Community News 10/31/17

Care Network 

Participate every Wednesday at BCC’s Care Network. Enjoy dinner by donation at 6:00 PM tomorrow from Lola's and at 6:30 PM we will serve the emotional, spiritual, and physical needs of those who find themselves in difficult situations. 

Beginning @ Brevard 

Join us on Thursday, November 2nd at 6:45 PM in the auditorium or on Sunday, November 5th following either morning service in the Brown House, which is the building next to the auditorium. B@B gives you a chance to get familiar with WHO we are, WHERE we’re headed, WHY it’s important, and HOW you can get in on it. It is the perfect place to begin a journey to MOVE into a more dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ. A light meal will be provided and kids are welcome to attend. Register online at http://brevardcommunity.org/#/events.

Operation Christmas Child 

The Samaritan’s Purse project, Operation Christmas Child, collects shoebox gifts—filled with fun toys, school supplies and hygiene items—and delivers them to children in need around the world to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way. Join us this year as we partner with Operation Christmas Child! Fill a box, and return it to BCC by Sunday, November 12. For more information, visit www.samaritanspurse.org/occ.

New Series - Jesus and We 

Seven billion people occupy this tiny slice of history. And it’s not by accident. God chose our generation to move them into a more dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ. That’s our mission. We have the opportunity to make a difference - but He doesn’t want us to do it alone. Find out how in Jesus and We. This series will begin this week!

Daylight Savings Time Ends 

Don’t forget to set your clocks back an hour before you go to bed on Saturday, November 4th. Come refreshed on Sunday morning to hear the new series - Jesus and We.

Community News 10/31/17

DAY 2 OF WEEK 3

James 1:13-15

Avoiding a Hardened Conscience

We are warned not to allow ourselves to become hardened, because if we look at the whole concept of hardening in its biblical perspective, we see that something happens to us through repeated sins. Our consciences become seared. The more we commit a particular sin, the less remorse we feel from it. Our hearts are recalcitrant through repeated disobedience.

When God hardens the heart, all He does is step away and stop striving with us. For example, the first time I commit a particular sin, my conscience bothers me. In His grace, God is convicting me of that evil. God is intruding into my life, trying to persuade me to stop this wickedness. If He wants to harden me, all He has to do is to stop rebuking me, stop nudging me, and just give me enough rope to hang myself.

We see in Scripture that when God hardens hearts, He does not force people to sin; rather, He gives them their freedom to exercise the evil of their own desires (James 1:13–15).

Coram deo: Living before the face of God

Pray this prayer with the psalmist David: "Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" 

(Ps. 139:23–24).

                                                                 
  Adapted From: You Version Discerning God’s Will

Community News 10/30/17

DAY 1 OF WEEK 3

Exodus 4:21; Psalms 95:8; Deuteronomy 15:7

Understanding Free Will

Martin Luther struggled greatly with the relationship of God's sovereignty to human free will and sin. In fact, one of the greatest books ever written on the subject, The Bondage of the Will, is from Luther's pen. When Luther grappled with this issue, he especially struggled with the Old Testament passages where we read that God hardened Pharaoh's heart (Ex. 4:21; 7:3–4, 13–14, 22–23; 8:15, 19, 30–32; 9:27–10:2; 10:16–20, 24–28).

When we read these passages, we tend to think, "Doesn't this suggest that God not only works through the desires and actions of humans, but that He actually forces evil upon people?" After all, the Bible does say that God hardened Pharaoh's heart.

When Luther discussed this, he observed that when the Bible says that God hardened the heart of Pharaoh, God did not create fresh evil in the heart of an innocent man. Luther said that God didn't harden people by putting evil in their hearts. All that God must do to harden anyone's heart is to withhold His own grace; that is, He gives a person over to himself.

Coram deo: Living before the face of God

Is your heart open to the needs of others? Is it responsive to spiritual things? Ask God to keep your heart soft and pliable to His divine will and purposes.

Community News 10/27/17

DAY 5 OF WEEK 2

Luke 19:1-10

Reflection Questions

·      How does Zacchaeus' response challenge me?

·      What is Jesus asking me to do with my money and possessions?

Adapted From: You Version 6 Days With Jesus: Money And Possessions

Community News 10/26/17

DAY 4 OF WEEK 2

Luke 12:32-34

Reflection Questions

·      How do money and possessions relate to the Kingdom?

·      Where is my true net worth revealed?

·      What does the location of my riches reveal about my heart?

·      What is my reaction to Jesus' comments about storing up treasures in heaven
  versus earth?

·      What would that look like in my life?

Adapted From: You Version 6 Days With Jesus: Money And Possessions