Daily Email: Wednesday, May 17, 2017 (Later edition)

DEVOTION: 1 Peter 3:13-22 English Standard Version (ESV)

¹³Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?¹⁴But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, ¹⁵but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, ¹⁶having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. ¹⁷For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil.

¹⁸For Christ also suffered^[a] once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, ¹⁹in which^[b] he went and proclaimed^[c] to the spirits in prison, ²⁰because^[d] they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. ²¹Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ²²who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.

There have been books and books written about the theology that is put forth in this passage. There's so much stuff, like how he descended into hell to proclaim victory to the spirits in prison, that Baptism now saves you, the ascension and reign of Jesus at the right hand of God, and so much more.

I want to focus on verse 15, because the ability to give an answer for your faith is something that is extremely lacking among Christians today. I think it is because too much focus is placed on emotion and feeling and not enough on facts and knowledge.

As real and important as emotion and feeling is, we cannot base our whole faith on it. Our faith is so much more than feelings or a hunch. It is based on the real life truth that Jesus is who he says he is and did what he said he did. It is based on the fact and reality that Jesus really did rise from the dead and lives and reigns to all eternity. It is based on real, tangible, historical, provable FACTS!!

The job for you is to become acquainted with those facts and that reality, we call it THEOLOGY! Study it so that you know it and can give an answer to everyone who asks you! KNOW WHAT YOU BELIEVE, so that you can do the one thing God has called you to do, MAKE DISCIPLES!!!

Let us pray: Lord God, help me to know as much as you have revealed to me about you so that I can give it to others. Amen.

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CALENDAR:

Wed- Sewing dresses for Africa 9:30-noon; Ladies Aid noon; Last Day of School Celebration 5:30-7

Thurs- Newsletter deadline; Karate 6:15-7:45; Lutheranism 101 6:30

Fri- Bible Study at Hendershot's house 7pm

Sat- Men's Breakfast 8am; Worship 5pm

Sun- Worship 8:30; Sunday school 9:45; VOTER'S MEETING 9:45; Worship 11am; Marilyn's retirement Luncheon NOON

______________________________________________________________________WORSHIP WORKERS FOR THIS WEEK:
Acolyte- 8:30- Sarah Cluver; 11- Cameron Faerber

Ushers- Larry Schulze, Scott Schulze, Gary Scott, Dave Winter

Altar- Set up- Lucille Luebke; Clean Up- Pam Linke

Elders- Sat- Charlie Figura; 8:30- Al Benton, 11- Randy Fischer

Greeters- 8:30- Al and Karen Benton; 11- Marv and Molly Hendershot

Lay Readers- Sat- Sandra Perricone; 8:30- Karen Benton; 11- Lisa Lacy

Organist- Rachel Fisher

Sat Pianist- Molly Hendershot

Projectionists: Sat- Perricone, 8:30- Yoder; 11- Masters
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YESTERDAY'S QUIZ :

What book of the Bible is Solomon's book of wisdom? Proverbs

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TODAY'S QUIZ: What does the word "Ecclesiastes" mean?

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NEWS!!!!

ALL YOUTH 3-18 YEARS OLD, LAST DAY OF SCHOOL CELEBRATIONS TONIGHT!! 5:30-7pm!!!

Supper- 5:30-6 (Hotdogs, pretzels, watermelon!!!)

Opening Devotion and Music- 6-6:15

Fun activities- 6:15-6:45

Closing devotion and Prayer time 6:45-7!!

PLEASE JOIN US!!

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MEN'S BREAKFAST IS THIS SATURDAY AT 8AM!!!!

Come for the food! Stay for the Bible Study!

PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU ARE COMING OR NOT, ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVEN"T BEEN THERE FOR A WHILE OR HAVE NEVER BEEN!

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VOTER'S MEETING THIS SUNDAY AT 9:45

All confirmed members of St. John's 18 years old and up are voting members of St. John's! Be there!!

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QUILT DRAWING IS THIS SUNDAY DURING THE VOTER'S MEETING!

There's still time to get your tickets! Call 456-2888 to get them today!

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MARILYN FOSTER'S RETIREMENT LUNCHEON IS THIS SUNDAY, MAY 21 AT NOON!

Let's shower her with gift cards and money to show our appreciation and send her into retirement with our love!

We will have fried chicken and cake, and we are asking each family to bring either a side dish or salad. Cake will be provided as well.

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ARMED FORCES SUNDAY DOOR OFFERING WILL BE ON MAY 20 and 21!!

We will be a collecting a door offering to provide for Bible sticks for our soldiers. Most armed forces personnel can't take their phone or computers with them when they are deployed and paper Bibles are too inconvenient. Bible sticks are just the right size and can fit easily into a pocket and carried wherever they go. Each Bible stick cost $25 to make and to ship. There have been over 800,000 of these Bible sticks given to soldiers since it began and thousands of more ready to ship. They just need the funds to get them out the door.

Here's one testimony from a soldier. "I am coming back into the arms of the Father who has never forsaken me. This mp3 Bible came right on time, because I have been contemplating suicide."

Please make a note for yourself to bring some money for this very worthy ministry next weekend!!!

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LITTLE LAMBS ENROLLMENT FOR THE 2017-2018 SCHOOL YEAR IS OPEN!!!!

Student must be 3 for younger class or 4 for older class by August 1.

$45 nonrefundable registration fee required.

Registration packets can be picked up at Little Lambs during school hours and in the church office during non-school hours.

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OPERATION BACKPACK ITEMS COLLECTED FOR THE MONTH OF MAY IS CANNED FRUIT!!

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AGAPE DONATIONS ALWAYS ACCEPTED!!

Any nonperishable food items, diapers, toiletries, etc.!!

Perishable food items can be taken directly to Agape at 713 Powell St. in Warrenton. Call 456-4645 to find out when they're open or for more info.

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YOUR KROGER CARD CAN EARN MONEY FOR LITTLE LAMBS

Go to www.kroger.com/communityawards and register your card today!!

PRAYERS:

For LOIS BOEGER'S MOM, EVELYN TOEDEBUSCH, as she is being moved to Breeze Park this week. She is in need of more daily care.

For PAT MANNESS as she will be undergoing extensive surgery and rehab on her hand next Friday, May 26.

For the SWEET FAMILY as they mourn the loss of Patty's mom.

For a FRIEND OF AL AND KAREN BENTON who is dealing with brain cancer.

For HUNDREDS OF OUR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS WHO ARE DEALING WITH THE EFFECTS OF THE FLOOD.

For THE PEOPLE IN UGANDA who are beginning to die from starvation due to drought and famine.

For CAROL BRAZEE recovering from sinus surgery at home.

For KEN FOSTER recovering from back surgery at home.

For PAT KING, as she is recovering from knee replacement surgery at home.

For MARILYN FOSTER as she prepares for her retirement.

For DANIELLE MEINE KRAMER, whose leukemia is back after a brief respite from it. She had it for several years while in high school. (She grew up riding Karin's school bus to school.)

For Mim Dunn's nephew DAVID HAHN who is dealing with severe throat cancer.

Choir practice canceled

The choir practice that was scheduled for tonight is canceled. No choir practice this week.

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

Daily Email: Tuesday, May 16, 2017

DEVOTION: Acts 17:16-31 English Standard Version (ESV)

Paul in Athens

¹⁶Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. ¹⁷So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there.¹⁸Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said, "What does this babbler wish to say?" Others said, "He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities"—because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. ¹⁹And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? ²⁰For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean." ²¹Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.

Paul Addresses the Areopagus

²²So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: "Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. ²³For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: 'To the unknown god.' What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. ²⁴The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man,^[a] ²⁵nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. ²⁶And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, ²⁷that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, ²⁸for

"'In him we live and move and have our being';^[b]

as even some of your own poets have said,

"'For we are indeed his offspring.'^[c]

²⁹Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. ³⁰The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, ³¹because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead."

Tomorrow we will see Peter instruct us to "always be ready to give an answer to those who ask you for the hope that is in you, but do this with gentleness and respect." Today we see Paul do this very well as he begins his little sermonette by saying, "Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious." He didn't brow beat them. He didn't insult them. He didn't call them stupid for having all of these weird statues to these man made gods. He treated them with respect.

It's important that we see all around us as being the same as us, sinners in need of forgiveness. Sometimes we forget that if we were born into different circumstances, or if we didn't have parents that taught us the faith, or if we didn't hear the Gospel like we did, we would be in the same circumstances of unbelief that many others are.

It is so very important that we treat others the way that we want to be treated, and especially that we treat them the way God wants us to treat them, so that their ears may be opened and they may hear and believe the good news.

Think about how you treat people! Change your view of all of them, and remind yourself daily that they are children of God just like you are.

Prayer: Lord, help me to tell others about you with gentleness and respect. Amen.