Do You Have The Faith Of A Centurion?
“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5, ESV)
If there is something that needs to be added to next week’s issue, please email it to hollyhillcoc@gmail.com.
Mini Devotional
A mini message to take with you this week to help you in your devotion to God.
Devotional by: Elijah Bell
Do you have the faith of a centurion? His servant was at home, dying, and Jesus offered to come into his home and heal his servant.
Matthew 8:8 (ESV) — ”But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.”
He had faith that Jesus’ power would still be at work, even if he didn’t personally SEE it with his own eyes. We too often tend to be like Thomas, who refused to believe that Jesus rose from the dead until he saw it with our own eyes.
John 20:25 — So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
Do we sometimes doubt Jesus is at work in our lives if we don’t see the results immediately, and with our own eyes? JUST BECAUSE WE DON’T SEE THE POWER OF JESUS WITH OUR EYES, DOESN’T MEAN HE IS NOT AT WORK! Jesus said to Thomas, “blessed are those who have not seen, and yet still believe” (John 20:29). And because the centurion believed even without seeing, Jesus said of him, “truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith” (Matthew 8:10).
What would Jesus say about our faith? Would He marvel at our faith like He did the Centurion’s? Or would He rebuke our lack of faith, like He did to Thomas? Do you believe that the power of Jesus is at work, even though you can’t see it with your own eyes? Do you have the faith of a centurion?
Bearing Fruit
Here are things you can do this week to live out the message in the devotional.
Evaluate your level of faith in Jesus — How much faith do you have? Dp you have the faith of the centurion? How can you act this week in a way that aligns with a greater faith in Jesus?
Pray for more faith — God promises to give good things to those who ask (Matthew 7:11). What better thing can we give to God than greater faith in Him? In every prayer this week, make sure to ask for greater faith.
Start making decisions based on your level of faith in Jesus — We all make many choices every day. Start making decisions that show you have total faith in who Jesus is and what he is able to do. What would you change about your life if you suddenly had a boost in faith? Make those changes now!
News
This section is for any special announcements that are not upcoming events or prayer requests.
Harold Hall’s Passing And Service Today — A special note of sympathy this week for the family of Harold Hall, who passed away quietly on Saturday morning. Please especially remember the Halls in your prayers this week.
The memorial service will be held today, Thursday, March 31st at the Clark Legacy Center. Visitation is from 11am to 1pm, and the service will be held at 1pm. Burial will be at 2pm at the Sunset Memorial Gardens.
Prayer List
Here are some individuals that urgently need our prayers this week. Please keep them in mind every time your pray.
Janis Friend
Family of Harold Hall
Lonnie Trent
Kurt and Emily Montooth
Kim Mundt
Conflict between Russia and Ukraine
Upcoming Events
Here are some events that are coming up that you need to make space on your calendar for.
Sat, April 16th at 10am — Spring Fling
The 5th Grade and Under will have a Spring Fling event on Saturday, April 16 at 10 am. We will have a devotional, egg hunt and other spring themed games and activities. Brunch will be provided. Please come and bring a friend! Please sign up at the following link or on the sheet on the bulletin board in the lobby.
Sign up here: https://forms.gle/VVKbNytU8CFsqjHeA
For this event, we are collecting donations of individually wrapped candy or small toys to put inside eggs for the egg hunt. Please place donations in the appropriate box under the white tables in the lobby. Let Kurt or Emily know if you have any questions.
April 22-23 — Ladies’ Service Day In Bowling Green
See Emily Montooth with any questions.Sun, May 1st at 10am — Great Day In May
This is a homecoming event! Please invite all your friends and family! We are celebrating our Grand Reopening, and David Rogers will be our guest speaker. A meal will be provided afterward.May 13-14 — His Shoes Her Shoes Marriage Seminar
Times: Friday, 6-9pm; Saturday, 9am-12pm
Wayne and Tami Roberts are coming to present a marriage seminar. On Saturday we will have coffee and donuts beforehand, and then afterward we will have a catered lunch provided free. Childcare will be provided both Friday night and Saturday morning. Registration will open soon, and end 3 days before the event begins.Sun, June 12th thru Wednesday, June 15th — Vacation Bible School
More details to come.
How You Can Serve
There are a lot of ways you can get involved and do the work of God in our community!
For more information or for help signing up for any of these ministries, please call the church office at: (502) 227-7796.
Limited-Time Opportunities:
Potters Childrens’ Home Donations — Please donate items in usable condition for the Potters Tuesday’s Treasures thrift shop. They will be picking up items from the church building this Monday, April 4th. Please have all donations here by then.
March Pantry School Backpack Program — Items needed for donation: Pop-tarts, ravioli, soups, cups of mac-n-cheese, cups of mashed potatoes.
Long-Term Opportunities:
Greeter Ministry — We’re looking for people who are friendly and outgoing to welcome our guests and members each Sunday morning. If you are interested, contact Tom Owens.
Welcome Bag Ministry — Looking for people to help assemble welcome bags to distribute from the church to new residents of the Raven Crest apartment complex. Please call the church office for more info, or see Tom Owens.
Casey Blessing Box — The Caseys are collecting items to give away to those in need in their Blessing Box.
Current items needed: Hygiene items, body wash, deodorant, razor, shampoo/conditioner, lotions, toilet paper, toilet bowl cleaner, washing detergent/fabric softener, paper towels, dish soap, anything to clean with or for personal care.
Shriners Children’s Hospital — Donna White is collecting soda can tabs to donate to the children’s hospital. Please leave your donations in the lobby.
Bible Class Review
A summary of what we’ve been learning about in our adult Bible classes.
Sunday Morning Class (10am):
Current Class: Making Disciples the Jesus Way. We are in the process of talking about what people who are not believers need from people who are believers in order to find their way to Jesus. We’ve noted 4 things that they need, that Jesus provided in His ministry, and which we should duplicate.
Click here to watch the latest lesson: https://youtu.be/vvt_pSm67qo
Wednesday Evening Class (6:30pm):
Current Class: I and We: Practical Steps In Living Out Our Vision And Mission. We are currently looking at practical ways we can embody our mission as a church, and to be more unified. We noted last Wednesday how we must be more present and supportive of fellow Christians as they are going through struggles.
Click here to watch the latest lesson: https://youtu.be/MFrYmE80qT4
Sermon Series Review
A quick review of where we are in our current sermon series, and where we’re going.
Our current sermon series is title: Together In Spirit. It is a four part series.
Here are the lessons we already had:
How Does The Spirit Bind Us Together?
How Do We Quench The Holy Spirit?
How Does The Spirit Unit Us To Work?
Here are the sermons still to go in this series:
How Can We Be Filled With The Holy Spirit?
You can rewatch all previous lessons at: hollyhillcoc.org/learning-center