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As we have been studying in the sermon series on the Person and Work of the Holy spirit, my prayer is that as you read through these lines and the Scripture verses themselves, the Holy Spirit will personally reveal Himself to you as your Helper, Comforter, Counselor, Advocate, Intercessor, Teacher, and Guide.

A few days before Jesus was crucified, He had a long conversation with His disciples detailed in John 14-16. He encouraged them with the news that although he was about to physically leave them, He was not going to leave them all alone. Instead, He promised to send the Holy Spirit to be with them permanently as their Helper.

In John 15:26 and John 16:7 Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to His disciples. In these verses, the Holy Spirit is referred to as the Comforter, Advocate, Helper or Counselor (teacher and guide) depending on the Bible translation you are reading.

The Greek word used here in reference to the Holy Spirit is “Parakletos,” which means “one who is called to one’s side, especially to help.” It also means “an intercessor, an assistant or one who pleads the cause of another before a judge.”

Therefore, the role of the Holy Spirit is all-encompassing. He is our Comforter, Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener. What a joy and relief to know that we do not have to labor through life alone because God is always with us, keeping His promise to “never leave us or forsake us,” and our victory is secure in Him!

Jesus told his disciples in John 16:7 that he will send the Holy Spirit to them, which implies that the Holy Spirit will be in close fellowship with them. As believers, we are to partner with the Holy Spirit in our everyday lives (2 Corinthians 13:14). It is in the context of this fellowship/partnership with us that the Holy Spirit fulfills His role.

The Holy Spirit convinces us of sin and helps us mature spiritually. Jesus explained the role of the Holy Spirit to His disciples in John16:8. He works in the world to convince and convict unbelievers of sin, drawing them to Christ and helping them realize how desperately they need a Savior. His work continues after salvation as He constantly works in the lives of believers to help us grow up and mature spiritually (Galatians 5:22-23).

The Holy Spirit helps us by testifying about Jesus: He will always point us to Jesus. By His work in us, we are convinced that Jesus is who He says He is (John 15:26). This assurance by the Holy Spirit gives us the boldness to testify about Jesus. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth. Therefore, His revelation from the Father to us will always be rooted and grounded in the Word and bring HONOR and GLORY to Jesus in our lives (John 16:13-15).

The Holy Spirit is our teacher: He will help us tremendously as our teacher if we allow Him to fulfill this role in our lives. In John 14:26, speaking to His disciples, Jesus said that the Holy Spirit will teach them all things and will bring to their remembrance all that He had spoken to them. Paul made it clear in 1 Corinthians 2:13 that God’s Word cannot be taught by human wisdom. Instead the Holy Spirit interprets spiritual truths to those who are spiritual (believers).

PHYSICAL ADDRESS 13 Hermit Thrush Drive Buxton, Maine 04093

(207) 929-3535

MAILING ADDRESS P.O. Box 424

Bar Mills, Maine 04004 www.barmillscommunitychurch.org

Having this understanding in mind, whenever we are about to study God’s Word, we should make it a habit to ask the Holy Spirit to teach us and fill us with spiritual wisdom and understanding of the Word. In addition, let us remember to ask Him to bring these spiritual truths to our remembrance in situations where we need to apply them.

The Holy Spirit can help by giving us specific instructions: He can also reveal events to us that will serve God’s Kingdom agenda in our lives. It is imperative that we cultivate the habit of paying attention to Him all the time. Always inquiring what He will have us do in all situations (Acts 13:2; Acts 16:6-8; Acts 20:22-23).

The Holy Spirit is our Intercessor: He helps us in prayer. In Romans 8:26-27, we understand that when we do not know what to pray and how we ought to pray, He comes to our aid by interceding before God on our behalf according to God’s will for our lives.

The Holy Spirit is our Strengthener: He helps us by providing us with spiritual strength on a daily basis, if we would just ask Him. In Ephesians 3:16, Paul prayed for believers in the Church to be strengthened with might (power) by the Holy Spirit in their inner man. The power to grow up in Christ, live for Him daily and to do the work assigned to us by Him cannot come from any other source. It must come from God through His Holy Spirit. (Meditate on Philippians 2:13, John 14:16 and Acts 1:8.)

Jesus told his disciples; “It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you.” (John 16:7). The disciples had the daunting task of walking in the footsteps of Jesus and continuing his ministry here on earth. Yet, Jesus assured them that the Holy Spirit was enough for them and instructed them to wait in Jerusalem till His power fell on them in the upper room.

The initial work of the Holy Spirit is to lead us into repentance resulting in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Once saved, He dwells permanently in us enabling us to experience fellowship (joint partnership) with Him as we place our trust in Jesus as our Lord. By the power of the Holy Spirit at work in us, we begin to grow spiritually, increasingly bearing fruits of righteousness (Galatians 5:22-23) and doing the work of God’s Kingdom.

Just like Jesus’ disciples could not do without the help of the Holy Spirit, we will not succeed in pleasing God unless we allow Him to help us on a daily basis, engaging Him as our Counselor, Advocate, Intercessor, Teacher, Guide and Strength through Christ.

Blessings,

Pastor Chuck

sermons4kids.com

Theme:

Love one another -- even your enemies.

Scripture:

"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." Matthew 5:43-44

What do you think of when you see a heart? (Hold up the heart.) Most of us would probably say that when we see a heart, we think of love. Who do you love? Do you love your parents? Do you love your brother or sister? How about your best friend? Do you love your teacher? It is easy to love these people, because they love us too.

Are there any boys or girls that are mean to you at recess? Has anyone ever said something about you that was not true? Do you love those boys and girls? Should we really be expected to love people who are mean to us, treat us badly, and say ugly things about us? Well, let's listen to what Jesus told us to do.

One day Jesus was teaching out on a hillside. We call his lesson that day "The Sermon on the Mount." In his sermon, Jesus said some things that really surprised his listeners. "You have heard that you should love your neighbors and hate your enemies," Jesus said. "But I say, love your enemies -- and if someone does mean and hateful things to you, pray for them."

Why should we love our enemies? Jesus said that when we love our enemies, we are acting like children of God. If we only love those who love us, will God reward us for that? If we are only kind to our friends, what is so great about that? Everybody does that!

It isn't always easy to love your enemies, but there are some good reasons for doing it.

• It demonstrates the love of God to others.

• It sets a good example for others to follow.

• It turns enemies into friends.

Pray:

Father, it is easy to love those who love us. Help us to love our enemies so that they might know that we are your children. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

GOD LOVES us EVEN WHEN

we are unworthy

LOVE people EVEN WHEN you feel they don’t

deserve it

In 1975 Preble Street was founded as a neighborhood center to involve and empower homeless and low-income residents. As homelessness became an urban issue, Preble Street was the first agency in Maine to recognize that homeless people needed a place to stay during the day and has operated a day shelter since 1981, providing free meals and access to clothing, phones, bathrooms, mail, and linkage to community resources for housing, healthcare, mental health treatment, employment, etc.

As ideas for a more unified community resource center emerged, Preble Street launched a unique collaborative partnership of private and public agencies working together to meet the immediate and long-term needs of the homeless and low-income residents of Greater Portland, consolidating three soup kitchens, a food pantry, the City of Portland Homeless Healthcare Clinic, a day shelter, social services, a housing location program, and a homelessness prevention program.

This model was replicated in 1996 at the Teen Center and expanded to include overnight shelters for homeless youth and women in 2004 and 2007, respectively. The first permanent low-barrier supportive housing for chronically homeless adults in Maine, Logan Place, was opened in 2005, as well as casework support for previously homeless families in community–based housing.

Today, Preble Street has become the hub of programs for the most vulnerable and underserved residents of Portland.

Sock It to Homelessness

According to the Preble Street Resource Center socks are one of the most needed items that the homeless ask for during the winter months. If each person brings in just one pair of socks each Sunday during the month of February imagine how many people would be able to help. The socks need to be new and they can be either for men or women. There will be a barrel in the lobby to put the donated socks in. Let’s fill the barrel to the rim.

10 years-ago when we were at the Old Baptist Church we collected a mile of socks that we laid along the road from the church to the Salmon Falls bridge. It was quite a sight to see and we got a lot of publicity.

Let’s urge family and friends to join in our efforts to help the homeless.

Your Missions Committee: Wanda Rounds, Judy Sjulander, Gloria Stevens

Preble Street Resource Center, 38 Preble Street Portland, Maine 04101

February Mission

Bible Study: Love Your Enemies

christianindex.org

Luke 6:27-36 Eric Gargus, Student Pastor Northside Baptist Church, Columbus

When Islamic extremist group Boko Haram attacked a village in Nigeria, many of the women were kidnapped, imprisoned, and raped repeatedly by their captors. The women who renounced their faith in Jesus wed their captors and became lifelong slaves. Those who stood firm in their faith in Christ continued facing a relentless barrage of violence that included being raped daily by many different men. One kidnapped teen named Esther endured these horrors for over a year before being rescued and returned to her village — along with her baby daughter, Rebecca.

Upon being returned to her village by her rescuers, Esther and her daughter faced a community now not willing to accept her and her daughter. Yet through it all, Esther reflected God’s love. Not once has Esther renounced her faith in Christ through the violence of her imprisonment to her return to a village which now treated her as an outcast. Esther chose to lovingly forgive — even the man who impregnated her by way of rape!

The Bible Meets Life

Jesus knew that everyone would have enemies. He experienced the cruelty of this world firsthand. Amid sub-human treatment on every level, Jesus responded with a love like nothing the world had ever seen. He chose to look past the flaws of His enemies and forgive them. His radical love was displayed by giving His life for even those who mocked and hurt Him.

Luke documents Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain in the third Gospel, which bears his namesake. During Jesus’ compelling message, He provides practical wisdom on how His followers must respond to enemies in order to honor God. This practical truth is perhaps the most challenging to truly put into action in a person’s life in the entirety of the Holy Scriptures. But as history has revealed, Jesus experienced a multitude of opportunities to love enemies who came at Him from both inside and outside the church.

Study the Bible

Luke 6: 27-28. “Love your enemy” is an easily comprehendible command, but a difficult one to make actionable. To “bless” one’s enemies seems absurd when it is much easier to lash out in retaliation. Kingdom-level thinking challenges us to grasp this love for enemies not as a surface “like” of anything about them, but rather a love that causes us to desire that an enemy’s soul not spend an eternity in the damnation of hell. And, it is abou t trusting that vengeance truly does belong to God (Rom. 12: 19), who will cause all to give account for sins that affect self and affect others. One’s heart must be softened to the embrace of loving and blessing enemies by effectually praying for them.

Luke 6: 29-31. Culturally, a slap on the cheek was considered a deep insult during the time when Jesus first uttered these words, and even punishable by a heavy fine! Taking someone’s outer cloak was also illegal. So, Jesus is not commanding His followers to bow before evil, but rather to resist it lovingly — to not repay evil with evil (I Pet. 3: 9). This is summarized in the easy to remember yet often painstaking to apply “Golden Rule” found in verse 31.

Luke 6: 32-36. We all know people who are easy to love — and people who are hard to love. Truly reflecting the love of Christ to the world means making the effort to love, bless, and pray for those who hurt us. This is the highest form of love, one that caused the young Nigerian woman Esther to return to her village with her child and, even in the face of rejection, radiate God’s love. Others are now finding hope in Jesus through Esther’s example of loving those who seek to harm her actions and insults. Sons and daughters of the Most High seek to love even their enemies.

Live It Out

With many avenues to approach in applying the command to “Love your enemies,” one could use the spotlight today — the internet. Students and adults are more connected than at any other time in history. Social media is a powerful platform for both good and evil. Anger can be triggered by a few words from someone with a different opinion. Insults can be anonymously and not-so-anonymously hurled. Hate erupts and feelings are deeply hurt. It does not have to be that way. Rest assured, God will have His vengeance.

• When did an online exchange you had with someone turn ugly? Have you since sought to love, bless, and pray for that online enemy?

• What is one action you can take in order to treat your online contacts the way you want to be treated — especially when you get digitally slapped across your face?

• When reading back through Luke 6: 27-36, what are some ways you can be more practical and intentional about loving your online enemies?

Prayer

Lord, the more I ponder these uncompromising words, the more I realize that I am in agape kindergarten. Please help me to take your words seriously and not discount them. Make your point deep in my heart. Teach me your mercy. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

Homework

1. Why is the real test of agape* love, being able to love your enemies? If we fail this test, do we really know

agape* love?

2. Do you see "turning the other cheek" and giving your enemy your tunic as literal, figurative, hyperbole, or

what? What is the point Jesus is making here?

3. Why is loving your enemy so much like divine love? What is the implication of this for our salvation? For

our lifestyle?

4. What is the difference in effect of stating the Golden Rule as a negative ("Don't do to others, as ...")

rather than a positive ("Do to do others, as…) as Jesus said?

*Agape love is selfless, sacrificial, unconditional love. It is the highest of the four types of love in the Bible.

One important aspect of agape love is that it extends beyond emotions. It's much more than a feeling or sentiment. Agape love is active. It demonstrates love through actions. John 15:13, 1 John 4:20-21

Memorial Wall When you walk into the foyer of BMCC do you notice the tilted wooden cross and dedication plaques on the wall in front of you? And then do you wonder why they are there or how to add a plaque to the display?

The tilted cross meaning

1. A Cross tilted at 45 degrees with the tops pointing to the 'four corners of the world'. The image of Christianity being spread all around the world is one reason why this cross is sometimes referred to as the Missionary Cross. wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_cross_variants 2. A cross is usually shown erect, as it would be when used for crucifixion. The Portate Cross differs in that it is borne diagonally, as it would be when the victim bears the cross-bar over his shoulder as he drags it along the ground to the crucifixion site. wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_cross_variants 3. The tilted cross on this wall spreads its arm over the area where the memorial plaques are placed to represent Jesus reaching out his arms to embrace us.

The memorial plaques are purchased by friends or family members for $100 each to honor and remember those who have gone home to be with the Lord. The $100 received from the purchase of a plaque is applied towards the church’s mortgage. Many of the people represented on the wall were instrumental in planning and building of this church with God’s guidance.

The cross and the rectangle plaques are made from cherry wood at Joy Valley Woodworks in Buxton.

The dedication plaque to the right of the cross is to honor Rev. Dan Carr and his wife Janet. Dan served as pastor of this church for nearly twenty years and had a vision/dream of building a new church in this location. The church was originally along the river on Salmon Falls Road in Buxton and is referred to as the “Olde White Church”.

When you gaze at the Memorial Wall imagine the love and dedication that each person had for the Lord and for our church. Each person shared their time and talents to do God’s work.

God is good…………All the time. By: Barbie Petersen

Ronald McDonald House (Portland, Maine pictured on flyer) Global History

What began as one family’s misfortune became good fortune for millions of families worldwide. In 1974, Kim Hill, the 3-year old daughter of Philadelphia Eagles tight end Fred Hill, was diagnosed with leukemia. During Kim’s three years of treatment, Fred and his wife Fran often camped out on hospital chairs and benches and ate makeshift meals out of vending machines. The Hills watched other parents around them doing the same thing. They learned that many of the families traveled great distances to bring their children to the hospital, but couldn’t afford hotel rooms.

The Hills began to think that there had to be a solution. Fred rallied the support of his Eagles teammates to raise funds and help other families experiencing the same emotional and financial traumas as his own. Through Jim Murray, the Eagles’ general manager, the team offered its support to Dr. Audrey Evans, head of the pediatric oncology unit at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Dr. Evans dreamed of a home-like temporary residence for families of children being treated at her hospital.

Together, they created the first Ronald McDonald House.

That first Ronald McDonald House opened in Philadelphia in 1974. By 1979, ten more Houses had opened. By 1984, McDonald’s restaurants and local communities founded 60 more Houses; then 53 more opened by 1989. Today, there are more than 300 Ronald McDonald Houses around the world.

Our Vision

We believe when you change a child’s life you change a family’s, which can change a community and ultimately the world.

As pioneers of providing family-centered care, RMHC strives to be part of the solution in improving the lives of children and their families, providing programs that strengthen families during difficult times.

Through the strong network of RMHC Chapters around the world collectively, we are able to identify needs and carry out the RMHC mission locally. However, we cannot do it alone. We rely on our strong relationships with the medical community to provide access to health care. We rely on the RMHC Mission Partner, McDonald’s; including the corporation, owner/operators, suppliers and customers, as well as other important corporate partnerships. Additionally, we rely on strategic alliances with organizations that have the knowledge and infrastructure to extend our reach. Most of all, we rely on you – our donors, volunteers, staff and friends.

What a wonderful Marketplace we had this year. We have taken in a total of $9973.75 which is the best year we have had. Both days were just great in every way, the weather was nice, the shoppers that came were in good spirits and eager to pick up some treasurers and the volunteers were excited to be there to kick off the Christmas season.

I would like to thank everyone who helped put this event together: all the crafters, the people who made food items, the people that helped at the checkout tables and to all the volunteers that helped out behind the scene without your help this event would not be such a big success. A special thank you goes to Gigi Sjulander for once again transforming the church into a shopper’s paradise. The set up this year was a lot better without the Café. The Café was replaced with the food corner and it was an easier way to shop for the homemade goodies.

By the time that you read this we will have started working on items for the 2020 Christmas Marketplace and we are also working on quilts for the Quilt Show that will be held in August. This will be another busy year at Bar Mills Community Church. We hope to see you soon!

Christmas Tree Festival

I know that Christmas has come and gone for another year and yet I find myself wondering what we as a church can do to improve this event. The first idea that I came up with was to have themed trees decorate the church such as: a family tree, a Mardi Gras tree, a four-season tree, a cookie cutter tree, the possibilities are endless. When the holidays are over the stores have discounts on decorations.

If you know of anyone who might be interested in decorating a tree or a band or entertainer who would like to be part of this event send an email to barmillscommunitychurch@yahoo.com.

By: Judy Sjulander

Christmas Marketplace

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1

2

3 4 5 6 7 8

10:00 am Worship Service Sunday School

7:00 pm AA Meeting

7:00 am Men’s Group 10:00 am Prayer Group and Devotional

9 10

11 12

7:00 am

13

14 15

10:00 am Worship Service Sunday School

7:00 pm AA Meeting

6:30 pm Council Meeting

Men’s Group 10:00 am Prayer Group and Devotional 11:30 Take Out Lunch

16 10:00 am Worship Service

Sunday School

17

7:00 pm AA Meeting

18

19 7:00 am Men’s Group 10:00 am Prayer Group and Devotional

20 21 22 5:00 pm Free Supper

23 10:00 am Worship Service Sunday School

24 7:00 pm AA Meeting

25 26 7:00 am Men’s Group 10:00 am Prayer Group and Devotional

27 28 29

For more information on dates highlighted in RED see the flyers in this newsletter

Preble Street Resource Center, Portland, Maine