FOCUS OF THE MONTH
Messianic Prophecies
SCRIPTURE OF THE WEEK
The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. — Genesis 49:10 (KJV) (NCV)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Minister Robert Coleman – December 04 – Class 01
Sister Mary Vines – December 04 – Introduction Class
Sister Nelcina Wiggins – December 04 – Class 08
Sister Viola Freeman – December 05 – Class 03
Sister Frances Melvin – December 07 – Class 03
Sister Betty Walker – December 08 – Class 09/10
Call (641) 715-3378, access code 2597-48#; Reference 184# to listen to a review of these lessons.
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Overview: During this Christmas season, we must allow God to use us to take glad tidings to the world. Regardless of nationality, everyone needs to know about Jesus. Everyone should know that Jesus brought salvation, joy and peace to a troubled world.
Jesus loves us so much that He was born into this world to save us and He died to redeem us. We should be so ever grateful for this assurance of His love. Keep in mind, though we have been redeemed from the penalty of sin, this does not exempt us from the troubles of this world.
God may not always rescue us from our current difficult predicaments; however, we must continue to trust Him. God promised to never leave us and He will protect us all the way to eternity. In the meantime, we must maintain our spiritual health before we can be useful in serving others.
We must purpose in our hearts to read God’s word daily, to pray and to allow the Holy Spirit to use us in ministry for the glory of God. We must stay humble because the truth is, we have all had sinful actions and were messed up before Christ.
Therefore, we must begin to extend grace filled actions to those who are still bound. Instead of blocking their view of hope with harshness, let’s restore and lead them into a closer walk with Christ.
***The Scriptures for this week’s lessons are taken from the NEW C ENTURY VERSION (NCV). The New Century Version (NCV) is an English translation of the Bible with roots extending to the English Version for the Deaf (EVD) Bible translation (by the World Bible Translation Center, a subsidiary of Bible League International). It is also related to the Easy-to-Read Version (ERV), having longer sentences and a more fluent style. The NCV is now published by Thomas Nelson Publishers.
The two overarching principles that stand behind the NCV are that a Bible translation needs to be both accurate and clear. The translation team of 50 Bible scholars and translators included people with translation experience on such acclaimed versions as the New International Version, the New American Standard Bible, and the New King James Version. The best available Hebrew and Greek texts were used, principally the third edition of the United Bible Societies’ Greek text and the latest edition of the Biblia Hebraica, along with the Septuagint.
English vocabulary choice is based upon The Living Word Vocabulary by Dr. Edgar Dale and Dr. Joseph O’Rourke (Worldbook-Childcraft International, 1981), which is the standard used by the editors of The World Book Encyclopediato determine appropriate vocabulary. The NCV uses contemporary references for measurements and geographical locations when it is feasible. To learn more, visit New American Bible, Revised Edition.***
Monday, December 4, 2017 – Christmas at MacPherson – Luke 1:68-75
Focus: Regardless of nationality, all people need to know the real meaning of Christmas. As we allow God to use us to take glad tidings to the world, let’s tell everyone about Jesus, who brought salvation, joy, peace and redemption.
Scriptures: Luke 2:6-17
Tuesday, December 5, 2017 – Jesus Loves Maysel – 1 John 4:7-16
Focus: We all must be grateful that we have the assurance that Jesus loves each of us. He demonstrated His love when He was born into this world to save us and died to redeem us.
Scriptures: 1 John 3:1
Wednesday, December 6, 2017 – Trusting God Even If – Daniel 3:13-25
Focus: God may not always rescue us from a current situation; however, we must continue to trust Him. He will never leave us and He will protect us all the way to eternity.
Scriptures: Isaiah 43:2-7
Thursday, December 7, 2017 – First Thing First – 1 Timothy 4:12-16
Focus: We must maintain our spiritual health before we can help or serve others. We must tank up with spiritual oxygen by reading God’s Word, prayer and allowing the Holy Spirit to use us in ministry.
Scriptures: Joshua 1:8; 2 Peter 1:2-7
Friday, December 8, 2017 – Unexpected Grace – Acts 9:1-19
Focus: We’ve all had sinful actions and were messed up. Christians must extend grace filled actions to those who are still bound. Instead of blocking their view of hope with harshness, let’s restore and lead them to Christ.
Scriptures: Galatians 6:1-2; Galatians 5:13-15
Thoughts from Sister Clovia Thompson – The First Gift of Christmas
Jesus came into this world over two thousand years ago as the first gift of Christmas. The great thing about Jesus is He is the gift that keeps on giving. He never runs out and He can be re-gifted to others. There is enough of Jesus so that you can keep Him and give Him away too. He never runs dry.
We live in a hurting world. There are people we pass every day who have no joy, no peace, and no patience. They possess none of the fruit of the Spirit because they do not have the Spirit. They do not have the Spirit because they do not have Jesus. We, as the 5 A.M. Ministry, have what they need. They need the heart of Jesus or they will surely die. We are the carriers of the Light of Christmas so let us shine during this holiday season.
Won’t you share the greatest gift you have ever been given – the gift of life – Jesus, the first and the only rue gift of Christmas.