Good morning: I came up with a rule last week I want to implement. The rule is, “you must greet the pastor either before service starts or when the service is over. I want to make sure I shake your hand or give you a hug and thank you for worshipping with us. I’m going to have minister Morris give the benediction allowing me to be in the foyer as you leave.

Last week I preached on forgiveness verses unforgiveness. We had a good discussion on the zoom call on Wednesday evening. Many of the storms we face in our lives, not the rain, thunder, and lightening kind of storms, but storms of disagreement and unrepented sin are the result of a root of bitterness that is growing in us because of unforgiveness. If we are not forgiving others, God is not forgiving us. The result of our disobedience are the storms we face.

Hillview Family and Friends!

 Ushers and greeters. We can create an alternate schedule. If anyone is interested, please see LaTanya Dunn.

Funds Summary as of  October 2025  contribution: $11,448.93.  Monthly Budget that needs to be met: $15,417.00.

Sis. Debbie will be having Children’s ministry 1st through 4th Sundays.  On the 1st Sunday the children will  do special projects. Please text Sis. Debbie if your child will not be in attendance. 5th Sunday no children’s ministry. 

Nov 15 Management Board Meeting at 9am at Hillview

Nov 19th Bible Study on Zoom at 6pm. Please let Pastor Dexter know if you will be attending. He will send out the Zoom link via email. 

Nov 19th Funeral Service for Sis Lissa Harris Mother, Bertha Harris. New Bethel Church. 745 Walker Ave. Kansas City, Ks 66101. Visitation 10:00 -11:00. Funeral Service starts at 11:00. Keep the Harris Family in prayer. 

Nov 23rd– Is our annual Thanksgiving potluck.  Sign up sheet will be available next Sunday Nov 2nd on the Events table.

Nov 27th-Thanksgiving

Nov 29th Women’s Prayer Breakfast

Nov 30th First Sunday of Advent. If you would like to participate in the Advent Readings , please sign up on sign up sheet.

Hillview will be adopting a family from Stony Point North. The list of the family and their needs is located at the events table. Gifts need to be delivered to the school by Dec. 18th..  

Hillview will be contributing to The  McKinney Vento efforts to support homeless children  and their families in our area. The goal is to collect personal items for both girls and boys (i.e.: deodorant , shampoo’s, body lotion etc.). There is a box in the foyer for you to drop off your donations. The deadline is Sun  Nov 16th, so we can present  our “gift  of love”  for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Offering Envelopes are located on the wall outside of the sound booth.

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We’ve all heard the saying, “If it sounds too good to be true, it’s probably too good to be true.” But, for some reason we are still attracted to opportunities we should stay away from. We all have seen commercials on TV or heard radio advertising that appealed to something we desired but under normal circumstances couldn’t afford. The impression of the commercial is, this deal is for everyone. At the end of the commercial someone speaks so fast you can’t understand what they are saying. What they are saying is that everyone qualifies for the deal if your credit rating is approved, or you make so much money a week.

So, what we understand the word “anyone” to mean is it is not for everyone.

When Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me,” He means everyone is invited to follow him. Do you believe that or do you still think you don’t qualify? Jesus informs us up front what it takes to follow him, there is no catch, no small print, and no hidden fees. We must deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow Him. Regardless of the sin you have committed in your life, if you will deny yourself and take up your cross and follow Him, you are eligible to be Jesus’ follower.

If I were to describe Jesus in one word that word would be radical. The word radical has several meanings that reflect the life of Jesus.

1. Favoring drastic political, economic, or social reforms.
2. A person who holds or follows strong convictions or extreme principles.

Jesus was a Rabbi, a teacher. He was different from the other Rabbis of his time. Here’s a quick background on what it entailed to be a Rabbi, or a disciple of a Rabbi.

• A Rabbi was a teacher of God’s Word, which was the Old Testament.
• Rabbis had an extensive knowledge of the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) and all the writings of the prophets.
• Each Rabbi had a group of students/disciples called Talmid.
• The talmid were an exclusive group of students.
• To become a Talmid for a particular Rabbi you had to go through an application process much like applying for college today.
• You might have to recite an entire book of the Bible. (You had to impress the Rabbi.)
• Just anybody could not be a Rabbi’s Talmid because the student was a direct reflection on the Rabbi.
• For a Rabbi to let anybody become his student meant that he was not a sought-after teacher.
• Jesus changed the system by who He allowed to be his Talmid. If we consider ourselves to be a disciple of Jesus, it means we must follow the example of Jesus and put his teachings into practice.

Jesus’ disciples didn’t apply to be his students, Jesus selected them. In that group of 12 men four were fishermen by trade, some were considered political hotheads, and one was a local tax collector. Acts 4:13 says this about Peter and John, “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”

People took notice of Jesus’ disciples. Jesus had abilities that other Rabbis did not have. Jesus was able to give his disciples authority over evil spirits.

Mark 6:7-13

7 Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits.

8 These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff– no bread, no bag, no money in your belts.

9 Wear sandals but not an extra tunic.

10 Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town.

11 And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them.”

12 They went out and preached that people should repent.

13 They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

I know for me once I felt called into ministry the last thing I needed was for someone to tell me to pursue a different career path. Imagine all the male students that applied to be a Rabbi’s talmid and got rejected. Then they heard about Jesus and how anyone could be his student. When Jesus says anyone, He means everyone, including women.

Several years ago, a committee of men and women joined me in developing a vision statement and a mission statement for our church. Our mission statement says, “To present the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all people (everyone) and make disciples by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

When we share the Gospel of Jesus to all people, I believe that should also be an open invitation for those people to come to Hillview to worship with us and become a part of us. How comfortable are we in having people that:

• Are culturally different from us? We are a diverse congregation but if we want to be a congregation that reflects our community, our appearance is going to change even more, and that is okay. The apartment complex to the North of us is going to change the community, we should be excited about the future.
• Struggle with addictions (there are many kinds of addictions). When the need arises, our ministry will have to provide a support group that addresses addictions.
• Don’t agree with you politically. That shouldn’t be a problem because we are living with that challenge now.
• Are homeless – we’ve had some interesting encounters with the homeless. Remember the lady that tried to convert the porch of the house we had torn down into her living space?

Do we have an unwritten code that we view potential members with. I’ve been asked by members of this congregation past and present, where I stand on:

• Drinking alcohol
• Tattoos
• Couples living together unmarried but acting like they are married
• Going to casinos just to eat
• Tithing
• Same sex marriage

Here’s how I address these issues, “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage– with great patience and careful instruction.” Why is this important? “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” My prayer is that anyone that visits Hillview will hear the truth of God’s Word. Understand everybody that comes here won’t stay here because we will not compromise on God’s Word.

If someone moves into our community and visits our church, they will try to determine if they would fit in with us, if they feel welcome. They will look to see how members dress when they attend worship service, casual or semi to formal attire, the style of music we use in worship. If they have children they will want to know if we have a children’s ministry, and or youth ministry.

When Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” There wasn’t a different set of rules for men, women, and children. Following Jesus is a personal choice available to everyone. The requirements are the same regardless of what other religions or societies say.

Anyone is welcome to have a relationship with Jesus. What about:

• Prostitute – (have congregation say anyone)
• Ex-con – anyone
• Alcoholic – anyone
• Pot Head – anyone
• Hypocrite – anyone
• Gay/lesbian – anyone
• Convicted sex-offender – anyone

Some of you might be thinking wait just a minute, if we allow anyone to come to church here, won’t that mess things up around here. If the church begins to fill up with not-yet-Christians, we will have to get out of our comfort zones and rub shoulders with them. I was asked once if our church was made up of followers of Jesus or fans of Jesus. I said both. Those of you that are followers of Jesus will be excited about what God has in store for us. Fans on the other hand might leave the church.

I’m not standing here telling you we will tolerate or condone sinful behavior. We will teach and preach the truth of God’s Word, which must be our guide. But we can’t expect a non-believer to be living according to God’s Word, but they might be.

2 Corinthians 5:17

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

Let’s not forget from whence we have come. We haven’t always been saints of God.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11

9 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders

10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Some of the people that respond to the invitation to accept Jesus will have a past you don’t approve of. Followers of Jesus understand this, but fans don’t know how to handle people like that. They prefer not to know. Fans prefer things to be shallow and comfortable. Followers are willing to listen, willing to hear stories of brokenness and sin and still welcome those people with open arms.

When Jesus makes his invitation, He welcomes anyone that would come after him. But He also makes it clear that when you choose to follow Him, you are giving up everything. So, it is anyone, but everything.

When a talmid was accepted into a rabbi’s school they would leave their homes, and their jobs, whatever was holding them back, and they would go and follow the rabbi. Literally, they would follow the rabbi wherever he went.

When you decide to follow the rabbi named Jesus, it will cost you everything. If Jesus decided to live without a home his students would follow him. If He decided to go among sinners and the shameful, his students would follow him. If Jesus decided not to flee persecution, his students would follow.

We have an opportunity to become the talmid of the greatest teacher who ever lived. His invitation is for anyone that is willing to take up their cross daily and follow him. He offers one guarantee; it will cost you everything but you will become a new creation in Christ Jesus. The new you is so much better than the old sinful you.

“Taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.”

Invitation:

Benediction: (From the rear)

Study Questions

1. What does it mean to you to follow Jesus?
2. What does it mean to deny yourself and pick up your cross look like as a follower of Jesus?
3. If you had to apply to become a disciple, and there were only so many spots, why would you be selected or not?
4. To be a disciple of Jesus, we don’t have to compete with anyone else. Your relationship with Jesus is based solely on your commitment to him. How committed are you?
5. Do others take notice of you being a Christian?
6. Do you celebrate diversity in our church family?
7. What issues would cause you to stop attending Hillview?
8. Do we hide our past from our church family?

Continue to pray for the sick and shut-ins and their caregivers. Prayer is needed for our entire congregation as we are all dealing with spoken and unspoken needs and requests.

Weekly Events

Sunday School: 9:30am  

Worship Service 10:45 am Sermon live stream 11:15 am You tube http://www.youtube.com/@HillviewChurchofGod-u3m

Facebook:(https://www.facebook.com/HillviewCOG

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