Category Archives: Proven Path Ministries

Children's Ministry, Proven Path Ministries, The Romans Study For Kids

Romans Study For Kids (Romans 8:9-17)

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Romans 8:9-17

9 However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.

10 If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.

11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

12 So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—

13 for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”

16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,

17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

Read Romans 8:9 very carefully. This is a very important verse. We find several of our very important words in this verse. The verse is printed below. Read it and circle the words: but, in, if 

However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.

 

According to the word but, is the subject (the you) of this verse in the flesh or in the Spirit? Circle your answer.

in the flesh           in the Spirit

 

According to what you learned from circling the word if, what allows a person to not be in the flesh? What or Who must they have?

the __ __ __ __ __ __  of __ __ __

 

According to what you learned from circling the word in, where does the Spirit of God need to be for you to belong to God?

__ __     __ __ __

 

 

If the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, is in you then you belong to God. Read Romans 8:10. Who else is in you if you belong to God?

__ __ __ __ __ __

 

Read Romans 8:10 again. Fill in the blanks below. Then answer the questions.

the __ __ __ __  is  __ __ __ __  because of __ __ __

the  __ __ __ __ __ __  is  __ __ __ __ __   because of __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

 

If Christ is in you what is dead and why?

_____________________________________________

 

If Christ is in you what is alive and why?

_____________________________________________

 

Read Romans 8:11. If the Spirit of Christ dwells in us what will God one day also give life to?

our  __ __ __ __ __ __

 

THINK ABOUT IT…

Go back and read Romans 6:3-6 and Romans 7:21-25 and remember what you learned from these passages to help you understand Romans 8:9-11. 

Now look at Romans 8:9-11 again. How many times did you read the words “dwells in you”.

Take a moment right now to ask God if His Spirit dwells in you.

 

Read Romans 8:12-13. If the Spirit of God and Jesus are in us, who are we obligated to listen to? Circle your answer.

our flesh/body         the Spirit of God

 

Read Romans 8:14. Who must lead you for you to belong to God as His son or daughter?

the  __ __ __ __ __ __  of  __ __ __

 

Read Romans 8:15. What kind of spirit do you no longer have if you belong to God?

a spirit of __ __ __ __ __ __ __

 

According to Romans 8:15, where did this spirit of slavery lead you?

to __ __ __ __

According to Romans 8:15, if you belong to God what kind of spirit do you now have?

a spirit of  __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

What does this spirit of adoption allow us to call God?

Abba! __ __ __ __ __ __!

 

Read Romans 8:16. Who testifies with our spirit to let us know that we are children of God? 

the  __ __ __ __ __  Himself

 

THINK ABOUT IT…

Do you know what “testifies” means? 

Have you ever been playing at the mark and saw your mom or dad talking to someone you did not know? Then, they called you out from all the other kids and introduced you to the person they were talking to and your mom or dad said, “This one is mine.”

Well, that is kind of like what the word “testifies” in Romans 8:16 means. 

Read Romans 8:17. If you are a child of God what are you also?

__ __ __ __ __  also, __ __ __ __ __  of God and fellow __ __ __ __ __  with Christ

 

THINK ABOUT IT…

An heir is someone who is entitled by law to receive the things of another person, their house, land, and belongings. It also is a person who would be next in line to receive a certain position of authority.  

Let’s do some cross-referencing, which means let’s look at some other Scriptures to help us see what we are heir to if we are children of God.

Take a moment to look up and read John 14:1-3 and Revelation 21:1-7.

 

Read Romans 8:17 again. Find the word “if”. What must we do in order to be a child of God and be an heir with Christ?

if indeed we __ __ __ __ __ __ with Him

 

THINK ABOUT IT…

What does it mean to suffer with Him? How do we suffer with Jesus? Just think about it. We will study more later.

Children's Ministry, Proven Path Ministries, The Romans Study For Kids

Romans Study For Kids (Romans 8:1-8)

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Today begin reading at Romans 7:21 and read through Romans 8:1. 

What does Romans 7:25 say that we serve with our mind?

the __ __ __   of   __ __ __

What does Romans 7:25 say that we serve with our flesh?

the __ __ __  of  __ __ __

 

THINK ABOUT IT…

Have you ever played a game of tug-o-war? I bet you have. Have you ever played a game of tug-of-war when you were the one in the middle? 

Maybe you have had two friends before who did not get along with each other, but you wanted to be friends with both of them. How did that make you feel?

Maybe those friends did not get along because one of them wanted you to do things that you knew were wrong and the other friend simply would not do it… but you were torn between the two friends. 

This type of struggle and tug-of-war is what goes on inside of us as Christians, but Romans 8:1 is our hope!

 

Romans 8:1-8

1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

3 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,

4 so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,

7 because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so,

8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

 

Read Romans 8:1 again and this time read it out loud.

Where does Romans 8:1 say that you are? (Hint: find the preposition)

 

What does Romans 8:1 tell us about those who are in Christ Jesus?

now  __ __    __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

 

Condemnation is to judge and punish. Do you remember what the wages of sin is? (Hint: read Romans 6:23)

__ __ __ __ __

Who took your punishment and judgment? 

__ __ __ __ __

Can you look back through Romans and write down the address of the verses that tell us that Jesus died for your sin? 

________________________________________________________________________________

 

Read Romans 8:2. What has set you free from the law of sin and of death?

the law of the __ __ __ __ __ __  of  __ __ __ __

What is the law of the Spirit? Go back and read Romans 1:16. What is the power of salvation?

the __ __ __ __ __ __

The Gospel is the power of salvation because it is also the law of the Spirit. The law of the Spirit works with the Law of God to set you free from the law of sin and death!

 

Read Romans 8:3. Why was the Law of God not enough by itself?

because of our __ __ __ __ __

 

Read Romans 8:3 again. What did God do for us since He knew we were unable to keep the Law of God because of our flesh?

He sent  __ __ __    __ __ __  in the likeness of sinful  __ __ __ __ __ and as an offering for sin

 

Take a moment to say John 3:16. Does this verse help you understand what Romans 8:3 says God did for us? Circle your answer.

Yes                   No               I don’t know

 

Read Romans 8:3 one more time. What does it say that Jesus did for us when He came in the flesh?

He __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ sin in the flesh.

 

Read Romans 8:4. Why did Jesus need to condemn sin in the flesh?

so that the  __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __  of the  __ __ __   might be __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __  in us

 

THINK ABOUT IT…

Sin came to punish and judge us… but Jesus came and punished and judged sin. This word for “condemned” tells us that when we are baptized in Jesus, when we believe in Him, when we died with Him, were buried with Him, and were raised with Him… He took away sins power and dominion over us. In Jesus, sin is no longer our boss. Sin can no longer condemn us. Even if it tries to kill us. Jesus will raise us from the dead because He is our boss now.

Think about the preposition “in”. When you are “in” something it gives you your position, your place. 

Romans 8:1 begins to teach us that the reason we are now from sin’s power and judgment is because of who we are IN, and now we will begin to see that we are now becoming able to obey God and His laws because of who we are in and because of who is IN us.

The word “but” is important in the Bible and so is the word “in”. They are little words with BIG meaning. When you read through the verses in the Bible it is a smart thing to pay close attention to all the buts, ins, withs, ifs, ors and ands. They will teach you a lot about God and your relationship with Him.

Read Romans 8:4 again. How do those who are in Christ walk? Circle your answer.

according to the flesh            according to the Spirit

 

Read Romans 8:5-7. There is a comparison between two minds. A mind set of the flesh and a mind set on the Spirit. Draw a line to the correct descriptions. 

mind set on flesh                              death

life

mind set on the Spirit                         peace

hostile toward God

doesn’t subject to law of God

not able to subject to law of God

 

Read Romans 8:8. Can those who are in the flesh please God? Circle your answer.

Yes                      No

Does what you learned in Romans 8:5-7 help you understand why those in the flesh cannot please God? Circle your answer.

Yes                    No

Proven Path Ministries

Children’s Ministry Important Updates

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Children’s Ministry Important Updates:

We are in the process of beginning our Fall activities… and with that some changes are on the way.

Before we get to the changes here are the upcoming event dates to put into your calendar:

Sat August 10th, yes this Saturday, is the AWANA Conference. It will be held at Westmeade and it begins at 8:30am.

Wed August 14th, Shiloh has rented the Hartselle Pool for a Family Fun Night! To attend from 8pm until 10pm is free. However if you would like to attend earlier, the pool has allowed us a discount of $5 each after 5pm.

Sat August 17th, is a Day Trip to Sequoyah Caverns. The cost is $11 for adults, $6 for kids 4 – 12yrs old, and children under 4yrs old are free. You can pay at the Caverns. We will need to be at the church by 7am. Everyone bring a packed lunch for your family.

Wed August 21st is AWANA Registration. It will begin at 6:15pm. Parents/Guardians must attend to register child.

Sun August 25th is The Calling. Remember there will be no Sunday School this Sunday and we will be having a pancake breakfast beginning at 9am. This is a very important event… if you are involved in any type of ministry related to Shiloh please be ready to help prepare a table sharing about that ministry. Everyone please be in prayer for this day… and most importantly if you know anyone who need Jesus… or who needs a church to call home… stop now and go and invite them to attend this event.

Sun September 8th the Children’s Ministry will begin a creative movement with Rhonda Corder at 5pm

Also on this day during this time we will begin a special study for all parents, parents with kids of all ages, it is called the Year of Purposeful Parenting. We will begin this study with:

raising godly children

The books are $13 and you will want one.

See Nicole Vaughn by Sunday August 18th  so that the book orders can be placed in time.

Also on Sun September 8th, the Preschool through 5th Grade, will begin a new Sunday night focus on apologetics, beginning at 6pm.

Fri – Sat, September 27th – 28th there is an opportunity to attend a Global Village Experience. To learn more go check out our events page on FB: Global Village Experience Details. You do not have to be in the children’s ministry to attend, jr high, high school, and college, and adults are welcome to attend with us.

 

NOW FOR THE CHANGES:

1) Nursery – Preschooler parents will now be picking up their pagers for their children in their child’s room. This is to ensure that the teacher has a parent face for the child. The parent must also return the pager to pick-up the child. This is to ensure that the child does not leave with anyone but the parent, or another adult sent by the parent. If you have one or more children in the Preschool wing, show the pager to the teachers of the first ones picked up and leave the pager with the one picked up last.

2) The official visitor check-in for the Children’s Dept is the Children’s Info Desk. Please do not send any child visiting to a room without having their parent fill out a visitor card and getting assigned a pager. This is very important. Our Preschool and Children’s teachers cannot always get this information from the children… we need the parents to make sure this is done. Alaina Raper or the Elder or Deacon’s Wife on rotation will be available to assist with this information.

3) Beginning this Sunday, the K – 5th Graders will join in the Sanctuary for the beginning of service. We will have a designated section of pews in the sanctuary and will leave for Children’s Church before the meet and greet. This is to enable the children to see baptisms and see announcements and participate in our congregational worship. It also will help my teachers get their rooms cleaned up in time for them to also make it for baptisms and announcements and even extended care as well.

4) The Children’s Ministry has outgrown the Children’s Church room. In order to meet our growth we will soon be re-locating to the Gym for Children’s Church. We were gifted with the Winshape stage set, which is a castle, which is perfect for our Cross Guard theme. I would love to have this relocation accomplished before Sunday August 25th… but in order for that to happen much help is needed. Please let me know if you can help with this and when you would be available to help.

 

In His service and yours,

Nicole Vaughn

 

 

 

Proven Path Ministries

Come and See

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“Come, see…”

John 4:29

We live in a day when many consider the building called a church as the church… and even perceive that because people are in that building they are the church… however this sometimes is far from the reality.

As my pastor shared this past Sunday, the church in the Greek, is ekklesia, those who are called out… when this word descended into the English language it somehow became a word that was translated to mean lordly house, a designated place. The church was never meant to be a place… but a people.

So just because someone is in a building that we call a church… does not mean that they are the church, that is why we make the call, and proclaim the gospel within the church building.

This is why we invite people to church in hope against hope that they will become a part of the church and when called by God to be His church, they will not forsake the assembly but continue to join with them and study the Word of God and grow in Him.

This month, Sunday August 25th, the church, that meets in the house of Shiloh Baptist, is hosting an event. We are offering an invitation to come and see… we have titled it The Calling.

As the church we are commanded by our Savior to go…

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you

Matthew 28:19

However, our excitement over this One we know as the Christ, also compels us to cry out “Come and see!“

God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.” At this point His disciples came, and they were amazed that He had been speaking with a woman, yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why do You speak with her?” So the woman left her waterpot, and went into the city and said to the men, “Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?” They went out of the city, and were coming to Him.

John 4:24-30

So sometimes our “Go and Tell” is a “Come and See“

So if you are reading this… I come to you just as the woman at the well came to those in her community so many years ago… that well of living water is for real… I am a woman who left my waterpot at the base of an unsatisfying well and drank of the living water that flows from the side of my Christ… I heard His call, His invitation to drink of Him in a center right front pew in the house of Shiloh Baptist.

It is here that I have grown in the grace and knowledge of God…

It is here in this house that God used His church to make me a disciple and to teach me to obey all that He has commanded me, and to know that my Jesus is with me always… even until the end of the age.

So it would be crazy of me to not run to you and want to bring you back with me to this well where I met my Messiah, my Jesus, the Christ.

When the woman at the well that day went to her town to make her appeal for others to come… she was not doing so in an off-handed casual manner. The word for “come” in John 4:29 in the Greek is deute and it gets the force of an interjection, “Come! Come now!” followed by a hortatory subjunctive. Which means it is a statement urging others to join in some action. It is an exclamatory word.

The woman at the well was not saying, “You know it sure would be nice for you to come with me sometime to see this man at the well… He was just so nice… offered me some water that would never leave me thirsty again… I really think you would like Him if you would just come and try Him”

No she was saying, “COME! COME NOW! I HAVE BEEN AND I AM GOING AND I AM TELLING YOU THAT YOU NEED TO COME WITH ME NOW!“

I am appealing to you now from the place that I met the Christ and have come to know Him more and more… and I am telling you that you need to come!

No, there is nothing special about the house of Shiloh Baptist… some parts of it are under construction, some parts of it have paint pealing, some parts have old paneling, some parts have holes, some parts have missing ceiling tiles, some parts have dirty handprints stained onto the walls, some parts need new flooring… but oh let me tell you, the church in that house… they are wonderful! They are not perfect yet, as all of us are still a work in progress, but I can promise you, that if you are willing to lay it out there, to take the time and effort to build the relationships, the church in this house, will love you unconditionally just as they are loved unconditionally by their God.

Jesus is lifted up and called Lord by His bride in this house… and His bride respects Him in this house… because she knows how very much He loves His bride, the Church, and so the church in the house of Shiloh invites you, compels you, calls you… to come and see. Don’t come just to see us… but come looking for the Christ… to come and see if indeed He is the Messiah.

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.

Revelation 22:17

 

Children's Ministry, Confessions of a Christian Wife, Proven Path Ministries

Absolutely Striking

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But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord,
I say, “You are my God.”
My times are in Your hand;

Psalm 31:14-15

I will be attempting to break down Romans 8:28-30 for my Kindergarten through 5th graders this coming Sunday at Shiloh. Needless to say, I was pretty excited about the opportunity to teach this passage of Scripture to our kids. Excited and slightly scared to death… these are really big words with really big meanings… can such little minds grasp the truth in them?

I believe yes, they very well can…

My prayer is that God would grant me the ability to teach these little ones in a way that they have such a solid foundation of truth now, that when their bodies catch up to their minds they are in full action… My desire is to train the minds of spiritual warriors, so that when they are of an age to go therefore and make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20) they do.

I want them to realize they have a purpose and they need to own it. 

Romans 8:28-30 lays all that out in an absolutely beautifully striking way!

And I get to teach that!

There is nothing more humbling to me…

God, the Creator and Sustainer of the entire universe, lets me attempt to explain His message…

I shake my head in disbelief that He trusts me with His Words. This Alabama girl, this housewife, this homeschool mom, this non-theologically degreed female who just loves His Son more than she can adequately express… He lets me open my mouth and speak and teach His Word.

I mean… really?

But He does… It’s my purpose… and no matter where I go, no matter what I do, no matter how tired I may think I am, no matter how ignorant or unprepared I feel, no matter who or what hurts me in the process, regardless of who listens… I can’t help but do it… my love for Him controls me.

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

Romans 8:28-30

As I opened up Romans 8:28-30 and began to dig into these big words that it shares I first went to their Greek definitions. I did this for each individual word and I grew in my excitement with each word study… and then I came to the word conformed

Conformed is summorphos in the Greek and it means having the same form as another, similar, conformed to…

Summorphos comes from two Greek words, one is sun, or with, which is a primary preposition denoting union… the other is morfe, and it means (oh, and this is where it gets good!)

  1. the form by which a person or thing strikes the vision
  2. external appearance

…which perhaps comes from the base word meros that means

  1. a part
    1. a part due or assigned to one
    2. lot, destiny
  2. one of the constituent parts of a whole
    1. in part, partly, in a measure, to some degree, as respects a part, severally, individually
    2. any particular, in regard to this, in this respect

 

Do you see what I mean!

…He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son,

Romans 8:29

Oh precious one, if you are indeed in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1) then God already has a vision, a purpose, for you… and He is in the process of bringing you to the point where you strike that vision!

If you are indeed in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:3-11) then God has already changed you from the inside… and now He is in the process of making your external appearance similar to His Son!

You are now a part of His body and within His body you have a lot… you have a destiny… you have a portion… you have an inheritance (Acts 26:18).

The question dear one… will you stand up and claim what is yours… or will you let the things of this world keep you too preoccupied. Will you miss what your Father has for you because living up to His requirements (Romans 8:4) is too much for you? Will you miss it because suffering for His sake (Romans 8:22-25) is too hard for you?

Let us never forget precious one, that it is even He who supplies us with the ability to claim our inheritance…

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:13

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I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful,putting me into service…

1 Timothy 1:12

Don’t put it off another moment dear one… your inheritance is ready… you are meant to begin claiming it now. The pledge (2 Corinthians 1:22) has been placed within you… Don’t delay. Today is the day to become absolutely striking!

Your times are in His hand. You are alive today in this place in time for a purpose… discover it and live it.

Children's Ministry, Confessions of a Christian Wife, Proven Path Ministries

The Three P’s of Children’s Ministry

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I sit here this morning reflecting on my current place in service to the Lord… after being asked several times again, “but when do you have time to… ” All I know that I can answer that question with is that God is the author of time… and somehow I manage to have enough time to accomplish everything He calls me to do and if it doesn’t get done that day… it always seems to work out. Usually because He had someone else called to do it and because there was a reason for the delay… so I just live and obey and trust God to deal with the whole time thing. If I ever get focused on the time constraint of 24 hour days I end up in an anxiety attack… so I choose to practice the three P’s of children’s ministry…

And no the three P’s are not puke, pee, and poop…

I have come to realize that Children’s Ministry is a whole new ball game of emotions. It is for me anyway… but I am learning it is indeed also for many others. Which in learning so, it helps me keep things in perspective. Perspective is powerful thing. Perspective and perseverance and patience…

these are the 3 P’s of children’s ministry.

The absolute only way that we can keep things in the right perspective is to stay in the Word of God. The absolute only way we can maintain perseverance in the ministry of the gospel is to stay in the Word of God. The absolute only way we can maintain and continue to learn and practice patience is to stay in the Word of God.

If I didn’t… I just flat out would not be a very nice person at all.

I must stay in the Word of God and pray without ceasing (I suppose I misnamed this post, it should be “the four P’s”) to maintain those three P’s of children’s ministry… and sadly its not usually because of the kids. It actually is only occasionally the kids… and usually when its the kids, its because I am already upset over something that happened previously.

I take nothing more personal than an adult that tells me or my staff they are “not called” to serve or interact with our children. Please understand that I know not everyone is called to teach children on a regular basis, that is indeed a calling, but to be unwilling to serve them for an hour, a few times a year… when the only requirement is to just love on them?

Yes I take that personally… and I think God does as well.

Then He will answer them,

‘Truly I say to you,

to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these,

you did not do it to Me.’

Matthew 25:45

 

I take it personally for more reason than one…

The ministry to children, especially the extended care ministry in some way or another blesses every single member of your church family simply by its existence. Whatever amount of time a person sacrifices to serve in this rotation makes an eternal impact.

How you ask?

There is an eternal soul in the body of that little one. An eternal soul that needs Jesus. An eternal soul that needs to see and experience some Jesus with skin on… and there is an eternal soul in there that needs to understand the value of their life and the life of others…

I wonder sometimes if we do not think we will stand before Jesus and give an account for what we did not do?

We spend a lot of time worrying about getting credit and forgiveness for what we did do and have done when we might need to be spending a little more realizing all the opportunities to serve our Savior that we just walked by… ignoring them because well… we did not want to do that.

How else is service to our children an eternal impact?

That eternal soul in that little body, will one day be an eternal soul in a big body… a big body that will most likely be making decisions one day that will affect you and your children and your children’s children greatly. An eternal soul in a big body that will be leading and teaching and running your kids, your grandkids, church, school, business, country…

How else… ?

Think about how many young couples have joined your church, or answered the call of salvation, and made that walk up the center isle, because in that hour they were able to be still and hear God’s voice because they knew their children were being well cared for by someone in extended care… in that very hour.

This girl knows…

How thankful I am as a mother myself… who made that walk over 11 years ago, while my daughter was being taken care of in Extended Teaching Care! Imagine had I had to leave early to change a diaper, or if I had of been distracted with passing out coloring pages, or even worse been embarrassed by my child’s inability to sit still and just left and never came back!

Where would I be today?

God would have still saved me… I have no doubt about that… but would I be serving Him at Shiloh Baptist Church?

So yes, I take it personally. I take it very personally. My GOD is a personal God. Children’s Ministry, every single part of it, is personal and every single person involved is important, from those who serve 4 hours a year, or once a year in VBS, or those who serve every day of their life… this ministry is indeed important and vital to the growth of the Kingdom of God and the church and our nation.

So when things get taken personal… I have to pull out my three P’s of children’s ministry.

My perspective:

For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.

2 Chronicels 16:9

But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him.

Luke 24:16

Then the Pharisees also were asking him again how he received his sight. And he said to them, “He applied clay to my eyes, and I washed, and I see.”

John 9:15

fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:2

God is the one who makes blind eyes see… I am not going to beg for servants. Jesus didn’t beg. He simply said “Follow Me”. He didn’t chide the nine lepers that walked away with their healing, He simply blessed the One that turned back to Him to serve.
God is the One who knows whose heart is His… He will provide for that positions… my eyes are simply to stay on Christ… He’s the One who is in control… and whatever frustration I am experiencing at the moment is nothing compared to what He went through for me. Perspective!

The joy that I receive from loving these kids and investing in their eternal souls… it’s all worth it. Perseverance!

God is teaching me through all this as well and preparing me and training me and so I will work to take deep breathes and smile… trusting Him with each day to accomplish His work… because it’s all His anyway. Patience!

I am also learning that it is not me that has been rejected. It’s not the children. It’s Him. So I am learning that it is not anger or frustration that is rising up in me… it is sadness… just flat out sadness.

The Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me…

1 Samuel 8:7

Proven Path Ministries

Don’t Take Marital Advice From Someone Whose Only Made It a Year

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There is a blog post popping up all over the social media world. It is causing quite a stir. I have responded to individuals, but today, well… most of my two cents worth just might come out.

The post: “My husband is not my soul mate”

My first reaction… the dear girl has only been married a year! One year! She writes these words and she is completely clueless.

My second reaction… her opinion is given with zero Biblical backing. It is simply her opinion as a young woman who has been in this marriage thing for ONLY ONE YEAR.

What I know is that this young girl, if she holds to her confession firm until the end, will read this post 15 years from now and shudder at her ignorance. Within this time frame she will experience something she had no clue about… soul mating. I am not writing here to condemn the young girl, she just doesn’t know yet was is to come. She just has more growing to do in her grace and knowledge of God and marriage. I assure you marriage will indeed help her with that… that is, if she keeps her covenant as she says she will.

Unfortunately, I see in her post an under-lying attempt by the enemy of our souls to demean marriage even more than our culture already has. Marriage was the first blood covenant recorded in the Scriptures for a reason. Marriage is used as an illustration of the church and Christ. Let us not forget that.

Let us not forget that our God is indeed a sovereign God and He weaves our lives… relationships and all. There is a reason you know the people you know. There is a reason you are where you are…

 and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation

Acts 17:26

As for her father, He may be a Biblical scholar, but maybe, just maybe, he said what he said to get his daughter’s eyes off the things of the flesh and onto the things of Christ. Maybe he was trying to get her to see that if she thought a husband was the answer to all her prayers she was going to be in a butt load of trouble and deep ditch of disappointment.

A husband is just a man. He is not our God, ladies. He will have faults. He will have sin. He will have struggles. He will at times be unkind, unloving, unapproachable. He will say and do things that will hurt. He is flesh, just like you. He needs Jesus, just like you. He needs love, forgiveness, mercy, grace, and redemption… just like you.

Maybe her father just wanted her to know:

A Christian woman does not put her hope in her husband, or in getting a husband. She does not put her hope in her looks or her intelligence or her creativity. She puts her hope in the promises of God. She is described in Proverbs 31:25: “Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.” 

She laughs at everything the future could bring because she hopes in God.

She looks away from the troubles and miseries and obstacles of life that seem to make the future bleak, and she focuses her attention on the sovereign power and love of God who rules in heaven and does on earth whatever he pleases (Ps. 115:3). 

She knows her Bible, and she knows her theology of the sovereignty of God, and she knows his promise that he will be with her and will help her and strengthen her no matter what. This is the deep, unshakable root of Christian womanhood.

~ John Piper

As for, “does God have a specific person for you?” The Bible clearly states that by all means He very well could! Let the Word of God speak for Himself:

Eve and Adam: Eve was made from Adam’s rib… they are the picture, foundation, root, the mold for every marriage after… Eve was specifically formed for Adam… she was chosen

Sarah and Abraham:  Isaac was to come from Sarah. Abraham could screw around with Hagar if he wanted, and reap the consequences, but Sarah was the one through whom the promised son would come… she was chosen

Rebekah and Isaac: My goodness read the story… it’s breathtaking! Genesis 24 its all there… she was chosen

Ruth and Boaz: The family just happened to travel to Moab, the son just happened to marry Ruth, the son just happened to die, Ruth just happened to end up in Boaz’s field, she just happened to bear the grandfather of David? No, I don’t think so… she was chosen

Mary and Joseph: Have you ever noticed that Mary had a-husband-to-be before she conceived the Son of God by the power of the Holy Spirit. Do you really think God just thought any man could raise His Son? No… this marriage was ordained by God… Joseph was chosen for Mary and Mary… she was chosen 

The Bride and Christ: Oh my, why of course… she was chosen

“You did not choose Me but I chose you”

John 15:16

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who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, 

by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, 

to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood

1 Peter 1:1-2


Now as for the soul mate… Oh yes, dear new bride… he is indeed your soul mate! This is why sex outside of marriage is so detrimental to your inner being. You make soul ties:

“and the two became one flesh”

Genesis 2:24

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“Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute

is one body with her?”

1 Corinthians 6:16

Your soul is made by God to be tied to only two others, Himself and your spouse…

A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.

Ecclesiastes 4:11-13

When we choose to pull strings off that cord and connect them to those who are not our spouse… then, when we do enter into marriage our cord is weakened. It is not the strong cord God intended it to be and it takes time and effort and pain and repentance and forgiveness and redemption to get those strings back in order to strengthen that cord. Yet, it CAN be strengthened and become that “cord of three strands” with your spouse and God.

That my dear is part of the soul mating.

What this young girl has not yet realized is all the ways that she and this man will come to know one another. The ways she will realize that he can tell and see things about her that only God should be able to see. What she does not yet know, is that God will mate this man to her soul in such a way that she will not be able to see herself even able to breath apart from him. She will have a revelation of a picture of her entire self being ripped apart if ever the thought of calling it quits enters her mind. Her soul will remind her that she is not herself apart from him.

Right now , a year in, she can walk through the house and say this is his and that is mine, but one day she will not even be able to recall what belonged to whose grandmother, because even their pasts have somehow managed to become intertwined.

Now please know that God's Word does not promise us a spouse, there are those who are called to a life of singleness, as Paul was...

Yet I wish that all men were even as I myself am.

1 Corinthians 7:7

but when a spouse is called and chosen... they do indeed become your soul mate.

Even more on God’s sovereignty in marriage…

My children were known by God before they were formed in my womb (Jeremiah 1:5). My children can only be who they are by the unique combination of my and my husbands DNA. Therefore, for my daughters to be here on this earth as my Shelby and Rebekah, my God had to direct my steps to my Patrick. The awesome thing is, He did this when I didn’t even know Him.

The bottom line my dear ones is that either God is sovereign or He is not.

God is even sovereign over sin. He uses all things to bring about His purpose because He is God. My husband had a child before he was married to me. God used a relationship that was not holy to bring about a beautiful blonde haired girl who was formed and fearfully and wonderfully made for a purpose by her Creator God, not unlike the way He used Judah and Tamar (Genesis 38). Was her mother my husbands soul mate… no she wasn’t. He was always intended to be mine. However, this beautiful blonde haired young woman is indeed here for a reason. She is in my life for a reason, but her life needed to be formed from these two for her to be her. God, in His sovereignty, purposed it and worked it out.

Anyway… there’s some of my two cents.

Proven Path Ministries

True Words Are Followed By Action

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The Unless Series continues…

The next occurrence of the word unless in the Scriptures (according to the NASB) is in Genesis 42…

 by this you will be tested: by the life of Pharaoh,

you shall not go from this place unless your youngest brother comes here!

Genesis 42:15 

From Genesis 42 until Genesis 44 the word “unless” occurs five times and each time its  related to this same verse. So what’s the context of this verse?

Joseph is now second in command in Egypt. Let us remember that he has gained this position after his older brothers threw him in a pit and then sold him as a slave to Midianite traders. Now in Genesis 42 his brothers stand before him… well no… actually, his brothers bow before him and they are seeking food.

Joseph accuses them of being spies… and does not believe their words… and so he gives them an opportunity to prove their words. This opportunity he gives them will serve a two-fold purpose.

1) It will test the words and character of his older brothers

2) It will give him peace over the concern he has carried for the welfare of his younger brother, Benjamin

The usage of this unless is pretty much an ultimatum. I believe the point of this ultimatum is to remind us that true words come with action backing them. True words can be tested and proved.

You can read these chapters and clearly see the dilemma placed before the brothers by Joseph. You want grain… bring me the brother. If you speak the truth then you have nothing to fear.

There is no need or room for quarreling when our words are true.

Joseph knew this.

Because Joseph spoke truth… and he endured whatever consequences came with it.

Sometimes, God places us in sticky situations to test us. Sometimes He places us in sticky situations as an opportunity for redemption, an opportunity for confession, and opportunity to make a wrong a right.

Here is this unless…

We can see what the brothers did, and how the unless played out in their lives and in the life of Joseph as we read the rest of Genesis.

Today I want you to consider the “unless ultimatum” that may be before you today. Are you in a sticky situation? Is there an unless before you now? An unless that will test you, to see if you are a changed person?

Has God placed an opportunity before you today to do the right thing?

Will you be tested and approved?

Will your words come with action?

Children's Ministry, Proven Path Ministries, The Romans Study For Kids

Romans Study For Kids (Romans 7:14-25)

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This post will almost conclude our study in Romans 7… we will have to step back into Romans 7 to set our context for our study in Romans 8 🙂

Yesterday we learned that the Law of God is good, righteous, and holy. We learned that the Law helps us see how very sinful our sin really is. Without the Law we would convince ourselves that our sin was really not that bad. Especially when we compared our sin to others. We can always find someone whose sin we think is worse than ours. However, what we learn from the Bible is that all of us are equally judged by the Law of God and none of us can keep it. That is why we need Jesus.

Today we are picking up our study in Romans in Romans 7:14-25. Today we will see that even after we are saved we are still at war with sin.

That’s why God gave us armor. Before we study today take a moment to go read Ephesians 6:10-18. Let’s put our armor on and pray that God would help us understand His Word and help us obey it. 

Now let us begin today’s study with reading Romans 7:14-25.

 

Romans 7:14-25

14 For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin.

15 For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.

16 But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good.

17 So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.

18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.

19 For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.

20 But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.

21 I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good.

22 For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man,

23 but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members.

24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?

25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.

 

 

Read Romans 7:14. 

What do we learn about the Law?

It is __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

What do we learn about ourselves?

I am of __ __ __ __ __, sold into __ __ __ __ __ __ __ to __ __ __

 

Read Romans 7:15 very slowly. Fill in the blanks below to complete the verse.

For what I am doing,

__   __ __   __ __ __   __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but

__  __ __  __ __ __ __ __ the very thing I __ __ __ __

 

THINK ABOUT IT…

Have you ever felt like Paul in Romans 7:15? Have you ever wanted to do the right thing, because you knew it was right, but instead you did something that knew was wrong? Maybe you told your mom or dad or brother or sister or even your best friend that you hated them, when you know you don’t, but when your feeling were hurt or you were angry it just came out. Then you felt really bad for saying it… and feeling it.

Read Romans 7:16. What does it show about us, when we know that something we did was wrong and we really hate that we did it?

it shows we  __ __ __ __ __  with the  __ __ __ ,

confessing that the  __ __ __  is  __ __ __ __

 

Now if we confess that the Law is good and the problem is us, not the Law of God. And, if we have confessed Jesus as Lord and we have been united with Him in His death, burial, and resurrection (remember Romans 6:3-4). Why do we still sin?

Let’s read Romans 7:17-19 very slowly to find out. Fill in the blanks below to complete the verses as you read.

So now, no longer am __  the __ __ __ doing __ __, but __ __ __ which __ __ __ __ __ __ in __ __

For I know that __ __ __ __ __ __ __  __ __ __ __  dwells in __ __, that is __ __   __ __ __ __ __

for the __ __ __ __ __ __ __ is present in __ __, but the __ __ __ __ __  of the __ __ __ __ is __ __ __

For the __ __ __ __ that I __ __ __ __, I do  __ __ __  do, but I __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ the very __ __ __ __ that I  __ __   __ __ __  want

 

Read Romans 7:20. What is the cause of all this struggle inside of us? 

the __ __ __ which __ __ __ __ __ __ in me

 

THINK ABOUT IT… 

Do you know any Christians who got a new body after they were saved? No? Me either. I still have my old one too. When we become Christians and Jesus comes to live in us, our sin is still in us too. The difference is that now that sin is no longer our boss. Jesus is. So now we have Jesus to help us fight sin and to help us not sin. When before we were Christians, we had no power over sin. We may not even have recognized that some things were a sin. So now as Christian, we have a struggle with this flesh of ours that still wants to do bad things sometimes, and our hearts that want us to do the good and right things that please God. 

Go to a computer and put this link in your search bar, it’s a video from Candace that kind of helps you see this struggle in action.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iq6Cbd5YxA


Read Romans 7:21. What does this struggle reveal to us? 

  1. __ __ __ __  is present in me
  2. but I want to  __ __     __ __ __ __

 

Read Romans 7:22. Where do we joyfully concur (or agree) with the law of God?

in the __ __ __ __ __    __ __ __

 

Read Romans 7:23. Where do we see the different law (the law of sin)?

in the members of my __ __ __ __

 

Read Romans 7:23 again. What is happening between the different law at work in the members of our body and  the law of our mind that knows God’s law is good?

they are at  __ __ __

 

THINK ABOUT IT…

Do you think that even as a Christian you could go a whole week and never sin?

Read Romans 7:24. What conclusion do we come to when we try not to sin and to keep the Law of God? 

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ man that I am!

 

Do you know what “wretched” means? It means poor, miserable, despicable, absolutely pitiful! 

The harder we try to keep God’s law on our own, the more we realize we can’t. 

 

Read Romans 7:24 again. What question is asked?

__ __ __  will set me  __ __ __ __  from the body of this  __ __ __ __ __?

 

Read Romans 7:25. Who is the “Who” that will set us free?

__ __ __ __ __

 

WOW! Jesus saves us today from the power of sin and the effects of sin, and one day He will save us from this body of sin as well. We will learn more about this in Romans 8. Right now let’s just stop here for the day and spend some time thanking God for Jesus. Why not sing the first part of Amazing Grace as a praise to God right now.

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