29 Oct Maranatha | Part 3 “Preparing for Our Lord’s Return”
Announcements:
ALL LOCATIONS:
NOW ACCEPTING MONETARY DONATIONS FOR HARVEST HANDS (formerly Operation Thanksgiving). A minimum of $50 will feed a family this Thanksgiving. We are looking to pack 1000 care packages filled with a Thanksgiving meal and a $10 Stop n Shop Gift card for Apollo Beach, South Coast, and Woonsocket locations.
We need $50,00 to cover the cost of 1000 meals!
waterschurch.org/give and select your location, then select Harvest Hands.
NEW**Life Group Leader Training on November 15 using Google Meets. If you have an apprentice ready to take the Next Step, direct them to this link provided to register: Life Group Leader Training
NEED MARRIAGE AND FAMILY CARE? OR HAVE A GROUP MEMBER IN NEED OF MARRIAGE AND FAMILY CARE? CLICK HERE: HELP RESOURCES PAGE
NEW ENGLAND ONLY:
REGISTRATIONS FOR SERVING AND FOR REQUESTING A THANKSGIVING MEAL NOW OPEN – GO TO THE WATERSCHURCH.ORG/EVENT PAGE AND SEE ALL REGISTRATIONS THERE.
OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD BOXES DUE BACK BY NOVEMBER 6
NEW ENGLAND LOCATIONS:
WOONSOCKET
Join us for the 2nd Annual Pie Party!
This will be pie-tastic!
Bring grandma’s best pie, bake your best pie, or buy a pie to share!
Join us on Sunday, November 12th, from 6 to 8 PM for a delicious and fun PIE PARTY! Invite a friend, enjoy all the different pies to share, and spend time with great people.
This is an event for the whole family.
Register today!
Woonsocket Pie Party Registration
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Reminder: Please check your planning center profiles for requests to join and also remove members from the list that no longer attend as well as add members not listed. Thank you.
LEADERS: WE HAVE CHANGED UP THE DISCOVER CLASS WHICH USED TO BE GROWTH TRACK AND ARE ASKING ALL LEADERS TO RE-TAKE THIS A SOME POINT. BELOW IS THE CLASS SCHEDULE:
1st Sunday : Discover Waters – after 1st service
2nd Sunday: NO CLASSES
3rd Sunday: Connect Class – after 1st service
4th Sunday: Baptism Class – after 1st service
IMPORTANT***** Please add
Go to your email, add no-reply@churchcenter.com to your contacts (PLEASE ASK ME IF YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND) THANKS!
no-reply@churchcenter.com to your email contacts so that you do not miss an email from Planning Center and have your members add it as well. This will ensure you do not miss a member request or any emails that come from the Planning Center site.
All announcements and the Waters Event Calendar can be found at: waterschurch.org/events)
Location Text Alerts:
| North Attleboro | Text “subscribe” to 508 695-1300 | |
| Norwood | Text “subscribe” to 781 762-3357 | |
| Apollo Beach | Text “subscribe” to 813 642-6979 | |
| Woonsocket | Text “subscribe” to 833 241-4837 | |
| Southcoast | Text “subscribe” to 508 809-3490 | |
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Key Verse: 2 Timothy 2
Ice Breaker:
Q. If you were stranded on a desert island and could only bring three items, what would they be and why?
2 Timothy 3:2-5 NKJV
People everywhere are speaking about the End of the World.
There are many who are nervous and fearful of listening to what the world says. However, the End will not come until God’s great plan of redemption is completed. Only God will bring the End.
We need not be gripped with fear, it is His world and he does as He pleases.
The world is full of signs of the End. There was never a more evil day than today. Many are afraid and think Satan is in control but in reality, Satan knows his time is short and he is doing everything in his power to bring destruction to our lives.
We cannot afford to let our hearts be gripped with fear. God is still on the throne and all is under His control!
2 Timothy 1:7
John 4:18
Q. Why do you think fear is such a prevalent emotion when discussing the end times? How can we use the reminder that “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind” to address these fears in our own lives?
Currently, we are in the dispensation of God’s grace. He is pouring out his grace and mercy to whoever calls upon His name. We cannot earn His grace, it is unmerited favor. We must be born again.
Once Christ returns, the dispensation of grace will be closed. Then the Anti-Christ will be revealed and the False Prophet will worship him. We, who are born again, need not fear the Anti-Christ, the False Prophet, or the Great Tribulation. God will take care of us. But, we must be born again.
What good is it to know everything about the Second Coming but not be right with God?
Only half the Church will be ready when Jesus comes. We need to be ready.
Don’t be discouraged, the best is yet to come.
7 Ways to prepare for Christ’s return:
- Love the Lord God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.
Matthew 22:37
Many Christians leave their first Love. They start to focus on other things and run in other directions.
Q. Why do you think believers sometimes drift away from their initial passion and love for God? What worldly distractions or challenges do you think are most common in causing this shift?
2. Love your neighbor as you love yourself.
Matthew 22:39
If we Love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, then we will have no problem loving our neighbors and not coveting what they have.
We must be obedient to the Word of God, we cannot make up our own mind what His word says. We are to submit to Him.
Q. How do you think our relationship with God directly impacts our ability to genuinely love and serve those around us without selfish motives?
3. Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.
Matthew 6:33
Before going after our dreams and visions of what we want to be, we must seek God’s kingdom first.
Psalm 37:4
We, as believers, are different from the rest. We are living in a day of evilness and need to be people who are different.
Matthew 5:14
We don’t go to heaven because we are good people. We must be born again. We cannot have salvation without repentance.
There is only one Kingdom that is everlasting and that is Jesus Christ. We are Kingdom people. We cannot afford to compromise.
Q. How can placing God’s kingdom as a priority shape our personal dreams, goals, and ambitions? How might our personal aspirations change when we align them with seeking God’s Kingdom first?
4. Pray without ceasing.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-17
Prayer is talking to the Lord, and having a relationship with Him. We can be anywhere and pray. We must pray for our families, our pastors, and the Church. We must always be praying, trusting, and believing in God.
Q. How has your personal experience of prayer shaped your relationship with God? What challenges or misconceptions have you encountered regarding continuous prayer, and how can you overcome them to develop a more consistent prayer life?
5. Pursue Holiness.
Holiness is not self-righteousness, it is separation. We cannot justify what God condemns.
We cannot do what the world does just because we think it is cool, we must be different. We cannot identify with the world and what the world thinks.
Romans 12:2
Q. How can believers practically pursue holiness without falling into the trap of self-righteousness or legalism?
5. Invest in the Church.
Our treasure is where our heart is. We should be investing in the Kingdom with our time, talent, and gifts. The Kingdom should come first.
Luke 12:34
Q. In what ways can we evaluate if we’re genuinely investing our “treasure” (time, talents, gifts) in the Church and Kingdom of God?
6. We must not forsake gathering together as a Church.
Hebrews 10:25
There are many Christians today who do not attend Church. They judge the Church by the individuals that attend. We cannot judge the Church by individuals.
When we gather, we relate to one another, encouraging and building up one another because we are the Church.
Jesus is coming back for the Church, He loves the Church and we must love the Church.
Q. How can we actively work towards building a Church community that reflects Christ’s love and promotes unity, understanding, and growth?
7. Desire the Lord Jesus.
Mark 13:26; Matthew 24:31
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