Good evening Brothers and Sisters,

Please find attached the Bible Study Outline on the topic “Intentional Service and Sacrifice” which is our final study in our Quarter Series on Living a Life of Sacrifice and Service.  The main text is James 2:14 -26 and the key learning points are as follows:

1. It is not enough for someone to “say” they have faith. True, living faith must be demonstrated by our actions  James 2:14

2. We are saved by grace alone through faith alone but saving faith is not “alone”. James 2:17, Eph 2:8-10.

3. Abraham teaches us that if we believe in God, we will do what He tells us.  From Rahab we learn that, if we believe in God, we will help His people even if it costs us something.  The vast difference between Abraham and Rahab underlines that anyone can have and demonstrate true faith in God. James 2:21-25.

Wishing all of you and your families a blessed, peaceful and very merry Christmas!

Yours in His love, and mine

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Good evening brothers and sisters,

I attach the Bible Study Outline for this coming Sunday on the topic Serving and Sacrificing in the Community.  This is the next study in our Quarter Series on Living a Life of Sacrifice and Service.  The main texts are Acts 2:42-47 and4:32-37.  The key learning points are as follows:

1.      God’s desire for all believers is that we be united. No superstars, no rich/poor, no VIPs, just unity, oneness, harmony, and agreement. With this, the world will know that God truly did send Jesus. (John 17:21, Acts 2:46-47)
2.      The life of a believer must be characterized by service and sacrifice. This reflects the life of Christ.
3.      When the church is focused on preaching the unadulterated Word of God, when their lives reflect God’s word in action (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, humility, etc), people will be drawn to the faith. (Acts 4:32-33).

Yours in His service

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Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Please find attached Bible  s‬‬‬‬tudy outline for 13 October on the topic “Jesus, Our Ultimate Example of Sacrifice and Service.  This is the second in our Quarter’s series on the theme “ Living a Life of Sacrifice and Service”.  The main text is Mathew 20:20-28 and the key learning points are as follows:

1.    Christians are to “do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit” (Phil 2:7) because it blinds, sow’s division, distracts and is opposite to the “mind that was in Christ”.  Mathew 20:21,24; Phil2:5-8
2.    Jesus calls us to servant leadership which He modelled for us by submitting to the authority of the Father in all things and giving up His rights in order to serve. Mathew 20:23, Luke 22:27; John 13:14
3.    Jesus is our ultimate example of sacrificial service having “given His life a ransom for many” by going beyond physical death to enduring the “full cup of God’s wrath” on our behalf knowing what it would cost Him.  Mathew 20:28; 26:38-39

Yours in His Service,

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Dear Brothers and Sisters,

We are at the start of a new quarter – the “embers” of 2024!  Attached is the first Bible Study in our new Quarter Series “Living A Life Of Sacrifice And Service”.  Our first topic is “Sacrificial Service: An Act Of Worship”.  The main texts are Romans 12:1-2 and Mark 10:42 – 45.  The key learning points are:

1.    Sacrificial service is impactful service conveyed through us by God’s Holy Spirit to His church and others, because we have come to know, and are bringing our original sinful self and nature to the cross daily, in exchange for the nature of Christ. Sacrificial service adds eternal value.
2.    Jesus Christ emptied Himself and fully obeyed the first commandment to “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength” (Deut6:5, Mt22:37). He completely denied His own life as an act of total obedience to the will of the Father.  Self denial, in obedience to Christ, is true worship, the kind acceptable to God (Rom 12:1)
3.    Assuming a transformed lifestyle in line with Rom 12:2 shows the world that we unapologetically and unashamedly belong to Jesus and live for Him and the advancement of His kingdom here on earth.  It is a must for a follower of Christ!

May the Lord grant us hearing ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to His church, the “tongue of disciples”

Yours in Christ

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Brethren,

I trust this email finds you well.

Do you sometimes wish you had the ability to perform a certain task, or perform it better than you currently are able? Or why certain tasks take a lot more effort than in some others? Have you wondered why one person is such a good preacher, while another is so good at teaching children? If so, you need to join this Sunday’s study as we look at Gifts of GRace for God’s service.

Key Learnings include:
1. God’s gift for service is given graciously. So, we must use those gifts to serve humbly.
a. We serve one another because of the grace given to us. The more you understand grace, the easier it is to serve others.
b. Whatever gifts we receive from God is to serve Him and not for us to feel superior about.
c. All the gifts come from the same God, and Holy Spirit. And so, each must be valued.

2. Every gift, ‘big or small’ God gives is relevant and vital for His service. So, each one must contribute his/her gift for the good and smooth functioning of the body.
a. God has distributed a measure . . . to each one, including you.
b. We don’t need to have all the gifts to be relevant in God’s scheme of things.
c. As each person exercises his/her gift, we should make room for each other’s gifts.

3. Because God’s gifts for service are graciously given, there should be no room for comparison or competition in the exercise of those gifts.
a. Each person is to focus on making the most of his/her gift rather than wishing s/he were given some other gifts.
b. God has specifically arranged each one’s gift(s) for His glory, not for man’s.

See attached for your further reference.