Growing Ministry at Emmanuel

301 Class, “Discovering My Ministry,” begins this Sunday for all adults and for youth ages 12 and up

Out here in the country, they’ve got this snow thing figured out.

After an all-day snow yesterday, a light snow most of the night, and even a little bit of snow this morning, I thought it might be at least another day before I got out of the driveway and made a trip to town. But once the storm ended, like a Super Bowl champion, various members of the “team” stepped into action :
One neighbor made an initial pass down Oncken Road last night with a small plow attached to his four-wheeler.
A second neighbor plowed a wider path this morning with his tractor.
Eventually, the county maintenance came through with the road grader on the county road.
I don’t have a four-wheeler, a tractor (or even a golf cart !), so my part was to shovel my driveway as the finishing touch that enabled us to get the car out for a trip to the church and the grocery store.

That process of each person doing his part is a picture of what ministry in a church (which is people like you and me, following Jesus) should look like. Everyone has a growing understanding of the part(s) God has given them to play in serving Him, then together we git ‘r done !

Our Elder Board is of the opinion that much of the future, growing ministry at Emmanuel may hinge on what we learn and are led to through this class, so I encourage you to attend ! Sunday mornings, February 9 thru March 2, at 9:00 am, in the auditorium.

Here are a few sneak peeks into the material we’ll be studying :

A life-changing truth : You are a minister of Jesus Christ !
You’ve been created for ministry ! “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph 2:10).
You’ve been saved for ministry ! “It is He who has saved us and chosen us for His holy work, not because we deserved it but because that was His plan long before the world began” (2 Tim 1:9).
You’ve been gifted for ministry ! “Each one has received a special gift. Use it in serving others” (1 Peter 4:10).
You are to be equipped for ministry ! “God gave pastors and teachers to prepare God’s people for works of ministry, so that the Body of Christ may be built up” (Eph 4:11-12).
The Body of Christ needs your ministry ! “All of you together are the one Body of Christ, and each of you is a separate and necessary part of it” (1 Cor 12:27).
You are accountable for your ministry ! “So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God” (Rom 14:12).
You will be rewarded for your ministry ! “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward” (Col 3:23-24).

I hope to see you this Sunday morning at 9:00 in the auditorium. Children ages 3-11 will join Pastor Jeff for a special time called “A Travel Guide Through the Parables.” A nursery will also be available. Everything is ready – come join us.

Finally,
If you have missed 101 or 201, join us anyway for 301. (The 201 course – “Discovering Spiritual Maturity” – will be re-run in March.)
If you’ve been part of the Gospel of John adult class the past four weeks, that class will break now to meet with the other adults for 301.
If weather causes activities to be canceled on a Sunday morning, you should receive an email fairly early in the morning (if we have your current email address), or you should check the church website, www.hermannefree.com
Thank you !

Taming the Tongue

As I promised myself earlier this school year, I finally did order a little book that had caught my eye in a catalog last fall. Called 30 Days to Taming Your Tongue, by Deborah Smith Pegues, it has proved to be an adventurous read … and a challenging one. I am becoming more convinced that many of our relational problems in life go back to little habits of speech the Lord would love to address and correct in us. This little book covers thirty ways the tongue needs to be tamed. I found it so compelling, I wanted to jot down a few notes here for your own consideration. As we proceed in our study in 1 Peter during worship on Sunday morning (“Faith Tested By Fire”), I think we will find that careful, loving speech can go a long way toward helping someone through trials.

See what compels or challenges you below :
The Lying Tongue

• Lying comes in four primary forms : deceitfulness, half-truths, exaggerations, and flattery.
• “The Lord detests lying lips, but He delights in men who are truthful” (Prov 12:22).
• “Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips” (Psalm 120:2) — (my own lying lips ??)

The Flattering Tongue

• If you are a flatterer, understand that when you are over-complimenting a person, the flower of your words will soon wilt and lose all impact.
• “The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips …” (Psalm 12:3).

The Manipulating Tongue

• Samson fell in love with a woman, Delilah, who used the age-old, guilt-inducing “if you loved me, you would …” argument to coax him into telling her the secret of his great strength.
• Because I am in right standing with God, He surrounds me with favor. Therefore, I have no need to manipulate anyone for personal gain or advantage.

The Hasty Tongue

• “Do you see a man hasty in his words ? There is more hope for a fool than for him” (Proverbs 29:20).
• “Therefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak” (James 1:19).
• Time and words are two things that, once gone, can never be recovered. We must take time to weigh our words before we release them.

The Divisive Tongue

• Divide and conquer is one of Satan’s most effective strategies for hindering the effectiveness of any effort undertaken by two or more people.
• Have you ever used your tongue to sow discord ? Know that anytime you tell another person something negative someone else has said about him, your action will probably cause division.
• “Keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Eph 4:3).
• I will make every effort to speak words that engender peace and to refrain from any communication that creates disunity.

Good words for us ! We’re still early in a new year – still opportunities for change and growth, and just a little attention to our speech can help us tremendously. I know I need it. Thanks for praying for me and for each other !

See you Sunday !