Begin preparing your heart as we look towards gathering corporately this Sunday. Below you will find a preview of the Scripture that will be exposited, as well as a list of songs we will be singing this week.
scripture
Luke 8:16-21
A Lamp Under a Jar
16 “No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. 17 For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light. 18 Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.”
Jesus' Mother and Brothers
19 Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd. 20 And he was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see you.” 21 But he answered them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”
Confession & Catechism
The Heidelberg Catechism Q75-76, 81
Q75: How does the Lord's Supper remind and assure you that you share in Christ's one sacrifice on the cross and in all his benefits?
A75: In this way: Christ has commanded me and all believers to eat this broken bread and to drink this cup in remembrance of him. With this command come these promises:
First, as surely as I see with my eyes the bread of the Lord broken for me and the cup shared with me, so surely his body was offered and broken for me and his blood poured out for me on the cross.
Second, as surely as I receive from the hand of him who serves, and taste with my mouth the bread and the cup of the Lord, given me as sure signs of Christ's body and blood, so surely he nourishes and refreshes my soul for eternal life with his crucified body and poured-out blood.
Q76; What does it mean to eat the crucified body of Christ and to drink his poured-out blood?
A76: It means to accept with a believing heart the entire suffering and death of Christ and in this way to receive forgiveness of sins and eternal life. But it means more. Through the Holy Spirit, who lives both in Christ and in us, we are united more and more to Christ's blessed body. And so, although he is in heaven and we are on earth, we are flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone. And we forever live on and are governed by one Spirit, as members of our body are by one soul.
Q81: Who should come to the Lord's table?
A81: Those who are displeased with themselves because of their sin, but who nevertheless trust that their sins are pardoned and that their remaining weakness is covered by the suffering and death of Christ, and who also desire more and more to strengthen their faith and to lead a better life. Hypocrites and those who are unrepentant, however, eat and drink judgment on themselves.
connect
Our small group ministry for adults and students is called CONNECT. CONNECT is all about connecting you to God and to each other through in depth study of the Word in a sermon-based Bible study format in which we discuss the previous week's sermon with a view to personal application and transformation.
It is our desire to make lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ, and at First Baptist Nixa we believe that an integral part of this process is involvement in a CONNECT Group.
We invite you to check one out this week!
CONNECT starts at 9:00AM every Sunday morning.