Reflection Questions

1. When you aren't turning to GOD for the help, what or who do you turn toward? How is that working for you?

2. According to the sermon notes what 3 STEPS do we need to take in turning to GOD for HELP? Which of these truths brings you the most hope? Which one do you struggle with the most?

3. Two points: (1) many people measure GOD as Father based on their own relationship with their human father; (2) in relationships there are 3 components of true comfort: a soothing touch; listening to feelings; and a helpful response that brings relief.

Question: When you were a child was one or both of your parents able to

comfort you by listening to you and helping you talk about what was

upsetting you? Were your feelings accepted by them? Do you think your

experience with your parents is representative of how God comforts His

children? Does your experience with your parents affect your parenting?

4. Second Timothy 1:7 says GOD gave us a spirit of power, love, and self-control; which of these do you need in your life right now? In what areas of your life?

Action Steps: (1) Write about it –what pain is God using as a megaphone in your

life & how are you dealing with it?; (2) Pray about it – “GOD, I pray for Your

power, love, self-control in these specific areas of my life…”; (3) Share about it –

with a close friend or mentor.

GOSPEL Choices…Getting Help

I. The “Beatitude Attitude” of the GOSPEL Community (Matt. 5:3-12)

Matthew 5:3

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

6Blessed are those who hunger & thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

7Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

9Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

10Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the

kingdom of heaven.” 11

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil

against you falsely on my account. 12

Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in

heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

The Backdrop of the Beatitudes (Matt. 4:23 & Luke 4:16)

Matthew 4:23

And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and

proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing…”

Luke 4:16

“…he came to Nazareth…as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the

Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. 17

And the scroll of…Isaiah was given to him.”

The Ministry of the Messiah (Isaiah 61:1-3) – “Already, Not Yet!”

Isaiah 61:1 “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to

bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to

proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are

bound; 2

to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor, and the day of vengeance of our

God; to comfort all who mourn; 3

to grant to those who mourn in Zion—to give

them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of

mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called

oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified.”

II. The “Beatitude Attitude” looks to future blessings (Rev. 21:1-7)

Revelation 21:1 “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the

first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City,

the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride

beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne

saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will

be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe

every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or

pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” 5 He who was seated on the

throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for

these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha

and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink

without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 He who overcomes will inherit

all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.”

GOD gives us HOPE as we exist in the “Already, Not Yet!”

III. How we “overcome” in the midst of PAIN & GREIF –

1) We need to understand GOD’s sovereignty & the Purpose of Pain:

“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain.

Pain is God’s megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” ~ CS Lewis, The Problem of Pain

o God allows pain, but He isn’t the direct cause:

Crisis, Confrontation, Catastrophe, & Consequences!

o God doesn’t enjoy seeing us in pain it grieves the Holy Spirit!

o God uses our pain to get our attention WARNING!!!

How’s your pain level?

Is God trying to get your attention?

Are you listening?

Reminder: “Beatitude Happiness” is from GOD for rightly responding to GOSPEL.

“If you could have handled that problem on your own, it wouldn’t still be a problem.”

~ John Baker, Life’s Healing Choices

2) Making GOSPEL Choices “Beatitude Attitude” –

Choice 1 – daily ADMIT I am a Spiritual Beggar…

Choice 2 - turn to God for HELP…

3) Three STEPS in turning to GOD for HELP –

STEP 1 – Earnestly believe that GOD EXISTS:

Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw

near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

o Intelligent Design GOD’s revelation of Himself (Rom. 1:20)

STEP 2 – realize you MATTER to GOD:

o GOD revealed Himself to us because we matter to Him.

o GOD is all-knowing & therefore knows about your situation.

o GOD cares about your situation & He wants to HELP.

STEP 3 – GOD has the POWER to help you:

o Sometimes GOD changes you.

o Sometimes GOD changes your situation.

o Sometimes GOD changes both. He’s got the power.

4) We need to stay connected to the power source (2 Timothy 1:7)

2 Tim. 1

7 “

for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

o “GOD – I pray for your power to live righteously.” o “GOD – I pray for your love to be a part of my character.” o “GOD – I pray for self-control in overcoming temptation.”

BI: Maintain the “Beatitude Attitude” by turning to GOD for help!

April 22, 2012

LOOKING AHEAD

May 13 ··········· Mother’s Day

June 3 ············ Youth Servant Auction & Lunch

June 10 ·········· Graduation Sunday

June 24 ·········· Annual Meeting and Lunch

July 6-15 ········ Youth Mission Trip

July 16-19 ······ Community VBS at Lakewood Park

Aug 5-9 ·········· Grace Summer Camp

Flamingo Flocking Is Here! Sign up today to give your friends/neighbors the gift of

...pink. This is a fundraiser for the Youth Louisiana

Mission Trip this Summer. Find the Flamingo Table in the

Foyer to place your orders...or even to hire

protection! You’re never safe from being pink’d!

We wish to offer congratulations to all the

Awana clubbers who worked so hard this

year. We also want to give a BIG Awana

SHOUT OUT to the many volunteers and

also to those who prayed for us. This year’s

Awana ministry at Grace was a BIG success

because of your willingness to be the hands and

feet of Christ for these young people! Thank you for an amazing first year! Due to

your leadership and commitment, our Club grew far beyond expectations! We

appreciate each and every parent who faithfully brought their child each Wednesday,

practiced verses, and encouraged their participation. We pray that each Clubber will

experience the lifelong joy of having drawn a little closer to Christ. Thank you again to

our stellar volunteers who faithfully came and invested in the children and program -

your service was so selfless and genuine, and reflected in the Clubbers around you.

Thank you,

Amber Ronningen Needham

Awana Commander - Grace Church

along with the Leadership of Grace Church Gett ing HELP

Let us LOVE GOD & PEOPLE BY

PRAYING FOR: Gaye Turner (mother of

Bill Turner - pancreatic cancer), Chuck

Schukar (aortic valve replacement surgery,

May 25, St Joseph’s Hospital), Michael

Davis (high blood pressure), Sean

McMonigle (surgery recovery), Wilma

Palmateer (health issues), Cole Sonsteng

(gastro paresis), Kathy Setzer (lymphoma

treatment), and those with ongoing

health needs: Kimberly Smith (seizures),

Martha Miller & those unemployed.

Please also pray for our Elder Board: Larry

Watson, Ron Sasaki, Paul Lang, Josh

Hanson, Ryan Faust, Kevin Anway and

Drayton Lemert.

90th BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION All are invited to Louise Richter’s 90th

birthday celebration April 28 from 2-5pm

at the home of Barry and Lisa Wils

(Armstrong) - 4862 SW Daisy Street, Port

Orchard, WA 98367 RSVP: Lisa (360) 876-

5093 or Diane (360) 785-0873.

ENGLEHART’S NEW ADVENTURE Please join us in saying goodbye to Daniel

and Stephanie as they start their new

adventures with Crossroads Baptist

Church in Vinton, LA. Their last Sunday

with us is May 6th. Join us right after

service for sandwiches and cake at the

Englehart's 6759 12th Ave SW 98106.

Nearest cross street is Myrtle SW (near

South Seattle Community College)

THANK YOU!! Many thanks to everyone

who stepped in to clean up after the Easter

breakfast. With your help, the foyer and

kitchen were transformed and tidied in no

time. You’re an awesome army of workers!

SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY CLASSES You can still attend one of the new School of

Theology’s classes. Visit your class of choice

downstairs at 9:00 am. For more information

on each class, please see the Spring booklet

available at the Welcome Center.

MARRIAGE & Parenting III - Rm 127

Shadowlands: CS Lewis - Rm 128

Practical Theology - Rm 129

Study of John - Rm 126

Gospel Choices - Rm 125

PRESERVE MARRIAGE If you would like to sign R74, it will be in

the church office Monday-Thursday from

9-4pm, or Sundays in the South foyer.

Please note that you must be a registered

voter for your signature to count and you

can only sign the petition one time.

ONE NATION UNDER GOD is the ideal, but sadly not reality. Please

join with others in prayer for our

community and our nation on May 3,

6:30pm on Alki Beach - 61st and Alki Ave.

at the Statue of Liberty for National Day

of Prayer.

Visiting Grace? If this is your first time of worshiping with us, we joyfully welcome and thank you for coming! Please visit the Welcome Center

in the foyer to learn a bit more about life at Grace. 10323 28th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98146-1202

Phone: (206) 937-8400 Fax: (206) 937-0881 info@gracechurchseattle.org www.gracechurchseattle.org

THIS WEEK AT GRACE SUNDAY, APRIL 22 - AWANA SUNDAY

9:00 am Sunday School for Infants through Jr. High

9:00 am School of Theology - various classrooms downstairs

10:00 am Coffee & Fellowship

10:30 am WORSHIP CELEBRATION - sanctuary

Kids dismissed to Children’s Church - 1st-3rd grades - room 122

Kid’s bulletins are available for 4th and up at the Welcome Center

6:30 pm Youth Small Groups - various

MONDAY, APRIL 23

Church Office open 9 am to 4 pm

TUESDAY, APRIL 24

Church Office open 9 am to 4 pm

6:30-9:00 pm Celebrate Recovery - foyer, rooms 128 & 129

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25

Church Office open 9 am to 4 pm

7:00-8:30 pm Youth Group - the Shack

THURSDAY, APRIL 26

Church Office open 9 am to 4 pm

9:30-11:30 am Women’s Interdenominational Bible Study Brunch - foyer

8:30 pm College Group - Nathan & Megan Schlaud’s

FRIDAY, APRIL 27

Church Office closed

SATURDAY, APRIL 28

Church Office closed

10:00 am GriefShare - room 124

Pastor Ryan Faust, Senior Pastor prfaust@gracechurchseattle.org Pastor Jerry Buell, Children’s Ed & Family Ministry jerryb@gracechurchseattle.org

Pastor Nathan Schlaud, Youth & College Ministry nathans@gracechurchseattle.org Janis Lemert, Director of Body Life janisl@gracechurchseattle.org Kathie Varney, Executive Assistant kathiev@gracechurchseattle.org Sherry Croom, Bookkeeper sherryc@gracechurchseattle.org