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Women On Mission - July 2022

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  Problem: Global Hunger Solution: Us

We’ve seen them – photos and video clips that allow us to glimpse images representing the world’s hungry. Gaunt faces,     hopeless eyes, distended abdomens, desperate families, and dire conditions wrench our hears. We feel the urge to collect and give food and funds for the hungry. How can we become a part of the solution to the problem of global hunger?

WMU encourages men, women, and children to join together to help the hungry by giving sacrificially to the Global Hunger   Relief Fund.  WMU works cooperatively with partners to provide facts and helpful resources, encourage volunteers, gather donations, distribute funds and necessities, and tell stories of helping the hungry. Learn more about Global Hunger Relief by visiting GlobalHungerRelief.com.

What can we do to address the families, children, and babies suffering from hunger, good insecurity malnutrition, and starvation? First John 3:17-18 states, “If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”

Global Hunger Facts
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In the United States, one in six people faces hunger issues. Food banks serve one in seven people.
- Close to 48.1 million people in the US live in food-insecure households.
- On a global scale, around 795 million people are undernourished.
- Throughout the developing world, 66 million primary school-age children go to school hungry.
- More than 3 million children under five die each year because of poor nutrition.
- One hundred percent of gifts to the Global Hunger Relief Fund helps alleviate hunger needs.
- Administrative and promotional costs are never supported by gifts to Global Hunger Relief. Partnerships with multiple organizations result in those costs being covered by other funds.
- Last year Baptists gave $3.5 million to Global Hunger Relief. Hunger banks are available at the Welcome Desk in the Church lobby. Please take one for your family. Return Hunger banks Sunday, July 17th.

Women on Mission will meet at 1:00 pm on Thursday, July 7th in the Grace Ladies Classroom (room opposite the Fellowship Hall.) All of our ladies are invited to join us.

Posted by Women On Mission with

Spare Change - June 2022

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What is the scariest passage of scripture in the Bible?  R.C. Sproul said it is Matthew 7:21-23 in a sermon called "Build on the Rock".  Read this passage and see if you agree.

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’  Matthew 7:21-23 ESV

This passage tells us that not everyone that claims to know Jesus is a believer.  This is certainly a scary passage.  Just claiming allegiance to Jesus is not enough.  Just knowing His name and who He is not enough.  Even doing works in the name of Jesus is not enough.  This strikes deep at the concept of assurance.  It begs the question, “How do I know that I am saved?”

Jesus is addressing false Christians in Matthew 7:15-27.  From this text we can learn what a true believer is and what it is not.  From this passage we can ask ourselves four
questions and know for certain if we are saved.

1. Is my faith rooted in the gospel?
The implication in this passage is that false Christians are not rooted in the true gospel.  They know some things about Christianity and even do things that make them look like Christians; however, in this passage they are called workers of lawlessness which means they never really believed in the true gospel.  If you believe in Jesus like it says in Ephesians 2:8-9 and Romans 10:9-10,13 then you have nothing to fear.

2. Do I bear good fruit?
In Matthew 7:15-20 Jesus says that you will recognize the false prophets by their fruit. They may look like all the other believers at first but if the product of their faith is rotten fruit, then you can know for sure they are not true believers.  Those of us that are true believers, while not perfect, will reflect the good fruits of the faith like evangelism, discipleship, obedience to Christ, spiritual disciplines, walking in the spirit, etc.

3. Is my life built on the Word of God?
In Matthew 7:24-27 Jesus shows us another way to know if we are a true believer.  True believers will hear God’s Word and build their life on it.  This means they learn it and apply it to their lives.  It becomes their foundation for living.  When we do this, we can face any storm or trial of life and survive.  False believers will not be able to stand when hardships come because their life was not truly built on God’s Word.  

4. Does Jesus know me?
Finally, in Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus keys in on something very important.  He says the defining factor of a true believer is not whether we claim to know Jesus, rather it is whether Jesus knows us.  The gospel draws us into a relationship with Jesus.  Yes, He is our Lord, but the relationship goes even deeper.  He is our everything!  It truly is a relationship built on the gospel.  The outworking of that relationship is love.  Jesus loves us and we love Him. This love is displayed in how we learn, obey, and follow Him.  If we truly have a relationship with Him then He knows us and we have no need to fear.

Matthew 7:21-23 can be the scariest passage in the Bible, it serves as a warning for all those that call themselves believers.  Those of us that have trusted in the gospel of Jesus for salvation have nothing to fear. Keep following Jesus and doing the things He has commanded us to do.  For those that might be thinking, “I might be a false believer”, it is not too late. Turn to Jesus today for salvation.  Cry out to Him, He will hear you, and save you today.  Then this passage will not be so scary but rather a constant reminder of the grace and mercy of God.

Posted by Bryan Gotcher with

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