Welcome to Our Services

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Welcome to Our Services!
Scheduled meeting times Sunday 930
am Bible Class 1030 am
Worship
600 pm Worship Wednesday
700 pm Bible Class

• Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by
  prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let
  your requests be known to God and the peace of
  God, which surpasses all understanding, will
  guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus
• Philippians 46-7

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The Empathetic Christian

• Rejoice with those who rejoice,
  and weep with those who weep
  Romans 1215
• We are called to display the virtue of empathy
  towards one another (verse 10).
• The Christian who has brotherly love is
  empathetic!

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The Empathetic Christian

• Defining Empathy
• Empathy is understanding and entering into
  anothers feelings, situation or condition
  (intellectual or imaginative).
  Note Empathy is very closely related to
  sympathy, but with deeper emotional involvement.
• Empathy In the Church
• And if one member suffers, all the members
  suffer with it or if one member is honored, all
  the members rejoice with it
  1 Corinthians 1226

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The Empathetic Christian

• Romans 124-5
• Members of the same body will be empathetic
  towards one another in good times of rejoicing
  and not so pleasant times of trials where
  weeping and heart-ache is evident. Ecc.34
• Demonstrating Empathy
• Rejoicing with those who rejoice. Lk.157-58
  Acts 244-47They had all things in common,
  were enjoying and rejoicing in spiritual
  fellowship, and shared their physical substance
  with each other.

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The Empathetic Christian

• Thayer defines Gladness in Acts 246 as
  Extreme Joy
• This is a good example of brethren sharing in one
  anothers needs and happiness without the ugly
  sin of envy or jealousy!
• Another command to rejoicePhil.44
• Things we can rejoice about
• When one becomes a Christian
• When a Christian places membership
• When one overcomes temptation
• When a Christian sets up a Bible study

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The Empathetic Christian

• Things we can rejoice about
• When brethren are reconciled with one another.
• When one who is sick physically becomes well, or
  a relative recovers from their sickness
• When a brother or sister in Christ gets married..
• When a married couple has a baby
• When a student graduates
• When someone gets a job or promotion
  etc, etc.

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The Empathetic Christian

• Demonstrating Empathy
• Weeping with those who weep.
• John 1132-36Jesus is our greatest example of
  weeping with those who wept!
• If we truly have brotherly love, we will weep
  with those who weep, like the widows who wept
  together because of the death of the faithful
  sister in Christ, Dorcus Acts 936-39
• The quality of empathy certainly prepares one to
  be of greater service to those around them, thus
  pleasing the Lord.

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The Empathetic Christian

• Developing Empathy
• Be transformed by developing
  the mind of ChristPhil.21-5
• As one develops the mind of Christ, there will
  be no envy or jealousy to prevent true empathy!
• A congregation of Gods people that grows
  spiritually will be displaying empathy toward one
  another from the heart, it is not play- acting!

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The Empathetic Christian

• It is Gods good, acceptable and perfect will
  that Christians be a people
• Who are glad when others rejoice.
• Who are moved with compassion
  when others weep.
• Let us all develop the mind of Christ!
• To be transformed by the renewing of our minds.
• To increase in our usefulness to the Master.
• To enhance the fellowship we have in the Lord.
• So we can be empathetic Christians!

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The Empathetic Christian

• Blest Be The Tie That Binds
• Vs.1 Blest be the tie that binds Our hearts in
  Christian love The fellowship of kindred minds
  Is like to that above.
• Christian love is the bond of perfection
  which keeps us in unity and fellowship with one
  another and Christ, because our minds are like
  that which is above, the mind of Christ.
  Col.314 Phil.21-5 1 Cor.216

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The Empathetic Christian

• Blest Be The Tie That Binds
• Vs.2 Before our Fathers throne, We pour our
  ardent prayers Our fears, our hopes, our aims
  are one, Our comforts and our cares.
• When we pour out our ardent prayers before God,
  the peace of God, which surpasses all
  understanding, will guard our hearts and minds
  through Christ Jesus (Phil.46-7). Our fears,
  our hopes, our aims are in unity through Christ
  and we will receive comfort from above. 2
  Cor.13-7

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The Empathetic Christian

• Blest Be The Tie That Binds
• Vs.3 We share our mutual woes Our mutual
  burdens bear And often for each other flows The
  sympathizing tear.
• The Empathetic Christian shares in one
  anothers mutual pains and burdens with flowing
  tears of sympathy! Even at times of departing
  from one another2 Tim.13-4

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The Empathetic Christian

• Blest Be The Tie That Binds
• V.4 When we asunder part, It gives us inward
  pain But we shall still be joined in heart, And
  hope to meet again.
• The Empathetic Christian understands the
  inward pain of being separated from a brother
  or sister in Christ because of the tie that
  binds (Christian Love).

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The Empathetic Christian

• When we are joined in heart, or have spiritual
  fellowship, it is because we mutually love God
  and faithfully serve Him (or walk in the light,
  1 Jn.15-7).
• Thus, we shall always have that hope to meet
  again for all eternity in heaven. 1
  Thess.414-17
• The Empathetic Christian will comfort one
  another with these words. 1 Thess.418

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Gods Plan For Saving Man

• Hear the Gospel Rom.1017 Acts 226-27 Lk.646
• Believe the Gospel Mk.1616 Jn.316, 36
  2030-31
• Repent of Sins Lk.133 Acts 238 1730 2
  Pet.39
• Confess Your Faith Matt.1032 Acts 837
  Rom.109
• Be Baptized Into Christ Rom.63-4 Acts 238
  2216 Gal.326-29 1 Pet.321 Col.211-13
  Mk.1616
• Live Faithfully Serving God Rev.210
  Rom.116-17 611ff Heb.1035-39 116 1
  Thess.13 James 214-26