This 7 week Growth Group will meet once a week for one hour. Each participant will be given a binder with different articles exploring how we can "finish well." Each article will have a few questions that will challenge you to examine how you are currently doing in a specific area of your life. Your answers are kept confidential and are between you and the Lord. The idea is to become more intentional in your behavior choices that will help you grow closer to the Lord with the end goal to "finish well."
Several different times will be offered in an attempt to not have more than 5-6 men in each group and we will begin the week of September 26. If you have questions, please contact Bob Ash.
J.I. Packer was renowned for this quote, "There's a difference between knowing God and knowing about God. When you truly know God, you have the energy to serve Him, boldness to share Him, and contentment in Him.”
When we set our delight to knowing God, we invariably set ourselves to exploring and experiencing God for who He is, and what He means to us. And whosoever embarks on such a journey with God, gets to discover His different attributes - such as His love, beauty, sovereignty, sufficiency, mercy, and compassion.
This 7-8 week growth group will be embarking on a journey of enriching our spiritual understanding of God's attributes. So, if you are interested in taking this journey of discovering God's personality and character and how that affects our daily worship of him, then consider joining other men as we engage in this book study, "Experiencing God's Attributes: Pursuing God with Your Whole Heart, Mind and Soul" by Warren & Ruth Myers.
If you have questions, please contact Edgar Momoh or call him at 317-599-0666. We will meet at the church on Tuesday evenings, from 6:30 - 7:45 pm and will begin sometime in mid-September (TBD).
God has entrusted men with the protection and provision of their wives and children. Yet, sadly in our fallen world, men sometimes take advantage of women and children under their care and are abusive. The church is responsible to disciple men to fulfill their roles, help lead to repentance and transformation those men who inappropriately use anger, coercive control or domination in their homes, and come alongside mistreated women in supportive and protective ways. Through the study of the scriptures, Chris Moles’ book, The Heart of Domestic Abuse, and other sources, our group will explore the dynamics of domestic abuse, learn to spot potential "red flags", and gain an understanding of biblical ways that churches and people helpers can approach men who mistreat their wives and children, and be better equipped to function as a church that facilitates Christlike love in our homes. We want our church to be a safe place where a woman living in fear or being mistreated in her home can be heard, taken seriously, and find support.
This 8 week course begins the week of September 12. If you have questions, please contact Gerry.
Resources on Forgiveness Drew Hunter
We concluded our series on Overflowing Generosity a couple weeks ago with the topic of forgiveness. Learning to forgive is essential for every Christian and church, yet it is often misunderstood or neglected. In the sermon we learned from God’s word what forgiveness means, when it’s needed, why it matters, and how it’s practiced. I’ve been encouraged by hearing about all the good conversations about this topic over the last couple weeks. Here are a some resources to explore this topic more deeply.
David Powlison, “How Do We Forgive Those Who Wrong Us and Either Can’t or Won’t Ask for Forgiveness?” In this excerpt from Powlison’s book on anger, he explains the helpful distinction between “attitudinal forgiveness” and “transacted forgiveness.” We should have an attitude of forgiveness toward all regardless of their repentance, but the relational extension of forgiveness is in response to repentance.
A great habit to consider is reading the sermon text before Sunday. Here are some of the ways this can benefit you and others:
It increases your engagement with God's word. By reading, meditating on, or studying the text ahead of time, you come ready to go deeper with God's word.
It prepares your mind and heart to hear and receive God's word.
You can pray for the preaching and the hearing of God's word. Come praying that God's Spirit would take this particular text and transform his people with it.
It is a way of being like those in Berea, who "received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so" (Acts 17:11).
This is a particularly interesting week to read ahead, since we're in a notoriously challenging text to understand. We saw last week that Jesus predicted the trials and destruction of the temple that happened in the first generation of the church (Mark 13:1–23). The next section, Mark 13:24–37 is filled with echoes from the Old Testament to communicate the vindication of Jesus and the endurance of his people. Read and pray ahead, and come ready to receive God's word.
Neighborhood Fellowship Free Clinic Expands
Dedication is Sunday, September 18
In 2008, Dr. Javier Sevilla, a member at Zionsville Fellowship, had a vision for a much needed medical clinic that would be free to the underserved people on the near East side of Indianapolis. The clinic was launched at our sister church, Neighborhood Fellowship, 3102 E. 10th Street, Indianapolis. It was a perfect opportunity to fill a huge need in the inner-city as well as give medical students an opportunity to serve and learn. Most of the health professionals on staff are students at the IU School of Medicine.
After three years of operating Saturday clinics inside Neighborhood Fellowship, it was clear that they were running out of space. Soon, patients will be able to visit the free clinic on Saturdays and Wednesdays as the IU Student Outreach Clinic will be expanding to a larger space right across the street from the church. The expansion will include a free dental clinic and ample space to house their complete staff of about 60.
For anyone who would like to tour the new medical clinic, you are invited to the dedication of the building on Sunday, September 18 at 3:00 PM. The dedication will begin in the worship center of Neighborhood Fellowship.
To read more about this incredibly story, click here.
