Family Devotion: Communion

Family Devotion, April 5th, 2020

Captain America reads our Church’s Welcome.

Songs: “It is Well” & “Blessed be Your Name”

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Highland’s Welcome

Let’s read together.

TO ALL WHO ARE WEARY AND NEED REST

TO ALL WHO MOURN AND LONG FOR COMFORT

TO ALL WHO FEEL WORTHLESS AND WONDER IF GOD CARES

TO ALL WHO ARE WEAK AND FAIL AND DESIRE STRENGTH

TO ALL WHO SIN AND NEED A SAVIOR

THIS FAMILY OPENS WIDE HER DOORS WITH A WELCOME FROM JESUS CHRIST

THE MIGHTY FRIEND OF SINNERS THE ALLY OF HIS ENEMIES

THE DEFENDER OF THE INDEFENSIBLE

THE JUSTIFIER OF THOSE WHO HAVE NO EXCUSES LEFT

WELCOME

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Our Communion Devotion: The Cost of the Cross

Discussion Questions

(These questions follow the video.)

1. We started our time of communion by reading Psalm 23. Psalm 23:6 states, “Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life.” Would you say that has been true of your life and your family’s life? Give an example of what that the goodness and faithful love of God has looked like in your family.

2.One of the questions we reflected on for the devotion leading to communion was, “has the cross of Christ ever conquered me?”

We referred to Philippians 2 as the example of what a conquered-life looks like. Philippians 2:6-8 states, “(Jesus) did not consider equality with God as something to be used to His own advantage, but instead, He emptied Himself of His rights…humbled Himself and became obedient to death.” - What has “giving up your rights” looked like in your relationship with the Lord?

If you are a parent and your children are with you, ask them if there has been a time when they have chosen to be obedient to Jesus, even when it was hard for them.

3. Carrie gave an example using her own life of how she was saved at 6, but wasn’t faced with “the cost of the cross” until she was 26. When did you encounter the “cost of the cross”? What were the circumstances surrounding your life at that time?

4. We closed our time circling back to Philippians 2 and talking about submission. Carrie said, “it’s not your effort that releases the power of the Holy Spirit in your life, it’s your submission.” Philippians 2:13 states, “For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to desire and to work out His good purposes.” Describe a time when you have submitted and, as a result, experienced the power of God creating in you the desire and the ability to be obedient.

Pray

End your time by reading and praying Philippians 2:1-18 out loud over your family. Ask the Lord, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to make this passage the defining marker of your family.

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Kids. check out this video that explains how obeying helps you! When you delight to do the right thing from your hearts, then that the is the Lord causing His will to work through you. Why? Because His Word tells us to obey our parents and His Holy Spirit causes us to desire to do what is right. Philippians 2:13 states, “For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to desire and to work out His good purposes.”

DISCUSS

What’s your favorite part of the video? What’s one thing you learned from it?

What are some rules you have to follow at school?

What are some rules parents have to obey?

What book tells us to obey our parents? In your own words, explain how obedience protects us?

*Borrowed from pursuegodkids.org

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We love you, Highland.

Rob & Carrie

We Hold Communion Tomorrow.

Highland,

Due to it being a first Sunday, we will hold Communion tomorrow. We will issue a video that will carry you and your family through Communion then, in the post, we will have the passages and the discussion questions included. Please feel free to use whatever you have on hand for Communion or take this chance to go out and grab the needed items (bread and juice).

MercyMed Needs Volunteers

Highland,

Our friends at MercyMed are offering COVID-19 testing to our city Friday, April 3 - Monday, April 6, and they are in need of volunteers.

MercyMed's objective is to screen and test residents for COVID-19 to decrease our risk of continual community transmission. Important information is needed in order to protect others from those who are COVID positive, and ultimately decrease the burden of disease on local hospital systems.
This is a great opportunity to serve your neighbor, and they would be thankful for our support! They urgently need people to help with traffic flow, communication to patients (with no exposure), data entry, and support.

If you are interested in helping, please complete the initial information below. MercyMed will contact you directly with more details including virtual training and shift assignment. You can contact Billy at 706-326-6125 with any questions.

*Note. No one under 18 or over 60 will be allowed to volunteer. All protective gear will be provided, and we will take every measure to make sure no one is exposed to COVID-19.

Above all, let us join together in prayer over these days of testing - for the MercyMed staff, volunteers, city-wide healthcare workers, and all those who are sick and in need of healing.

If you feel that you are in need of being tested, please see the link below for instructions.

Midweek Devotion

Highland,

Billy and I tag-teamed this week’s Midweek Devotion! Check out this video below. Highland, know that we love you and we deeply, deeply care for you. If you need us, contact us!

Midweek Devotion, April 1st, 2020

Song: “Never Let Go”, Matt Redman

““Lord, I seek refuge in You;
let me never be disgraced.
Save me by Your righteousness.
Listen closely to me; rescue me quickly.
Be a rock of refuge for me,
a mountain fortress to save me.
For You are my rock and my fortress;
You lead and guide me
because of Your name.””

— Psalm 31:1-3

I love you,

Rob

Carrie & Megan, Thank You!

Proverbs 31:20 “Her hands reach out to the poor, and she extends her hands to the needy.”

This passage accurately describes these women here! Megan and Carrie have worked diligently to care for our church and neighbors, in honor of our Lord. They have been leading the charge with our food distribution effort throughout this quarantine. Highland, we are so blessed to have them as part of our tribe.

Rob

Great is His Goodness!

Highland, here is part of my devotion:

Psalm 31:19: “How great is Your goodness that You have stored up for those who fear You and accomplished in the sight of everyone for those who take refuge in You.”

Let your capacity to fear be consumed by His presence.

I love you,

Rob

Family Devotion: Our Words Reveal Our Hearts.

The words we speak are powerful. The tongue actually has the power to bless or curse, tell the truth or to twist words into lies. In reality, our tongues reveal whom or what we worship. Knowing that the tongue possesses this kind of power, we learn that only the power given by the Holy Spirit can tame it; otherwise, the tongue remains a slave to sin and is a ‘restless evil.’ James writes extensively about the tongue. James 3:7-10 states:

““Every sea creature, reptile, bird, or animal is tamed and has been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. We praise our Lord and Father with it, and we curse men who are made in God’s likeness with it.””

As James tells us, the tongue actually has the capacity to bless or to curse; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. A person is not able to control nor command their tongue. Rather, the tongue is an instrument given to serve what we worship. In essence, our spoken words reveal our hearts. James goes on to say:

“ “Praising and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers, these things should not be this way. Does a spring pour out sweet and bitter water from the same opening? Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a saltwater spring yield fresh water.””

— James 3:10-12

James is showing us that, because sin has broken our relationship with the heart of God; it has also caused our hearts and tongues to produce evil with our words. But when we receive salvation and our hearts are brought into alignment with God’s heart, by submission to the Holy Spirit, then we will produce words consistent with the Holy Spirit. In essence: the fig tree will produce figs, because, at its root, it is a fig tree. If our hearts are rooted in God’s grace, mercy, and love, then our tongues will be the branches that produce fruit consistent with our hearts.

DISCUSS

Talk about a time when someone blessed you with their words.

Who is someone you can bless with your words this week?

In this time of quarantine, the art of letter writing could be a powerful tool your family could use to bless others.

Kids, check out this video to learn more about words:

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Though we use our lips and tongues to speak words, it’s our hearts that make the words. Though we cannot always see our hearts produce the words we say, the Lord knows what we mean when we speak to Him or to others. Psalm 139:4 teaches us that: 

““Before a word is on my tongue, You know all about it, Lord.” ”

Realizing the Lord knows our hearts, it is vital that we ask the Lord to keep command of our heart and its motivations. When the Lord remains upon the throne of our hearts, then the words that we speak will be from His Spirit, not our flesh. The Holy Spirit’s conviction then continually tames our tongues, leading to our heart’s meditations and tongue’s words to be of His Spirit. Notice David’s request in Psalm 19 is both for his heart and his tongue:

““May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to You, Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.””

— Psalm 19:14

David realizes the connection between his tongue and his heart. He asks the Lord to maintain control of both.

DISCUSS

Is there a specific situation in your life where you are needing God to control both the words of your mouth and the meditations of your heart? If you are able, talk about the situation with your family.

PRAY

Ask the Lord to take control that He might use your tongue to bring blessing in that situation.

Consider letting your kids write out Psalm 19:14 using their own names and then placing it somewhere in your house as a reminder to them (For example, “May the words of Jude’s mouth and the meditations of Jude’s heart be pleasing to You, Lord”).

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Paul, once again, speaks to the connection between our tongue and our heart. In this passage, the evidence of salvation is known in both heart and mouth:

““The message is near you, in your mouth and in your heart. This is the message of faith that we proclaim: If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. Now the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on Him will not be put to shame, for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, since the same Lord of all is rich to all who call on Him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
”

— Romans 10:8b-13

As stated in the opening paragraph, our tongue reveals who or what we worship because our words reveal our heart’s desires. Through repentance and submission to the saving name of Jesus, our heart’s desires are renewed by the Holy Spirit. As our hearts are renewed by the Holy Spirit, then our tongues become tools used to speak blessing, love, and courage into others, all in the name of our Lord. Our tongues offer praises to our Lord because our hearts know the joy of His presence; any desire to condemn or curse is captured by the conviction of the Holy Spirit and discarded. We are no longer double-minded and unstable but singular-minded and secure in His name. We then share in the desires of our Lord with grateful hearts because of His great love. Then, we can share in the heart-cry of the Psalmist:

““My lips pour out praise, for You teach me Your statutes.
My tongue sings about Your promise, for all Your commands are righteous.”
”

— Psalm 119:171-172

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COMMUNAL PRAYER

““Yahweh, our Lord, how magnificent is Your name throughout the earth!
You have covered the heavens with Your majesty.
Because of Your adversaries, You have established a stronghold of praise
from the mouths of children and nursing infants
to silence the enemy and the avenger.”
”

— Psalm 8:1-2

Today, for communal prayer, we will pray over our children. I have always found Psalm 8:2 to be one of the most intriguing verses in all of the Psalms. What a powerful thought to know that one of God’s plans for silencing the enemy is to use the praise that flows from the mouths of our children.

The word stronghold means “a place of defensive strength protected from attack; a place dominated by a particular characteristic” (in this case - praise). What does God use as a stronghold, a place of defensive strength, a place protected from attack? God describes it in this verse as the praise that flows from the mouths of our children and even the babbling of our nursing infants. He uses the praise of the weakest and most vulnerable creations to nullify the work of the enemy.

Since the day when Christ was victorious over the cross, Satan has sought to retaliate and inflict harm on all creation. He knows He has lost, but while He roams the earth, His desire is to stir up strife and destruction within our lives and within the lives of those we love. This verse gives us insight into the secret weapon God uses to bring an end to the enemy’s plans - the praise of our children!

Parents, grandparents, teachers, let me encourage you to make praise a regular part of your speech. As we seek to learn and live out Psalm 119:171-172, our children will learn to do the same. May we teach our children to use their tongues for praise! This enables Christ to then use their words to silence the words of the enemy in their lives and in the lives of those around them.

DISCUSS

Praise means to bless, to make much of, to celebrate. What can your family praise God for today?

PRAY

Ask the Lord to establish a stronghold of praise within your house. Pray that your family’s defense in times of trouble and what sets your family apart would be the praise that flows from your mouths.

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Highland, we love you.

Rob & Carrie

Holding off on Services at This Time.

Highland,

We will not be able to hold normal services for the foreseeable future. Chicken and Rice, plus all weekday ministries and services are on hold as well, until further notice. We will continue to release a Family Devotion each weekend for your family and a Midweek Devotion as well. Check our blog for updates. Or subscribe through our website to receive emails from us, thanks!

Midweek Devotion

Highland,

Carrie and I put together a “dining-room session” for you. In this video, we offer you a current status on what’s been happening and bring to you part of how the Lord is working in us right now. Right at the end, the video cuts when Carrie says: “Highland, we love you.” So, know that we love you all the way. Finally, thank you, Noah, for filming and Hunter (our dog), great job with some backup singing.

Song: “All the Poor & Powerless”, All Sons & Daughters

Also, Carrie wrote a blog and it’s a powerful read. It speaks to her prayer-life, as she asks the Lord to continue to give us His purposes for our church, families and streets. Click the button below to read:

Next Tuesday, March 31st, food will be distributed. Distribution will begin at noon, but get there early to sign in. There are a limited number of boxes available so they will be given out on a “first come, first serve” basis. For more info, please call us at 706.507.5837.

His Love Results in Our Rest.

Highland, I am reading “Center Church”, by Tim Keller. He writes and explains how those of us who submit to the authority of the Holy Spirit are changed from the inside, out! Our desires are renewed and our life is regenerated through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit.

He writes:

“Without the power of the Holy Spirit, our hearts do not really believe in God’s delight or grace, so they operate in their default mode (performance-mode). But the truths of the gospel, brought home by the Holy Spirit, slowly but surely help us grasp in a new way how safe and secure, how loved and accepted, we are in Christ. Through the gospel, we come to base our identity not on what we have achieved but on what has been achieved for us in Christ. And when the gospel, brought home to our hearts, eats away at this sin-born neediness; it destroys the inner-engines that drive our sinful behavior.”

— Tim Keller - "Center Church", pg. 69

Highland, the power of the Holy Spirit has changed me in just this way! I remain in awe and so grateful of what He has done in me and continues to do in me! I, firsthand, can attest to the fact that I was eaten up with a need to strive for acceptance and I was just downright needy! But, praise be to our Lord who, by His Spirit, has regenerated my heart - I now take up my rest and identity in Christ Jesus! This passage from Titus best captures the work of the Holy Spirit in my heart:

“... be submissive to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to slander no one, to avoid fighting, and to be kind, always showing gentleness to all people. For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved by various passions and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, detesting one another.
But when the goodness of God and His love
for mankind appeared,
He saved us —
not by works of righteousness that we had done,
but according to His mercy,
through the washing of regeneration
and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
He poured out this Spirit on us abundantly
through Jesus Christ our Savior,
so that having been justified by His grace,
we may become heirs with the hope of eternal life.
This saying is trustworthy.”

— Titus 3:1-8

All of my religious efforts to perform and earn the favor of God, and others, produced only anxiety, jealousy and pretentiousness. This passage above sums the “new creation” we become through the work of the gospel.

First, this passages charges believers to live in submission to and in accordance with the Holy Spirit that indwells us.

Next, Paul’s explains the fruit from our lives while under the rule of sin. All of the “fruits” Paul mentions speak to the efforts of our sinful-nature to encounter and gain personal power and pleasure; all the while, the appetite of flesh is unable to quenched. Hence, the ceaseless striving of our flesh to gain enough power to feel in control or to experience enough pleasure to be comforted. The outcome: ‘detesting one another’ - meaning that we are eaten up with jealousy over others because of what we seem to think others have found (pleasure; power). Our existence then equates to our cravings and we rot within our own coveting of those whom we secretly detest.

Then, Paul writes and explains the renewing work of the gospel. Paul tells us that God, compelled by love, offers us salvation - not out of pity, but out of His mercy. Knowing that we destroy ourselves through seeking our own godship, He displays His Lordship through mercy, offering us rest from our striving and desperate neediness. Rest is not found in a new way for us to try and live, perform or act, rest is found in the one act of Jesus; everything that we seek to do to feel “right” and ends up wrong, Jesus makes right for us through His willingness to lay down His life, that we might know life through Him overcoming sin and death.

Finally, Paul highlights the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit places within us what we spend our days searching to find - as Keller states what it is above: a securing love. A love that causes us to know a sense of belonging to the One who made it all, Who is worthy of all honor and glory. A love that makes us feel safe because He holds everything together in a world that moves like mad. A love that results in our rest. A love that disarms our need to seek godship through sinful efforts because, through the work of the gospel, we become the son or daughter of the the Most High God.

I love you, Highland,

Rob