“Ruth: Grace In Trusting”- Ruth {Personal/Life Group Discussion}

Were you able to join us this last Sunday for the sermon series on Ruth ?

Pastor Rich recorded a brief video summary of the sermon, thanks Rich for taking the time to do this for all of us!

If you were unable to attend service, or would like to hear it again, you can listen to the podcast online at: Ruth: Grace In Trusting and you can even follow along with the Sermon Notes and print them to jot your own note down on.

Below are the Life Group/Discussion notes and questions from last week’s message.

PERSONAL/LIFE GROUP DISCUSSION

OPENING THOUGHT: Where is an interesting place you’ve been to on a date?

A THOUGHT FROM PASTOR RICH – Ruth 3; Deut 25:5-10
Naomi knew God’s Word and acted upon it. She was left without a husband or a son to carry on the family name. She know God was concerned about her future generations. Naomi knew Boaz was a close relative who could redeem their family and their property, Dt 25:5-10. In the midst of her trials, Naomi obeyed God’s Word. How do I respond to God’s Word? Do I read the Bible? Rev 1:3. Do I obey the Bible? Jas 1:22-25. Do I
meditate on God’s Word? Ps 1:2. Do I love God’s Word? Ps 119:165, “Great peace have those who love Your law and nothing shall offend them.” In His Word, God has given me everything I need to know to live life well. What are you doing with the Bible? Are you in the Bible? Is the Bible in you?

READ – What do these passages say?

REFLECT – What do these passages mean?

RESPOND – How is God changing me through these passages today?

Rich Sherman
Through the Bible #32
04.29.12

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2012
05/02
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“Ruth: Grace In Training”- Ruth {Personal/Life Group Discussion}

Were you able to join us this last Sunday for the sermon series on Ruth ?

Pastor Rich recorded a brief video summary of the sermon, thanks Rich for taking the time to do this for all of us!

If you were unable to attend service, or would like to hear it again, you can listen to the podcast online at: Ruth: Grace In Training and you can even follow along with the Sermon Notes and print them to jot your own note down on.

Below are the Life Group/Discussion notes and questions from last week’s message.

PERSONAL/LIFE GROUP DISCUSSION

OPENING THOUGHT: Share a time when God used an ordinary incident in your life to accomplish His will for you even though you were totally unaware of what God was doing at the time.

A THOUGHT FROM PASTOR RICH – Ruth 2 In Ruth 2 we see how God purposefully works through all circumstances to accomplish His purposes. Naomi and Ruth, her daughter-in-law, are both widows who had no job or money. God established gleaning in the fields as a means of meeting the needs of the poor, orphans, widows and foreigners, Lev 19:9-10; 23:22; Dt 24:19-22. Without her knowledge, Ruth began gleaning in Boaz’ field. God providentially led her to Boaz. Neither of them had a clue of what God was about to do through their lives together. When I walk with God, He often uses the ordinary incidents of life, that seem to be insignificant, to accomplish His great purposes for my good and His glory, Rom 8:28.

READ – What do these passages say?

REFLECT – What do these passages mean?

RESPOND – How is God changing me through these passages today?

Rich Sherman
Through the Bible #31
04.22.12

 

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2012
04/26
CATEGORY
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“The Redeemer {Personal/Life Group Discussion}

I hope you a had a wonderful Easter weekend!  Pastor Rich shared them message of our Redeemer Jesus Christ during Sunday’s sermon.  There were lots of great questions that were texted in during the service that Rich was able to answer at the end of his sermon.  There were till some additional questions that he was not able to get to in the time allowed.  So he has taken some time and put together a 2 part video to summarize Sunday’s sermon as well as answer those questions that were sent in.  And don’t forget to join us this Sunday for the sermon series on Ruth: The Romance Of Redemption.

Thanks again Pastor Rich for taking the time to put together these videos for all of us!

If you were unable to attend service, or would like to hear it again, you can listen to the podcast online at: The Redeemer and you can even follow along with the Sermon Notes and print them to jot your own note down on.

Below are the Life Group/Discussion notes and questions from last week’s message.

PERSONAL/LIFE GROUP DISCUSSION

OPENING THOUGHT: How does your family celebrate Christ’s resurrection?

A THOUGHT FROM PASTOR RICH – Romans 6:1-14; 1 Corinthians 15:1-58 The resurrection of Christ is a cardinal doctrine of Christianity. If Christ is still dead, then He is a sinner just like me, He cannot be my Savior, my sins are unforgiven and I am condemned for all eternity. The resurrection proves that Christ conquered physical death. In overcoming death, Christ also conquered sin which causes death, Rom 6:23. The good news is Christ died for my sins and rose again for my righteousness, 1 Cor 15:1-4. By trusting Christ as my Savior, my sins are completely forgiven and I will spend eternity with Christ – the sin-bearer and the death conqueror. Christ’s resurrection is not just a past event, it empowers me in the present. Because of Christ’s resurrection, I can conquer sin today, Rom 6:11-14; Gal 2:20.

READ – What do these passages say?

REFLECT – What do these passages mean?

RESPOND – How is God changing me through these passages today?

Rich Sherman
Easter
04.08.12

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2012
04/12
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Jenkins March 2012 Update

We’ve received an update from Brad & Laurel Jenkins, two members of our Sunrise family, who are missionaries serving with Josiah Venture in Slovenia:

Friends and Family,

The third sentence to you from my update in February said this: “In the midst of a dark and cold (spiritually and physically) February we are seeking to shine a powerful display of God’s light into the lives of a bunch of high schoolers here in Slovenia.”  Life was difficult for many of us in Feb, but our hope was to see Jesus glorified and known by more people here.  Guess what?  It happened…God let his light shine in the darkest month of the year and more people know him now.  From people we know amongst our JV team, there were six new believers in Feb and early March.  Incredible, six newbies and there has been a lot of movement in the lives of other students that we work with.  So, more are on their way.  The ground is breaking…

It’s March now, the sun is shining, the pollen is floating around, I am sneezing, my eyes are watering and we are plugging away at the work the Lord has for us this month.

“Youth Group,” learning through failure…
It’s always great to have nice, feel good stories of amazing things happening in missionary updates (see above).  It’s easy to focus on those highlights and leave out the parts where we feel like we are failing, or limping along.  Here’s to being honest…we are beginning to realize that “youth group” as we know it is not producing the fruit we had hoped.  As a JV team we are doing qualitative research into how and why groups “work” here in SLO and it’s blatantly clear that our group is not touching on the core nerves of Slovene culture.  Of the 5 or 6 themes that run consistent into thriving groups, our group touches ONE of those and that is not enough to motivate kids to be involved on a consistent basis.  We are all connected to quite a few kids…we all like each other, have good positive encounters with each other, everybody shows up to a birthday party, but we are gaining very little traction on our weekly gatherings.  So, things must change, and I wish I had a nice ending to this paragraph that explains what that change will look like.  I don’t.  We do have ideas and things we are praying about, but we aren’t sure how and when those ideas can develop into something that can reach many kids, not just a few.  Not to discount or discredit the few lives that God is influencing…those lives are of the utmost significance.  I guess we are noticing that God is growing our discontent with how things are and beginning to move us into something different.  So, this story that we are all in (you all as well) is to be continued…please be praying with us.
America Trip
We (Laurel, Nina and I) will be taking a group of 5 girls on a trip to America to tour the east coast for two weeks in late July and early August.  The details and plan of the trip are still coming together, but we are very excited to get this much time with these girls (especially Laurel and Nina :) This trip will be very significant for all of us.  We are praying for significant conversations as we drive, stand in line, tour cities etc.  We’ll keep you posted!

SMALL groups
One area our Maribor team is seeing lots of fruit is in our small groups.  Laurel is going through the basics of the

faith with two Christian girls, I’m reading the Bible with two non Christian guys, Nina is meeting with two growing Christian girls, Andrej is meeting with a couple from our church. This is one area we are confident is gaining traction and that God will continue to use to grow these students.
JV 2X3 Campaign
For the last three years our Josiah Venture organization has been on the 2X3 Campaign, seeking to see double our kingdom fruit in three years. Well, the three years are over and God has done some amazing things.  Here are a couple links to see our recap and a story of Matt Mormance from Slovenia.  You can also stay tuned in with our mission as a whole via our Facebook page.  You can click on the pictures to go to the video.

Thanks for begin on team with us through all of this.  I’ve been reminded this week how we are all doing this together, praying together and giving together to see a movement of God among the youth of Maribor, Slovenia.  Thanks

Brad, Laurel, Landon and Jackson
www.bradlaurel.com (I didn’t say anything about our family, but the blog is a good spot to see what’s going on in the Jenkins family)

 

Would you like to receive updates from Brad & Laurel delivered directly to your inbox?  You can sign up for their email newsletter HERE

2012
04/05
CATEGORY
Missionary Update
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“Samson: Exploits & Enigma”- Judges {Personal/Life Group Discussion}

Were you able to join us this last Sunday for the sermon series on Judges ?

Pastor Rich recorded a brief video summary of the sermon, thanks Rich for taking the time to do this for all of us!

If you were unable to attend service, or would like to hear it again, you can listen to the podcast online at: Samson: Exploits & Enigma and you can even follow along with the Sermon Notes and print them to jot your own note down on.

Below are the Life Group/Discussion notes and questions from last week’s message.

PERSONAL/LIFE GROUP DISCUSSION

OPENING THOUGHT: Why do I struggle with temptation in this life?

A THOUGHT FROM PASTOR RICH – Judges 13-16; Romans 7:14-25 Like Samson, at times my life is an enigma. Although I am forgiven all my sins in relation to eternity; I struggle with sin in time. Why? In this life, I still have a sin nature within me. Therefore, at times, just like Paul, I have a battle raging within – Rom 7:14-24. How can I win the battle over sin? I CAN’T! CHRIST DID! – Rom 8:1-4. Just as I accepted Christ for
the forgiveness of sin at salvation, I must now appropriate Christ for freedom from sin in my daily life. Christ saves me from my sin in the present – Mt 1:21. As I count myself dead to sin and alive to God through Christ, Christ will give me victory over sin – Rom 6:11-14; 7:24-8:4.

READ – What do these passages say?

REFLECT – What do these passages mean?

RESPOND – How is God changing me through these passages today?

Rich Sherman
Through the Bible #29
04.01.12

 

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2012
04/04
CATEGORY
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“Gideon’s Life- Warts & All”- Judges {Personal/Life Group Discussion}

Were you able to join us this last Sunday for the sermon series on Judges ?

Pastor Rich recorded a brief video summary of the sermon, thanks Rich for taking the time to do this for all of us!

If you were unable to attend service, or would like to hear it again, you can listen to the podcast online at: Gideon’s Life- Warts & All and you can even follow along with the Sermon Notes and print them to jot your own note down on.

Below are the Life Group/Discussion notes and questions from last week’s message.

PERSONAL/LIFE GROUP DISCUSSION

OPENING THOUGHT: Why is it so hard to trust God and God’s ways?

A THOUGHT FROM PASTOR RICH – Proverbs 3:5-6; 14:12; Isaiah 55:6-11; John 14:6 The word “way” means path or road. Everybody is on a path. Are you on the path of life or the path of death? God’s way brings life; man’s way brings death, Pr 14:12. The way of God and the way of man are mutually exclusive. The Lord says, “your ways are not my ways,” Isaiah 55:9. Jesus is the way – Jn 14:6. The way is a Person. When you walk with Christ, you are on “the way.” The early Christians became known as followers of “the way,” Acts 9:2. Psalm 1 is the Psalm of the two ways: the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked. Are you walking God’s way or your way?

READ – What do these passages say?

REFLECT – What do these passages mean?

RESPOND – How is God changing me through these passages today?

Rich Sherman
Through the Bible #28
03.25.12

 

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2012
03/30
CATEGORY
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“I Didn’t Ask God”- Joshua {Personal/Life Group Discussion}

Were you able to join us this last Sunday for the sermon series on Joshua ?

Pastor Rich recorded a brief video summary of the sermon, thanks Rich for taking the time to do this for all of us!

If you were unable to attend service, or would like to hear it again, you can listen to the podcast online at: I Didn’t Ask God and you can even follow along with the Sermon Notes and print them to jot your own note down on.

Below are the Life Group/Discussion notes and questions from last week’s message.

PERSONAL/LIFE GROUP DISCUSSION

OPENING THOUGHT: What happens when you don’t follow God’s counsel?

A THOUGHT FROM PASTOR RICH – Joshua 9:14-27; James 1:5-8; 4:13-15 God has revealed His word and His will to us in the Bible. God wants us to know Him, love Him and obey Him – Jn 14:15, 21, 23; 17:3. In Joshua 9, the Israelites failed because they did not seek God’s counsel, His will. They made their own decisions based on their own wisdom. This resulted in many problems. Do you seek God’s will? God’s wisdom? Do you want to know God’s will to consider it or to do it? God always gives His
best to those who leave the choice with Him. His best will be your portion as you seek Him and His wisdom.

READ – What do these passages say?

REFLECT – What do these passages mean?

RESPOND – How is God changing me through these passages today?

Rich Sherman
Through the Bible #26
03.11.12

Join us this Sunday March 18th for the beginning of Pastor Rich’s sermon series on Judges. Service times are 9:00am (blended service) and 10:45am (contemporary service).

 

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2012
03/15
CATEGORY
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“I Am God’s Workmanship”- Transformed Inside and Out {Personal/Life Group Discussion}

Were you able to join us this last Sunday? It’s an exciting time here at Sunrise Community Church, while the church restoration project is not fully complete yet, our foyer area is now ready for use and the new elevator is complete (YEA!!! No longer do those in wheelchairs need to be wheeled uphill outside just to reach our second story classrooms in the worship center!!)  It’s been quite a journey, and there is still more to come.  On Sunday Pastor Rich reflected on the journey the church body as been through, both with the campus and also hopefully in the hearts and lives of our members.

If you were unable to attend service, or would like to hear it again, you can listen to the podcast online at: I Am God’s Workmanship and you can even follow along with the Sermon Notes and print them to jot your own note down on.

Below are the Life Group/Discussion notes and questions from last week’s message.

PERSONAL/LIFE GROUP DISCUSSION

OPENING THOUGHT: Is the work of God I’m doing destroying the work of God in me?
Or
Is the work of God I’m doing reflecting the Father through me?

A THOUGHT FROM PASTOR RICH – Mt 5:16; Eph 2:8-10; Phil 1:6, 12 God saved me on purpose and for a purpose. He is in the process of transforming me into the image of Christ, Rom 8:28-39. God chose me in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless, Eph 1:3-5. His work in me, produces His works through me. As I yield to the Holy Spirit, He produces the Fruit of the Spirit in me, Gal 5:16-25, which naturally produces the works of God through my life. As a result, my life reflects Christ and glorifies the Father. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven, Matt 5:16.

READ – What do these passages say?

REFLECT – What do these passages mean?
RESPOND – How is God changing me through these passages today?

Rich Sherman
Transformation
02.26.12

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2012
02/29
CATEGORY
Restoring Our Church
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“Victory Only Through Christ”- Joshua {Personal/Life Group Discussion}

Were you able to join us this last Sunday for the new sermon series on Joshua ?

Pastor Rich recorded a brief video summary of the sermon, thanks Rich for taking the time to do this for all of us!


If you were unable to attend service, or would like to hear it again, you can listen to the podcast online at: Victory Only Through Christ and you can even follow along with the Sermon Notes and print them to jot your own note down on.

Below are the Life Group/Discussion notes and questions from last week’s message.

PERSONAL/LIFE GROUP DISCUSSION

OPENING THOUGHT: Describe a time when you had a God-sighting in your life.

A THOUGHT FROM PASTOR RICH – Josh 5-6; 1 Sam 17:47; Rom 7:14-8:4; 1 Cor 15:57 The Bible is a story about the real Holy War – God’s Jihad. Our God is a warrior and the battle is the Lord’s – Dt 3:22; 1 Sam 17:47. God’s Holy War is being worked out through history from Genesis 3:15 (enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of Satan) through Revelation 20:7-20 (when Satan and all unbelievers are thrown into the Lake of Fire). All believers are in a holy war. There is a battle in our hearts and for our souls. Satan and sin may win individual battles, but Christ will win the war. Read the end of the book – Revelation 20, 21, 22. Christ Wins! Christ must reign until He has put all enemies under His feet. 1 Corinthians 15:25. I must realize that I only win through Christ, by Christ and in Christ. Only one question needs to be asked for victory – Am I trusting Christ alone?”

READ – What do these passages say?

REFLECT – What do these passages mean?

RESPOND – How is God changing me through these passages today?

Rich Sherman
Epic Story, Epic Author #25
02.19.12

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2012
02/23
CATEGORY
SCC
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“How To Cross The Jordan At Flood Stage”- Joshua {Personal/Life Group Discussion}

Were you able to join us this last Sunday for the new sermon series on Joshua ?

Pastor Rich recorded a brief video summary of the sermon, thanks Rich for taking the time to do this for all of us!

If you were unable to attend service, or would like to hear it again, you can listen to the podcast online at: How To Cross the Jordan at Flood Stage and you can even follow along with the Sermon Notes.

Below are the Life Group/Discussion notes and questions from last week’s message.

PERSONAL/LIFE GROUP DISCUSSION

OPENING THOUGHT: Share a God-sighting in your life.

A THOUGHT FROM PASTOR RICH– Josh 3:4; Ps 1; Pr 16:25; Mt 4:19-22; 7:13-14; 16:24-27 Everybody is walking through life. Which way are you taking? Quite simply there are only two roads and two destinations. Psalm 1 describes these two ways and concludes: For the Lord watches over THE WAY OF THE RIGHTEOUS, but THE WAY OF THE WICKED LEADS TO DESTRUCTION. Ps 1:6. Are you following man’s way – your way? There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death. Pr 16:25. Are you following God’s way – Christ’s way? Jesus says, “I AM THE WAY…” Jn 14:6; “FOLLOW ME…”and immediately they followed Him. Mt 4:19-20. Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny himself and TAKE UP HIS CROSS AND FOLLOW ME.” Mt 16:24. Are you on the broad road that leads to destruction or the narrow road that leads to life Mt 7:13?

READ – What do these passages say?

REFLECT – What do these passages mean?

RESPOND – How is God changing me through these passages today?

Rich Sherman
Epic Story, Epic Author #24
02.12.12

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2012
02/14
CATEGORY
SCC
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