Skiff Lake HE IS RISEN. focus. Skiff Lake Bible Church EASTER EMPTY EVERYTHING. March 31-April 6, The tomb is... is changed!

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1 March 31-April 6, 2013 Skiff Lake focus BIBLICAL MISSIONAL EVANGELICAL EASTER The tomb is... EMPTY HE IS RISEN EVERYTHING is changed! Skiff Lake Bible Church PO Box S. Jackson Rd Clarklake, MI

2 Upcoming Events Bible Conference (April 13-14) This is the sixth in a series of columns on church membership In the column last week, I introduced the idea of church membership being a two-way covenant relationship. I want to explore this concept a bit more this week and suggest that church membership at least in some ways mimics the marital covenant. At the offset, let me acknowledge that this analogy can be taken too far. That being said, I think the analogy can be a useful one as long as we are willing to use it with caution. For most evangelicals, marriage is held in a high regard... at least it is in theory. Marriage is intended to be between one man and one woman (our current societal debates will tell you what evangelicals think on that issue), and death is supposed to be the only legitimate reason to end that covenant (to be fair, most evangelicals allow for some few exceptions such as infidelity though certainly the actions of evangelicals suggest far more exceptions). Most people... even the most wide-eyed youngsters... enter into the marriage covenant recognizing that problems will arise within the marriage. Spouses will not magically agree on everything no matter how great their courtship and no matter how deep their premarital counseling. The bride and groom enter into the relationship knowing that they will have to make compromises; they will have to endure petty arguments (that in the moment seem to be extremely important); they will have to be willing to work through issues some small, some big, some important. And, they will have to be willing to do this without simply leaving when the going gets tough. After all, the covenant is supposed to be broken only by death. In Calendar much the same way, the covenant relationship between a believer and the local church should be undertaken with the utmost sincerity. Certainly more than just death should be allowed to sever the church-member covenant, but the exceptions are not limitless. Nor should they be frivolous. If we entered into a church-member... church membership- -at least in some ways- -mimics the marital covenant. covenant with our eyes opened to the fact that no church will be perfect, that every church will need work, and that that work is part of God s plan to shape us into the image of His Risen Son (collectively... into the Body of Christ), perhaps the petty squabbles would be seen as a necessary part of people doing life together just as they are in a marriage. Perhaps, differences of opinion... even on important matters... would lead, first and foremost, to discussions between fellow Jesus-followers rather than anger or threats of final secession. Coffee and Concert (April 7:30pm) Monday, April 1--Men s Study Group (Mike Horton), 6:00pm Tuesday, April 2--No am prayer time this week. No Bible Study Methods Small Group Wednesday, April 3--No Youth Meeting at SLBC No Adult Services at SLBC LaFlammes, 7:00pm Sunday, April 7--Worship Service, 9:30am Sunday School, 11:00am Choir Practice, 4:00pm AWANA, 5:45 Evening Service, 6:00pm

3 Studying together to grow together in order to magnify God together We will take a break from our on-going study of the role of the church for this week. We ll return to that discussion in April. Using the timeline/chart that you made last week (of the events of Holy Week), note the events that were emphasized based on their timing. In other words, which events in the last week of Christ s life happened on significant days for the Jewish nation? Which events were the turning points for the week? Which ones would be remembered simply because of their timing (e.g., we often remember last words )? Also note which events were emphasized in the text (i.e., by repetition, inclusion in all four Gospels, or given an inordinate amount of space). What is surprising about the answers to the first questions? Were the events that you thought would be significant emphasized? For this week, we will be reading into Acts (1-4). After reading this passage, add the events into your timeline/chart Follow the same method as last week and answer the questions above for the Acts questions as well. Narrowing your focus only to the Luke-Acts account (NB: these were written by the same author as a continuing volume or a two-volume set), ask and answer the questions again. Which events does Luke highlight? Which ones are emphasized by the text itself? Which ones are emphasized by the timing? What does this emphasis mean for the disciples who were involved in the events?

4 From the Pastor continued Perhaps, if we treated our church membership like we treated our marital relationships... with divorce being no option... we would be able to weather the storms of regular church life. would suggest that no church can survive with anything less than this I type of church-member covenant. Without it, personal likes and dislikes become too important; compromise becomes a dirty word (just look to our political system to grasp that concept!); the other becomes devalued. With it, however, the church stands a chance of making necessary changes, of formulating and re-formulating a clear vision for the future, of even making mistakes without dreading the inevitable divorce. In short, this commitment to the future of the local congregation allows the church to grow spiritually, to mature, to change, and to be gracious. There are clear limits to this analogy, but the bottom line is that the churchmember covenant must be held in the highest regard. If not, any given local church is sure to end up in major quarrels... or worse, divided into any other local congregations.* Help Needed We have several transportation ministries that run on Sundays at Skiff Lake. Currently each of these ministries are in need of drivers. If you are willing to drive occasionally (once a month would be great!), please contact Gary Matthews, Rick LaFlamme, or Jonathan Arnold. Your service will be greatly appreciated! Opportunities to Serve Weekly Bible Reading Read Acts 1-4 Respite Care sign up in the welcome center Children s Ministry SLBC Transportation see the Matthews Questions for the Elders Submit a question to an elder or by sending an to: skiffl ake@skiffl akebible.org

5 Coming Attractions Bible Conference Dr. Mark Bailey will once again be our featured speaker for the Skiff Lake Bible Conference, but this year the conference has been moved to April. Dr. Bailey will be speaking from Acts on Engaging the Culture with the Message of Christ. Jane Martz, with Child Evangelism Fellowship, will provide our children s ministry for all sessions on Sunday. Conference Schedule: Saturday, April 13, :00am--Men s Breakfast w/dr. Mark Bailey 10:30am--Women s Brunch w/barby Bailey 5:30pm--Conference Session #1 7:30pm--Concert Sunday, April 14, :15am--Conference Session #2 11:00am--Conference Session #3 5:45pm--Conference Session #4 Skiff Lake Concert As a special part of the Bible Conference this year, we will be hosting a concert on Saturday night, April 13, The concert will feature our own Lindsay Arnold along with Kenny Robison and Mike Newton. The three will be leading our music services for the entire conference, and their concert will feature their original music along with covers of well known songs. Invite friends and family for this special, free event! Childcare is provided. Date: Saturday, April 13, 2013 Time: 7:30pm