5th Sunday Night Sing

Sunday night will be a 5th Sunday Night Sing and Testimony Time beginning at 6:00 PM.  All are welcome to come, to share and to bless as we gather to praise the Lord.

Following the sing will be a time of refreshments in the fellowship hall. Please plan to bring a finger food or dessert to share.

Financial Peace University

The Smarter Way to Manage Your Money

Pay off your debt

It’s no fun living paycheck to paycheck. Enjoy your money without owing it to someone else.

Save for the future

Get proactive! Build an emergency fund and invest with confidence.

Make a great team

Create a helpful budget that works for you AND your spouse. Learn to plan, save and grow together.

These are some of the tools you will learn which will help build a better financial future. We will be offering the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University class beginning August 21.  Classes will be held every Monday for 9 weeks at the church. All are welcome to join and grow together.  Please see Pastor if you are interested in being a part.  

Ladies Fellowship

Ladies Fellowship is tomorrow (Tuesday) night at Lynn L's beginning at 5:30 PM. Bring a finger food or dessert. We will enjoy food and great fellowship, learn about the power and blessing of 'our story'.(we all have one!). A fun activity we will do is to adorn simple rocks with beautiful words that reflect the love of God; They can be taken them home and 'hid' them around our community. Take a peek at this link, the rock craze is all around us. People are searching, let's help them find what they really need...JESUS! 

Help Wanted!!

Our Family Ministry Meals will be resuming soon. There are opportunities to help with the preparation of the meals and we are looking for some willing volunteers!

 If you can cook and have some time to prepare food on Wednesday, you qualify! There will be a breakfast on Monday, July 24 at 8:30 AM at Dixie Grill to do some planning and preparation. Anyone interested in helping is welcome to come.

Church Directory

It has been over 9 years since the last church church pictorial directory was created!  Many new people are worshiping with us and this is the perfect tool to connect with them and also for them to identify others.  Plus, there have been many changes in our families and appearance since then!  

We are looking for good participation for the directory and are making it easy  for you to be a part of it. All families are welcome to have a portrait made.  The dates are August 17-19 that pictures will be taken at Antioch. For your convenience, online scheduling is available, or appointments can be made on Sunday.  There will be a table set up in the back foyer. 

For every family having a portrait made, a free 8X10 and church directory will be given. We hope you will be a part of the new directory!  

The link for online scheduling will stay on the right sidebar for several weeks. It can also be found HERE.   Watch for more reminders and please help us spread the word!

Wedding

Just a reminder of the wedding of Hanna and Eddie which is Saturday, July 22 at 5:00 PM at Antioch!  Hope you will come join the celebration of two lives joined into one family!

Help Wanted

In September we will begin a new church Sunday School year.  There are a few open opportunities for you to serve.  Please pray about these openings and see if God is calling you to serve in any of these capacities. 

Sunday School Teachers and Helpers for these areas

Nursery

Pre-K

Children 

Assistant Sunday School Director

There will be resources and training available, you won't walk this path of ministry alone!

Pounding

We love to celebrate with the church family! Here are a few pictures from the recent pounding for Ross and Taylor!  It was a time filled with wonderful food, fellowship and a time of all ages to celebrate!

The Church God Uses

Churches come in different sizes. Churches also meet in different kinds of locations.  Churches have different denominational affiliation.  With this bewildering array of different kinds of churches, which kind of church does God do his work through? 

Here are five characteristics of the kind of church God works through.

1.  God uses churches that know they are accountable to God.

Every church will give an account of itself to God. Our ministry is on constant display before God, in the presence of God and of Christ. Nothing is hidden from His sight.

2.  God uses churches that know they are accountable to God.

God uses churches that are committed to communicating the whole Bible.

We’re to communicate the Bible persistently. The command to "be prepared in season and out of season" focuses on persistency.

We’re also to communicate the Bible specifically. 

We also need to communicate the Bible prophetically.  Now the phrase "prophetically" doesn't mean making predictions, but that certain parts of the Bible will go against the grain of our culture’s value system. 

We also need to communicate the Bible expectantly. This is what the word "encourage" refers to. This word means to expect people to respond to the message. We also need to communicate the Bible patiently. We find this in the phrase "with great patience."we need to communicate the Bible patiently, with gentleness and hope, knowing that some people take longer to get it than others. 

Finally, we need to communicate the Bible intelligently. This is what the phrase "careful instruction" refers to. We communicate the Bible intelligently when we not only show people what the Bible means and how it applies, but also why the Bible makes the claims that it does. 

God uses churches that are committed to communicating the whole Bible.

3.  God uses churches that refuse to cater to people’s selfishness.

Throughout human history people have used religion to justify indulging themselves in selfish ways. We’re to communicate with grace and gentleness, with humility and sensitivity, but we are to call each other out of a self centered life and into a God centered life. 

4. God uses churches that are outreach focused.

It’s really easy for churches to lose their vision for outreach. We can get overwhelmed with the needs of our own people, we can grow distracted. Even worse, we can grow indifferent to the plight of those who don’t yet have a relationship with Jesus Christ.

5.  God uses churches that help people finish well.

We can’t all be Olympic competitors, but we can all finish well in life.  God uses churches that want to help their members be able to say the same thing.

You're Invited!

What a blessing it is for one of our local Lake City Pregnancy Care Center's to open a new facility. You are invited to celebrate and join in this special event.

 

COMPLACENCY IN THE CHURCH

Sermon Notes From Sunday

I. THE CHARGE IS COMPLACENCY.

Amos 6:4 That lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall;

Amos 6:5 That chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of music, like David;

Amos 6:6 That drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph.

There is a description of complacency here.

(1). Their homes, furnishings, and clothes were the best.

(2). They ate the best of food, and as much as they desired.

(3).Their attention was primarily on things of entertainment and pleasure.

(4). They drank intoxicants by the bowl full.

This sounds like a description of America today; much of it could also be applied to the church.

(1) We must have the best in the way of homes and furniture, & clothes

(2) We eat the best of food, and to much of it.

(3) Our attention is primarily on entertainment and pleasure.

(4) There is much drunkenness and drug addition in our nation today,

II. THE CAUSE OF COMPLACENCY.

1. The people of Israel had enjoyed a time of great prosperity; they could have one of two reactions:

(1). They could react as most were doing; showing pride and boastfulness. They were living extravagantly, and took all the credit for their prosperity themselves.

(2). They could have reacted in humility, realizing that the blessings of God were the source of what they were enjoying.

The causes of complacency in the church are very well described here. We have been raised and live in the most affluent nation in the world. We are accustomed to a lifestyle that would be viewed as extravagant by most of the rest of the world.

1. We trust much in our military might, many in our country seem to have no serious thoughts about anything, least of all their relationship to God.

2. We pursue riches and things as if they will last forever. Most in our country, and in our churches, are not at all grieved over the sins of our nation or churches, or the ever-worsening condition of both.

3. Even in the church, we trust most in our wealth, our buildings, the strength of our denomination and our ability, rather than trusting God.

4. Many of us seldom stop to think about our relationship to God, and what He requires of us.
And we are not grieved for the lost!

III. THE CURSE OF COMPLACENCY
 Complacency robs the church and God’s people of many energetic and consecrated servants.

Complacency robs us of our joy here, and of our rewards after this life.

Complacency on our part may prevent many people from knowing Christ and having the hope of eternal life. Why? Because we are not grieved about the rejection of Christ in our world.

IV. THE CURE FOR COMPLACENCY.

1. The first step is to understand the LOVE and MERCY of God.

•  He loved us enough to send Christ to die for us.
•  He delights to show mercy to the repentant.
• His love and mercy are eternal.

2. We must then contemplate the issues and values of eternity.

• We must realize that the soul lives forever.
• We must think about where we will spend eternity.
• We must begin to live for eternity rather than for now.
• We must then act, not just think; it is necessary to accept Christ, and dedicate our lives to Him.

3. We must hear and obey the commands of our Master.

• We must seek His will, His command for each of us.
• We must learn to recognize Him when He talks to and with us.
• We must then obey His directions.

Complacency- What Can We Learn from a Goose?

There was a group of wild geese from North India flying across the farm lands of Karnataka. But as the geese flew one of the birds saw some other geese in the ground near a pond. So he decided to fly down and thus separated from his group. The other geese on the pond soon accepted the newcomer and he became part of the flock. The problem was that the Karnataka geese was a different breed, they were heavy birds and could not fly.

He stayed for a week, then a month, and then it turned into the entire winter. The man who owned the goose used to feed them so well. The wild goose enjoyed the new lifestyle.

Finally spring was approaching and the wild geese were flying back north again. The wild goose in the pond looked up – he could hear the honks of geese flying by and he was stirred with a strange thrill to join his old colleagues in flight. He tried with all his strength but he could not get off the ground. He had become so soft and heavy that he could not rise to be with his old friends and family. So he dropped back to the pond again and said to himself, “Oh, why the hurry, my life is safe here and the food is good. Maybe the next spring I can go back with them” But every fall and every spring when he heard the wild geese honking overhead, his eyes would gleam for a moment and he would flap his wings. He did this for many years until one day he paid no attention to them. He was happy where he was.

The moral of the story is that if not careful overtime we can forget our high standards and be content with lower things.

Camp Sonrise Group

Camp Sonrise Campers and Counselors 2017

Sunday's Story

Do you remember this story from Sunday's sermon?

"One Sunday, as they drove home from church, little Susie turned to her mother and said, “Mommy, there’s something the preacher said this morning that I don’t understand.” “What’s that, honey?” “Well, he said that God is bigger than we are. He said that God’s so big that He could hold the whole world in his hand. Is that true?”

The mother replied, “Yes, honey, that’s true.” “But mommy, he also said that God comes to live inside us when we trust Jesus to be our Lord and Savior. Is that true, too?” The mother assured little Susie that what the pastor had said was true.

With a puzzled look on her face, Susie then asked, “If God is bigger than us, and He lives in us, wouldn’t He show through?”

Susie had it right, didn’t she? If God lives in you … He ought to show through … and the lost and dying world around us out to see Him in us. The only hope for America is Jesus 

Why Guests Return

The most common reason people check out your church is someone invited them.

The most common reason people leave your church is they don’t feel connected.

We might be wise to focus just a little less on why people don’t come, and invest more energy into why people do come. But what are the most common reasons people return to your church after their first visit or two?

1) The presence of God is felt.
There is an unmistakable awareness of the presence and power of God at work. It may be inspirational and filled with emotion, or a more quiet and peaceful stirring within, but however it’s experienced, the presence of God is felt.

2) The key leaders are perceived as trustworthy.
Guests come to your church at varying levels of “readiness” to trust the leaders they encounter. But it’s surprising how quickly they can discern if they trust you or not. Even from only a message or two, or brief connections in the lobby, they intuitively have decided if they can trust you. Your level of authenticity and clarity of communication make a huge difference in this process.

3) The worship service is positive, relevant, biblically sound and executed with heart and excellence.
You don’t have to compete with the other churches near you. The important thing is to be the very best that you can. For example, if the worship team isn’t strong, select less challenging music, and do it with excellence. If the preaching isn’t strong, make the message shorter. In all cases, keep practicing, so you get better. Make sure the service is positive, clearly biblical, upbeat and communicates faith in an atmosphere of grace.

4) The volunteers and congregation express authentic love and care.
Genuine love and attention is unmistakable and irresistible. When people encounter it, it’s truly transforming. The source is God’s love, but the expression and experience come from the people in your congregation, both from your volunteer leaders and regular attenders.

5) They hear current stories of life change.
Connected to brief and creative communication of your purpose or mission/vision are stories of life change every week. These stories need to be communicated in a variety of creative ways. That is hugely compelling and draws people back. Life change is inspiring, and it gives hope that they too can experience positive and spiritually oriented change.

6) There are no “glaring” shortcomings.

There are no perfect churches, we all have flaws. But there should be nothing that is an immediate turn-off, or so grossly out of line that it makes people feel awkward and uncomfortable. For example, I’ve seen nurseries that were unclean and unsafe. I’ve listened to worship sets that were painfully unrehearsed. Or it may be something as simple as the building is in desperate need of a fresh coat of paint or signage that is clear and helpful. If you are not sure, invite a church consultant to come in for one Sunday, that’s all it takes!

7) The children’s ministry is outstanding.
Each of your ministries matter, but children’s ministry is the one that receives the least grace from your guests. Parents are justifiably protective and want the best for their kids. They don’t yet know you or what happens when they drop off their children. Candidly, guests will give an “average” service another shot, but if their child has a bad experience, they will not likely return. Invest great effort and energy in your children’s ministry.

These are the elements that inspire guests to return. This gives you the opportunity to make the “deeper connections.”

Taylor and Ross - Wedding Celebration

Saturday is the day to come join with the church family to celebrate Ross and Taylor's recent wedding and bless them with gifts for their new home.

Men and women are welcome to come to the 'pounding' on Saturday from 5:00 - 7:00 PM.  We will enjoy a meal together and spend time sharing gifts and blessings with the happy couple.  If you need gift ideas, they are registered at Wal-Mart.  

Sermon Highlights

How Do We Make America Great Again?

Our forefathers claimed this nation for God. We need to re-claim it! Paul tells us how in 1 Timothy 2:1-4.

I. PRAY FOR AMERICA 

The GROUNDWORK for the freedom we enjoy, has been laid over the past 228 years. We enjoy our freedom today, because of what our founding fathers, our fathers, our brothers & sisters, our sons & daughters, have done to get and preserve this freedom.

If we are going to see good come from America, we … the church, the called of God, God’s people … need to PRAY for America and our leaders.

II. LIVE RIGHTEOUS LIVES 

If we want to change the way America is headed, we need to live our lives “in all godliness and honesty”. How do we do this? By living according to the standards set forth in God’s Word.

Sin has disgraced our nation. That’s something we can do something about. 1 Tim. 2:2 – “that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.”

III. SHARE CHRIST 

The unbelieving world is shouting out it’s message:  The sad truth is … the Christians in America are the majority … BUT … we are doing very little to speak out as a witness for the Lord. 

God expects us to use the freedom that our founding fathers made possible … to be a witness for Christ in this sinful world we live.

If God lives in you … He ought to show through … and the lost and dying world around us out to see Him in us. The only hope for America is Jesus 

When our nation, and Christians, cease to look to Jesus as Lord, we will cease to be blessed by God.

- Our forefathers claimed this nation for God … we need to re-claim it for God.

Only In America

Fun facts from our pastor's sermon Sunday:

Isn’t America a great place to live?  While it’s not a perfect place (like Heaven will be!), it’s a lot better than most other nations in the world today.

America is a crazy place. Here’s what somebody wrote … “Only In America”:

• Only in America can pizza get to your house faster than an ambulance.

• Only in America are there handicap parking places in front of a skating rink.

• Only in America do drug stores make the sick walk all the way in the back to get their prescriptions … while healthy people can buy suntan lotion up front.

• Only in America do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a DIET coke.

• Only in America do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway, and fill our garages with junk.

• Only in America do we use answering machines to screen calls, and have call waiting, so we won’t miss a call from someone we didn’t want to talk to in the first place.

• Only in America do we buy hotdogs in packages of 10, and buns in packages of 8.

• Only in America do we have Braille on drive up ATM machines.

I still believe that America is the greatest nation in the world. I feel blessed by God to have been born and raised in the good ‘ol U.S. of A.