CONNECTING WITH GOD AND COMMUNITY SERMON SERIES
SUNDAY'S BEGINNING JANUARY 5 9am Gray Summit — 10:30am Union
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SERIES OVERVIEW
This month we will learn about our 2020 Vision: Connecting to God and Community. Worship is central to our vision and is followed by acts of Connection, Growth, and Serving.
January 5: WEEK 1 “Worship”
Psalm 71: 14-24a
January 12: WEEK 2 “Connect”
Romans 12: 1-21
January 19: WEEK 3 “Grow”
Colossians 3: 1-17
January 26: WEEK 4 “Serve”
1 Peter 4: 7-11
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EARN SAVE GIVE SERMON SERIES
SUNDAY'S BEGINNING February 2 9am Gray Summit — 10:30am Union
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SERIES OVERVIEW
Over two hundred years ago, John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, created three rules for money.
In the late 1700s, an elderly John Wesley visited Methodists across Great Britain. Wesley had spent the past forty years of his life encouraging people to be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. The Methodist movement was numerically strong and growing in influence. Wesley wanted to see the fruits of his labor.
In this country, the American Revolution was over. Wesley had just established the first Methodist denomination in the United States. The Methodists in America were growing rapidly. After investing his whole life in creating people called Methodists, however, Wesley returned from his preaching tour discouraged. Wesley wrote, “I am not afraid that Methodists should ever cease to exist. . . But I am afraid, lest the Methodists should only exist as a dead denomination, having the form of religion without the power.”5 Wesley saw cracks in his Methodist movement. Wesley had sown seeds that had he then realized had the potential to destroy the Methodists.
What had happened? Wesley had promoted serious Christian discipleship. The Methodists gathered weekly for Bible study and service. Men and women gave up drinking, gambling, and wasteful living. The Methodists worked hard. They lived simple lives. They saved their money. As a result, their holy living increased bank their accounts! Historically, the Methodists became shopkeepers and small business owners and thus the foundation of the English and American middle class.
Unfortunately, Wesley observed: “Wherever riches have increased . . . the mind that was in Christ has decreased. . . . For religion must necessarily produce both industry and frugality, and industry and frugality cannot but produce riches. But as riches increase, so will pride, anger, and love of the world.”6 The Methodist movement would fail if Methodists forgot how to use their money properly. In response, Wesley created three rules for the use of money. Wesley’s three rules are the foundation of our next worship series. Join us in February as we take a look at Wesley’s 3 rules and how we as a Worshipping Community can put them in to practice. (Adapted from Money $ense)
February 2: WEEK 1 “EARN”
Ecclesiastes 3:9-14
February 9: WEEK 2 “SAVE”
Genesis 41:46-49
February 16: WEEK 3 “GIVE”
Luke 12:13-34
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| This page updated January 20, 2020 |
| Questions, comments, submissions jma64658@hotmail.com |
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