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Freedom Family Update
Friday, October 9, 2020
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Last week, Brian Onken taught us from James 1:26-2:9. James is continuing to help us learn to experience joy in trials because of the certainty of our lives in Christ.
In this passage, James exhorts us to show no personal favoritism. What can we derive from this teaching?
- We have a tendency to look at people and determine how they might benefit us. We privilege externals (i.e. how can this person help me out of this trial?)
- We need to look at people as God sees them. If we don't we are tempted to use them.
- James gives the example of helping widows and orphans in their distress. This is just one illustration of true religion (practice of faith.) Widows and orphans are not in a position to reciprocate and this reminds us to love people without a mindset of "What's in it for me?"
- While the depth of specific relationships may vary (i.e. we experience a different love with our spouse than a friend at church) the breadth of our love does not. We are to love ALL people regardless of their status or other factors.
- The royal law of loving our neighbors as ourselves with no partiality actually provides a great deal of freedom. It is a simple standard - love each other.
- Loving all does not mean tolerating sinful behavior or creating an "anything goes" culture. That is not an act of love.
- The world will know us by how we love each other more than how we love them.
- If you want to live well in the midst of trial - love others, don't use them.
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Miss a recent message? Visit our YouTube page (Freedom Church Upstate). The most recent two video messages are also available on the front page of our website.
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James: What's Next?
This Sunday, Russ Muse will teach us. To aid in the continuity of study, please prepare by reading as follows:
Reviewing: James 1:27 - 2:9
Preparing: James 2:10-13
To print out a manuscript version for notes/personal study, click here. (The document is being built week-by-week with the current passage on top.)
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#SERVEMAULDIN Thanksgiving Project
Our next project is to partner with our friends at Messiah Lutheran Church Food Bank to help them provide Thanksgiving meal boxes for those in need. Messiah has the food items for side dishes covered, but would value our help with providing the turkey/ham. Our best way to help is to provide as many gift certificates as possible that can be given with the boxes so recipients can purchase their own meat at a local grocery store. We are asking those who are interested to get a $15 gift card from Ingles, Publix or BiLo and drop it off in the box at church or mail it to our secure PO box at
Freedom Church
2131 Woodruff Road, Suite 2100 #110 Greenville SC 29607.
All gift cards must be for $15 to remain consistent with the gifting. Thanks for your help!
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We have updated our website with some new menu items. For example, you can click on "connect" to connect or send a prayer request card online; click on "newsletter" to see the latest issue/archives or to subscribe, or "watch online" to easily transfer to the YouTube channel for the online services.
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We are currently meeting in person on Sundays as well as offering live stream here. Details on how we are operating during the COVID-19 situation can be found here.
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