2022 Wk 20: Lesson 3 FRIENDDAY

Updates

Friend Day

Open each Sunday 10am

The Chosen season two Continues

MidWeek

Men’s breakfast with 1st Nazarene Men Saturday 21st at 8am and

Hot Dog Sunday by donation.

Generosity Moment

2 Corinthians 9:7 NLT

You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”*

Intro

Wall Poster: Hokey Pokey

the Hokey Pokey a fun song over the years for so many.

Yet it is believed to have fairly sinister beginnings.

There are those who insist the song originated with Scottish Puritans in the UK as an anti-Catholic taunt.

As recently as 2008, a few Catholic Church officials have considered the “Hokey Pokey” as an example of “faith hate,” but it doesn’t seem most took these allegations all that seriously and there isn’t much in the way of documented evidence to back up the “Catholic hate” origin theory.

Fast-forward to 1940 during the Blitz in London, a Canadian officer suggested writing an action party song to English bandleader Alfred Taboriwsky (Al Tabor). The song’s title, “The Hokey Pokey,” was supposedly in homage to an ice cream vendor from Tabor’s childhood, who would call out “Hokey pokey penny a lump.  Have a lick make you jump.”  In this case, “hokey pokey” was supposedly a slang at the time for ice cream and the ice cream seller was called the “hokey pokey man”.

Then I saw a sign once that said…

What if everything was really about the Hokey Pokey.

Review

In this series “True Love,” we will discover by the Spirit, that this True Love is Worth Living For—not just Dying for!

We are not much different than that of the early church?

We still need to:

Give our all

Live for the cause of Christ, and

Die daily to the things that so easily distract us from The Way!

We have often spent our best days on the least important part of serving Christ.

We have the need to get back to

Pure Genuine Religion

Caring for Orphans

Caring for Widows

and keeping the corruption of this world out of our lives.

Key Scripture

James 1:27 NLT

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

Points

There are 12 Widows in the Bible

Like Bathsheba — some didn’t stay widows long while others never remarried

Last week we meet three of those widows

Naomi

Ruth (latter remarries Boaz)

Orpha (turned back to her homeland to remarry)

The Connection to a Spouse

Not just loosing a Spouse, but one’s companion, last call, cook, accountant, maintenance guy, seamstress, tennis partner, Friday night date,

In marriage there is a bonding together and in death there is a tearing apart.

two becoming One Flesh

Investigate / Application

Paul tells us that All people should be treated with respect. (1 Timothy 5)

Healthy relationships in our Christian Community

Sound doctrine

Proper worship and

Godly leadership

When we connect these with Love and Respect our Community becomes one of where healing and renewal can thrive.

Just having the bolts and nuts of Christian living doesn’t guarantee healing and renewal—it may breed bitterness and bondage--RELIGION.

BIBLICAL READING: 16 verses from TIMOTHY

Make it personal

One man cannot do it all, but one man with a lifetime can be enough of an example to have someone follow in his footsteps. ~Bob Pierce (1914-1978), Founder of World Vision

What is your conviction?

Do we demonstrate our devotion to care for widows and orphans?

What is one thing we can do this week to show True Pure Genuine Religion in our community for the Widows?

Closing

Paul makes it clear that the Christian Community was to show special attention to the widows in their midst.

Paul’s directions here reflects God’s Scripture-wide concern for the helpless and rejected in society.

But God wants us to be CONCERNED FOR ALL HIS PEOPLE.

There is a place for everyone in his church. No matter...

who we are or what we have done

good or bad

rich or poor

we are accepted only on the basis of our faith in Jesus Christ.

God is reaching out to all of us and calling each of us to be a part of His Family

4 Psalms of Blessings to Widows:

Psalm 146:9 NLT

The Lord protects the foreigners among us. He cares for the orphans and widows, but he frustrates the plans of the wicked.

Psalm 147:3 NLT

He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.

Psalm 119:50 NLT

Your promise revives me; it comforts me in all my troubles.

Psalm 119:116 NLT

Lord, sustain me as you promised, that I may live! Do not let my hope be crushed.

PRAYER:

NEXT WEEK :

caring for YOURSELF (refusing to let the world corrupt you)

OTHER NOTES

Affliction 

= pressure (literally or figuratively):—anguish, burdened, persecution, tribulation, trouble.