Weekly Newsletter 03/03/2022

March 3rd, 2022
by Dmitriy Zherebnenkov

Peace to you!

Dear church, these last days, more than anything, have been teaching us to pray and empathize, and these are good things that help us grow spiritually. This time also uncovers weak points in our character and worldview.

We as the church should never get involved in politics. There’s a strong temptation for this, no matter a person’s political convictions. Looking over the New Testament once more, we realize that despite most of the epistles being written during the rule of Nero, his name is not mentioned. We know what kind of ruler he was, but Apostle Paul was not drawn into politics. There were wars and conflicts, but the New Testament looks much wider at such situations. The God-moved authors look at the whole situation globally, explaining the opposition of darkness to light, the law of sin and law of spirit, the sinful principles that drive people in the world, and the principles of the Gospel and love.

We apologize for the mentioning of names and whatever else you may have heard from others. We need to direct our discussions more often away from politics and toward the suffering of specific people who are experiencing real grief. If we don’t do this then our prayers will be saturated with hatred, sin, and aggression. Otherwise how are we different from this world?

From Scripture we must strongly know that God controls nations, kings, and all history (Ps. 22:27-28). We need to understand that the Bible calls evil, evil, and judges when a person calls evil good (Is. 5:20-21). But the Gospel, which pierces into the heart of a person, can change absolutely any person, and right now we need to pray like never before for the authorities (1 Tim. 2:1-4) that God would influence their hearts (Pr. 21:1).

May God give us all wisdom from above in how we assess the situation, lead conversations, and participate in the needs of the saints suffering from the war in Ukraine.

James 3:17-18 “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”

Our website team has created a convenient way to donate. Please, you have many acquaintances and friends who are ready to participate in the needs of others, so we ask you to share this link with them: https://gfchurch.com/ukraine/

Announcements

Important announcements

1) VBS volunteer sign-up continues: Please look at the summer as an opportunity to serve and be part of spreading the Gospel! https://mygracefamilychurch.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/1159506

2) Kairos: God, the Church and the World! – An exciting interactive study of the plan and purpose of God from the beginning of creation to the end of time and your purpose in that plan!

Kairos consists of many elements such as worship, presentations of least reached people groups and prayer, short devotions, videos, intriguing presentations on course material, textbook reading, homework, videos and material application discussions in spiritual growth groups, and special activities for immersion in a cross-cultural context.

Join this course by registering at gfckairos.com and be prepared for a change in your worldview or a serious challenge to your understanding of your mission on Earth. We will be glad to see you from March 25th to April 3rd at Grace Family Church. A detailed schedule can be found at the registration link. Registration closes this upcoming Sunday, March 6th.

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Continue supporting the churches working among the people who have suffered from the war in Ukraine. Go to our Give page or click the Donate button below. Select "Mission to Ukraine" fund when donating.

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Scripture To Memorize

Psalm 100

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
² Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
³Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
⁴Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
⁵For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.

Upcoming Services and Meetings

Today, Thursday (6:30 PM) – Children’s Bible School (open to all but required for parents), followed by Bible Study (Proverbs) for the whole church at 7:30 PM.

Sunday services

Worship Service in Russian at 9:00 AM
Worship Service in English at 11:15 AM

As previously, due to the restrictions and orders from the health department, we remind you:

Keep social distancing and wearing masks in public places
Wash and sanitize hands more often
If you have flu-like symptoms, were in contact with a person with COVID, or are in the “high-risk” group, then we ask you to stay home