Southeast Polk Family Church

Good afternoon Family Church!

I hope you have felt a little closer to Jesus today as we have drawn near to him through prayer and fasting. The day isn't over yet. This afternoon I have another major request. CRAIG WOOD has been battling multiple health challenges for years, he frequently travels back and forth to Iowa City for treatment, and he still awaits his transplant. Through it all Craig and Chris have been exemplary models of faith, expressing joy and contentment in the midst of adversity. Please take some time this afternoon and ask God to bring healing to Craig and strength to them both.

Also, if you are able, please join us for 30 minutes of focused corporate prayer this evening at 6 p.m. at the church building. We will be praying for the four needs we have shared, as well as for BERT and TONDA RYAN and NONA LEE. We will also be taking requests for prayer. If you are not able to come, please pray from home!
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Blessings,

Barron

DAY OF PRAYER AND FASTING
As lunchtime approaches, try to find a quiet place to spend a few minutes to pray. In yesterday's message you were given details on our main focus for prayer. Those were 1) "Jane" and her battle against self harm and spiritual oppression, 2) Dick and Cheryl Keul as Dick is treated and starts recovery from multiple myeloma, and 3) Fall Fun Festival, final preparations and for the hearts of the hundreds of people who will come. Pray in humility. Pray in faith that God will hear and answer!!!

Good morning Family church! I'm so excited for what the Lord is going to do today! Take a moment to pray with me.

Dear Jesus, for this one day, we turn our eyes away from food and we fix them on you. We humble ourselves, we repent of our sin and selfish tendencies, we submit ourselves wholeheartedly to you. Purify our hearts and let us breathe in your forgiveness and grace. Fill us afresh with your Spirit, empower us to live for you and to love those around us. Listen to our cries for help today. We pray not only for ourselves, but for those in our midst who are suffering. You have always shown yourself to be faithful and good, so we look forward with anticipation to the beautiful things you will do today! Amen.
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For those of you participating in our churchwide day of prayer and fasting, remember we start TONIGHT at dusk and continue until tomorrow at dusk (or until our corporate prayer time at the church building concludes at around 6:30 p.m.). Whether you are fasting or not, PLEASE PRAY. May God bless each of you and hear the prayers we offer up from humble, faith-filled hearts.
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P.S. I will be sending out intermittent messages and specific prayer reminders. Check this page and/or your e-mail.

Fall weather is arriving just in time for our SE Polk Family Church Fall Fun Festival and the excitement is growing! Check out the event map, invite your friends, and come ready to have a great time this Sunday!
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Good afternoon Family Church,

PLEASE take a moment to read the details and options for Thursday's churchwide day of prayer and fasting discussed on Sunday morning.

This idea came into being when two crisis scenarios emerged. The first was "Jane". "Jane" is the granddaughter of two members of our church. For some time she has been bent on self harm and many people in our church have been praying for her. After multiple brushes with death, hospital stays, and lockdowns, we determined that hers is a case of spiritual oppression. "Jane" is being tormented by the enemy's agents and needs deliverance. We are currently not able to visit and pray in person, so we are asking that throughout your day of fasting, you pray for her spiritual freedom and renewal.

Our second major request is for Dick Keul. Dick and Cheryl have been a regular part of our church family this past year. Dick began experiencing severe lower back pain some weeks back and recently the pain became debilitating. After testing, it was discovered that he has multiple myeloma. A treatment plan is in place and he has seen some pain relief, but he and Cheryl have a long road of treatment and recovery ahead of them. Please pray for healing, peace and comfort.

Finally, we are asking for prayer for this weekend's Fall Fun Festival. Over 250 door hangers have been hung and many other invites have been made. Please pray that we will make the most of the opportunity to love and connect with our neighbors!

A WORD ON FASTING
Most of us do not fast regularly, so I encourage you to approach Thursday with patience and grace. We are asking for a water-only fast from sundown (+/- 7 p.m.) Wednesday to sundown Thursday. A smaller version of the fast would be sunrise Thursday to sunset. If you have dietary concerns, please factor that in and do what you think is reasonable. We are asking that everyone take time to pray for these needs on Thursday, whether you have fasted or not. A good way to pray on Thursday is to take time at morning and at noon to lift up the requests that were mentioned. We will also gather at 6 p.m. on Thursday at the church for 30 minutes to pray together for these and several other needs in the church.

Thank you for taking time to read this, and please join us in our churchwide day of prayer and fasting.

Love you all,

Barron

God has always been concerned with how people treat those different than themselves. Unfortunately, most of human history has been filled with discrimination and prejudice. Tribe against tribe, nation against nation, skin color against skin color. The result of discrimination is inequality. The Bible has much to say about how we treat our fellow humans. Join us Sunday as we study about prejudice from the book of James. His words may surprise and convict you. See you Sunday. http://SEPFamily.LIVE

Let's celebrate the Lord's Supper together this Sunday morning before hearing another challenging message from our James study!

Another wonderful time of worship in store for tomorrow!

What does it look like to live an authentic Christian life? Do you believe that heeding the warnings and life instructions that Jesus gave his followers will actually lead to a good life, a blessed life? How faithful are we in matching up our behavior with our confession of faith? James hits these issues head on in this week's passage. Prepare to be challenged! http://SEPFamily.LIVE

Last night we worked on reading skills and the middle schoolers talked about the reality of God and his wonderful creation.

Temptation is not sin, but left unchecked it gives birth to sin and leads to death. Sin is not the Christian's master, the Holy Spirit is!

Join us this beautiful morning!

What is the biggest problem the world faces? There are so many answers to that question. However, the root of all problems stems from sin. It is sin that brought corruption and evil into the perfect creation. Every human faces the temptation to sin. So how do we handle those temptations? How do we as believers learn to resist the lure of temptation? Join us Sunday as we continue our study from the book of James. We’ll be talking about Temptations and how to overcome them. See you Sunday. http://SEPFamily.LIVE

Getting ready for Sunday!

Can't wait to see all of you tomorrow!!!

As disciples, our goal is to become like Jesus and we can only do that successfully if we live by faith. Many people think that faith simply amounts to a momentary decision they make about Jesus being God's Son and our Savior, but it is so much more! Our faith in God, his word, his ways, his love, and his power are the means by which we live and breathe every moment of every day! This week we launch our new series, a verse-by-verse study of the Letter of James. We're calling it, "Show Me Your Faith!". Through this study we will learn how real faith transforms the way we think, act, and live. Anyone can say they believe in Jesus, but the true believer will also show their faith by what they do and by how they treat people! I hope you're up for a challenge as we journey through James together starting this Sunday! http://SEPFamily.LIVE

This week we come to the end of our series on the Disciples of Jesus. We hope you have discovered how better to serve Jesus in this study. Our final lesson is about a disciple named Theophilus. Luke wrote two of the New Testament letters to this individual. Who was he and what can we learn from the letters to him? Most important, where do we fit into the story of Jesus and his disciples? Join us Sunday as we study about Theophilus and the message sent to him. http://SEPFamily.LIVE

See you Sunday as we wrap up our "Disciples of Jesus" series!
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Hope to see you all at Southeast Polk High School tonight at 7 p.m. to pray for our students and staff!

See you in the morning! 🙂❤🙏

Judas Iscariot was selected by Jesus to be one of his followers – a disciple. He was part of Jesus’ ministry for over 3 years, yet he betrayed Jesus to the Jewish religious leaders. What would cause a disciple of Christ to do such a thing? Was he really a follower or just faking it? What insight does the tragic life and death of Judas have for each one of us in being a follower & disciple of Jesus? Join us Sunday as Marty Mauk explores these questions about Judas. http://SEPFamily.LIVE

Last week we learned from Stephen the importance of being filled with the Spirit as we engage daily life and ministry. The next disciple we will study is another great example of this truth. By the Spirit's direction and power, Philip was one of the first disciples to carry the message of Jesus beyond Jerusalem. Join us this week as we see the unique ways we can all be used to bring the joy of salvation to the world around us! http://SEPFamily.LIVE

The LORD is so worthy of our praise! Join us for worship this Sunday!

The Iowa State Fair has begun, which means another summer is coming to an end. Along with the summer, we are also winding down our series on first-century Disciples of Jesus. For the next two weeks we will focus on Stephen and Philip, two disciples who boldly proclaimed the story and gospel of Jesus. After that we will hear from Pastor Marty about lessons to be learned from Judas Iscariot, the unfaithful disciple. Finally, David will wrap things up on the entire series on September 3rd.

Stephen was an exemplary disciple on every front, knowing the truth, living the truth, proclaiming the truth. and even giving his life for the truth. Join us Sunday as we learn some vital lessons from the short life of the early church's first martyr. http://SEPFamily.LIVE

Let's pursue the Spirit together through prayer and heart-felt worship! See you Sunday!

Can't wait to worship with you all in the morning!

The work of a pastor can sometimes be difficult. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 11:28, “Apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxious concern for all the churches.” This truth was very evident in one of Paul’s young proteges. This disciple was tasked with going into the community of believers and instructing them in truth and how to live. Paul encouraged him to not let others look down on his youth. He also reminded him to not be afraid, but to trust in the Spirit. Join us Sunday as we examine the life of the disciple Timothy. We’ll learn what it took for him to be a faithful follower. See you Sunday. http://SEPFamily.LIVE

For too long, the church has overlooked or minimized the contributions of great women of faith. In our study of the early disciples of Jesus, we have had the opportunity to right some of that wrong, highlighting several women who made a vital impact for the movement of the gospel and establishment of the early church. This week we will look at one more. Lydia was the first person to respond to the gospel in all of Europe and her brief story will teach us about every disciple's need to be devoted to God and dedicated to the church. Join us Sunday as we celebrate another exemplary disciple of Jesus! http://SEPFamily.LIVE

Thank you to our "replacement preacher" Roger Rench for bringing us a great message Sunday about Matthias, the "replacement apostle", another inspiring subject in our ongoing series Disciples of Jesus.

"Next Man Up". It's a sports phrase used when a starting player gets injured and someone has to come off the bench to replace them. Matthias was the "replacement" disciple many don't remember. He was chosen to take Judas' place among the 12 as they waited for the promised Holy Spirit. Though we know little about him, the reason he was chosen is significant. It's the same reason God chooses us to follow Jesus and be ready to step into the role He has planned for us in advancing His kingdom. Roger Rench will be sharing a message about Matthias and what his selection means for each of us. See you this Sunday morning! http://SEPFamily.LIVE

Have you noticed the beautiful new cross in the church atrium? Ken Tomes made this from wood, metal, and stained glass in his workshop as a gift to the church when we reopened. Take a closer look at the fine craftsmanship next time you are here! :)

What does a truly spiritual person look like? Are they someone always praying and studying and meditating? Are they someone out helping people and meeting needs? What should be important to the follower of Jesus. We’ll explore these questions on Sunday and hope to get a better picture of the disciple of Jesus. Join us as we look at the faith of two disciples, Mary and Martha. http://SEPFamily.LIVE

I hope you enjoyed the holiday week, celebrating the freedom and prosperity we have in our nation! We should treasure that freedom and leverage it for the Lord, learning to be increasingly generous, proclaiming God's gospel of grace, continually finding ways to serve and encourage others. A young disciple of Jesus named Joseph was also blessed and decided to dedicate his life to these very same things. You may know Joseph by his nickname, Barnabas. Join us Sunday to learn from his example about how to become a model disciple of Jesus. http://SEPFamily.LIVE

Mary Magdalene has many legends and stories surrounding her. Books and movies have been written about her. Who is she that has been the source of so much speculation? Was she a woman of ill repute? Was she married to Jesus? Did she travel to France with the unborn child of Jesus? Sunday we will learn about Mary and separate fact from fiction. One thing we do know about her, she had an unconditional love for Jesus. Join us Sunday as we study about the life of Mary Magdalene. http://SEPFamily.LIVE

We're SO excited to welcome you all back to our main building in Pleasant Hill tomorrow at 10:30 a.m.! Please plan to stay after for the POTLUCK! For those interested we will be meeting at Eastview at 8:30 a.m. for a brief moment of prayer and thanksgiving for the time we spent there. 🙂🙏❤️

Jesus referred to James and John as the "sons of thunder", likely because they were bold and brash, ready to call down fire on their enemies. They thought highly of themselves and sought to usher in God's kingdom by force. Over the course of their lives however, they learned that there was a better way of being a disciple, the "Jesus way"... a way that did require boldness, but more importantly involved sacrifice and love. Join us Sunday as we learn from two transformed fishermen how we too are called to be kingdom-minded disciples in our own generation. http://SEPFamily.LIVE

I’m a “Born Again Christian.” That’s a phrase we often hear. However, is there really any other kind of Christian? This week we study the story of Nicodemus’ visit to Jesus. What did Jesus mean when he told Nicodemus, “I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” How does someone go about receiving this new birth? Nicodemus had questions. Hopefully you have questions. Join us Sunday as we study Jesus' answers to Nicodemus. http://SEPFamily.LIVE

How many of you have messed up at some point this week? I have good news for you and his name is Peter. In Peter's life and ministry we see failure, determination, redemption, and amazing transformation. He was a lifelong disciple who became more like Jesus every day. Join us Sunday as we learn from the example of this gritty fisherman, turned fisher of men, turned leader of the Early Church. http://SEPFamily.LIVE