps 15:1-5; Pr 3:21-26
- Sat (1/18): Gen 37:1-38:30; Matt 12:22-45; Ps 16:1-11; Pr 3:27-32
- Sun (1/19): Gen 39:1-41:6; Matt 12:46-13:23; Ps 17:1-15; Pr 3:33-35
- Mon (1/20): Gen 41:17-42:17; Matt 13:24-46; Ps 18:1-15; Pr 4:1-6
- Tue (1/21): Gen 42:18-43:34; Matt 13:47-14:12; Ps 18:16-36; Pr 4:7-10
- Wed (1/22): Gen 44:1-45:28; Matt 14:13-36; Ps 18:37-50; Pr 4:11-13
- Thur (1/23): Gen 46:1-47:31; Matt 15:1-28; Ps 19:1-14; Pr 4:14-19
With love and affection in Christ,
Caleb
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