Home Worship - 5/3/20

Sermon

This week's message can be accessed on our FB page here: https://www.facebook.com/Milford-First-Brethren-Church-106750154192984/
Or through our website here: https://www.milfordfirstbrethren.org/live.html (video will post by Sunday afternoon)

Study Guide Questions

After - or even as - you listen to the sermon, try digging deeper into the text by working through these questions:

1. Who are some examples, from the Bible and elsewhere, of people who blessed their persecutors (12:14)?
2. Who are some examples of people of "low position" whom you can reach out to (12:16)?
3. Why does Paul tell us not to get even in 12:19?
4. Why should we submit to our government (13:1-2)?
5. What example does he give of how we can do this (13:6-7)? What are other ways you can think of?

I'd highly recommend reading this post by Pastor Jordan Muck with summarizes well the biblical foundation for how we ought to interact with our governing powers.

I would also encourage you to become familiar with the life stories of Paul Schneider, Franz Jagerstatter, and Dietrich Bonhoffer. 

Highly recommended viewing - A Hidden Life which tells the story of Mr. Jagerstatter.

Worship Songs

Devotional Guide

Monday - Romans 12:14-13:7

Tuesday - Daniel 6

Wednesday - Acts 4

Thursday - Matthew 5:38-42

Friday - Matthew 17:24-27

Saturday - 1 Peter 2:11-25

Home Worship - 4/26/20

Here's this week's Worship Supplement to go along with our message in Romans 11.

Sermon

This week's message can be accessed on our FB page here: https://www.facebook.com/Milford-First-Brethren-Church-106750154192984/
Or through our website here: https://www.milfordfirstbrethren.org/live.html (video will post by Sunday afternoon)

Study Guide Questions

After - or even as - you listen to the sermon, try digging deeper into the text by working through these questions:

1. What three words are used to describe our sacrifice of ourselves to God in 12:1?
   
2. What might it look like to be transformed by the renewing of our minds? What things could we do to renew our minds?
   
3. What metaphor does Paul give to encourage us to think of ourselves with "sober judgment" - 12:4-5? How does that relate to our giftedness in 12:6-8?
   
4. What command ties 12:9-13 and 13:8-10 together?
   
5. Why is remaining dedicated to God so crucial according to 13:11-14?

Worship Songs

Devotional Guide

Monday - Romans 12:1-13

Tuesday - Romans 13:8-14

Wednesday - 1 Corinthians 12:1-13

Thursday 1 Corinthians 12:14-31

Friday - 1 Corinthians 13

Saturday - 1 Thessalonians 5

Home Worship - 4/19/20

Here's this week's Worship Supplement to go along with our message in Romans 11.

Sermon

This week's message can be accessed on our FB page here: https://www.facebook.com/Milford-First-Brethren-Church-106750154192984/
Or through our website here: https://www.milfordfirstbrethren.org/live.html (video will post by Sunday afternoon)

Study Guide Questions

After - or even as - you listen to the sermon, try digging deeper into the text by working through these questions:

1. What evidence does Paul give that God hasn't outright rejected Israel? 11:1-6
2. What is God's purpose in allowing Israel's rejection?  11:11
3. What does Paul hope to do as he preaches Jesus to the Gentiles? 11:13-14
4. How can we be sure God will draw Israel back to himself?  11:28-29
5. Given God's plan to redeem both Jew and Gentile, how should we respond?  11:33-36

Worship Songs

Weekly Devotional Guide

• Monday - 1 Kings 19
• Tuesday - Psalm 69
• Wednesday - Psalm 92
• Thursday - Isaiah 29:1-10
• Friday - Isaiah 29:11-14
• Saturday - John 15:1-17

If you wanted some good perspective from a Christian journalist and author, I'd encourage you to also read this article that I find to be a convicting yet fair assessment of our response as Christ-followers: https://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/are-we-christians-the-rich-young-ruler-covid-19/

Home Worship - Easter - 4/12/20

Happy Resurrection Sunday!

Here's this week's Worship Supplement to go along with our message in Acts 2:22-36.

Sermon

This week's message can be accessed on our FB page here: https://www.facebook.com/Milford-First-Brethren-Church-106750154192984/
Or through our website here: https://www.milfordfirstbrethren.org/live.html (video will post by Sunday afternoon)

Study Guide Questions

After - or even as - you listen to the sermon, try digging deeper into the text by working through these questions:

1. What "miracles, wonders, and signs" (2:22) come to mind when you think of Jesus' life?
2. What does it mean that "it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him" - 2:24?
3. Why does Peter say David wrote Psalm 16 as a prophesy about Jesus - 2:29-32?
4. What blessings are ours now that Christ has been exalted - 2:33-36?

Worship Songs

Weekly Devotional Guide

• Monday - Luke 24:36-53
• Tuesday - Acts 1:1-11
• Wednesday - Acts 1:12-26
• Thursday - Acts 2:1-13
• Friday - Acts 2:14-36
• Saturday - Acts 2:37-47

Home Worship - 4/5/20

Happy Palm Sunday! I'm not happy we cannot meet together yet, but hopefully our thoughts can begin to focus on the hope of the Holy Week and Easter.

Here's this Sunday's Worship Supplement to go along with our message in Romans 9:30-10:21.

Sermon

This week's message can be accessed on our FB page here: https://www.facebook.com/Milford-First-Brethren-Church-106750154192984/
Or through our website here: https://www.milfordfirstbrethren.org/live.html

Study Guide Questions

After - or even as - you listen to the sermon, try digging deeper into the text by working through these questions:

1. Who was the "stumbling stone" that tripped up Israel? Why did they trip up? What were they focused on instead? (9:30-33)
2. What is the reason Israel lost its way according to 10:3-4?
3. How can people find salvation according to Romans 10:9-10?
4. Who bears responsibility for Israel's rejection? (10:21)
5. What are some ways we as Christians can be obstinate and reject God's clear Word like Israel did (be specific)?

Worship Songs

It is well

Hosanna (Praise is Rising)

Mighty to Save

King of Kings

Daily Devotional Guide

Here are some related passages to our Romans 10 and this Easter Week to study in your daily devotional time.

• Monday - Deuteronomy 30:1-14
• Tuesday - Isaiah 28
• Wednesday - Mark 12
• Thursday- Mark 14
• Friday - Mark 15
• Saturday - Mark 16

Home Worship - 3/29/20

Greetings! We're trying something a little "extra" for this week's worship. Given we're all still following the "self-isolation" guidelines to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus, I thought we'd give you a supplement for doing church at home.

Sermon

This week's message can be accessed on our FB page here: https://www.facebook.com/Milford-First-Brethren-Church-106750154192984/?modal=admin_todo_tour
Or through our website here: https://www.milfordfirstbrethren.org/live.html

Study Guide Questions

After - or even as - you listen to the sermon, try digging deeper into the text by working through these questions:

1.     Paul, a Jew, calls himself an “apostle to the Gentiles” (Rom.1:5). What is his response to the Jewish people rejecting the Gospel – 9:1-3? 

2.     What are the spiritual privileges Israel had – 9:4-5? 

3.     What is the point Paul is making about the true children and descendants of Abraham – 9:6-9? 

4.     Who are the other Old Testament people Paul references in 9:10-18 and what is the truth about God he is teaching? 

5.     In 9:25-26, Paul quotes verses from Hosea that originally were about Israel. Who does he apply them to now here in Romans? 

6.     What does this chapter teach us about God’s larger plan of salvation?

Worship Songs

Had we gathered in person today, here's a sample of what the worship would have been like. Given our passage's focus on God's plan and promises, focus on these hymns that highlight the same sorts of themes.

Originally, our worship teams were planning to introduce a song to our congregation this week called "King of Kings" from Hillsong. We were going to use it as an offertory and then start teaching it to you over the next couple weeks. Ultimately the goal is to incorporate it into our worship service on Easter. It is an incredible worship song that reflects on the meta-story of the Bible that culminates in the beautiful events of Easter (and beyond).

Daily Devotional Reading

Paul traces Israel’s history through this chapter to show how God’s plan has been unfolding in unique and unexpected ways from the beginning. This week, let’s look at the Old Testament background passages to gain a fuller appreciation of Romans 9.

Monday – Abraham & Isaac, Genesis 21, 22:15-19

      Tuesday – Isaac/Rebekah and Jacob/Esau, Genesis 25:19-34

-       

Wednesday – Moses and Pharaoh, Exodus 9-10:20

Thursday – Moses and Pharaoh, Exodus 10:21-11, 12:29-36

Friday – the Potter and the Clay, Jeremiah 18

Saturday – the Prophets, Isaiah 10:12-34

Music Mondays: God or Girlfriend?

It was the summer of 2000 and I was spending a month as a counselor at Lancer Basketball camp, staying in the venerable Alpha dorm. I brought my portable boombox along with several other creature comforts to entertain myself during down times.

I can't remember if I'd purchased this CD at a store or through my "Power and Glory" Columbia Records membership (remember those?). But it had been recommended to me and decided to check out this new rock worship group Sonicflood. 

What I heard was worship in a rock style that was right up my alley. 

This band along with their debut album became one of the major forerunners of the modern worship movement, incorporating their own songs along with a number of covers. 

One song that I always liked but always gave me some pause was "I Want to Know You".  The song is fine enough yet it sure seems to venture into the "God or Girlfriend" zone. And upon re-listening to it, it seems like a blatant Hanson rip-off. 

The second verse helps save it, quoting Philippians 3. But it's vague and overly-repeated chorus does it no favors. Lots of songs like this tend to be pronoun-heavy - where everyone is supposed to assume we're talking about God or Jesus. The best ones give a little more clarity. The other issue, if you'll allow me a theological rabbit trail,  "touching" and "seeing" the Lord are probably just other ways to describe wanting to "know" him more, but there are a bunch of examples in Scripture where those would not be desirable things to experience in His presence. Jesus solves many of those kinds of problems of course. The song seems to portray entering God's presence as a frivolous thing - which I don't think it means to (again Phil. 3) but is still a little annoying to my theologically-inclined brain.

Ultimately, this seems like a song of it's time. I'm not sure it has had the staying power of other songs of that era. So my conclusion is that this certainly flirts with this problem even if it isn't the worst of examples.