Hillview Family and Friends!
Children’s Ministry will be with the Ministry leader during worship time starting in the fall. Pray with us in our transition. Sis Debbie.
Youth ministry will meet in the fellowship hall at 9:30 am. Youth Ministry will be meeting every 2nd Sunday of the month at 9:30 am.
Please add pocket change in the “Stones of Truth” jar in the foyer. All monies collected will go to offset cost to the Branson 2025 trip.
If you want to volunteer to be on the calling team, please contact LaTanya Dunn.
We will need volunteers to help with cleaning the Sanctuary, Foyer, and vacuuming. Contact LaTanya Dunn hillviewchurchofgod@gmail.com
Happy Birthday and Wedding Anniversary to all family and friends celebrating in the month of February.
Pastor Dexter will be having a 6 week study “Horizontal Jesus” by Tony Evans. If anyone is interested, contact Pastor Dexter White.
Pastor Dexter will be going over his sermon along with questions on Sundays at 9:30 am and weds at 6pm on Zoom. If you would like to join on weds night, please contact Pastor Dexter White.
For the Children’s Ministry, the theme for February is “You are loved Snow Much” On 1st Sunday, Feb 2nd, the children will be downstairs. Please have the children wear something red each Sunday. Sis Debbie will not have Children’s ministry on Feb 23rd.
February Black History Month.
Feb 14th Valentines Day.
Feb 15th Board Management meeting 9am.
Feb 17 Presidents Day.
March 1st– First day of Women’s History Month.
March 8th– Church Summit. 8am– 12pm
March 9th– Daylight Savings time
March 9th Annual Business Meeting at 1pm.
March 15th– Board meeting at 9 am.
March 17th-St. Patrick’s Day
March 20th– 1st day of Spring
March 29th– Women’s Prayer Breakfast at 10 am.
If anyone is interested in being part of the Management Board, Please contact Pastor Dexter.
Offering Envelopes are located on the wall outside of the sound booth.
Church of God News
Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River.
Let’s review what we learned about Jesus’ early ministry:
- After his baptism He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. He didn’t yield to temptation, rather He quoted scripture to rebuke the devil.
- After John the Baptist was imprisoned, Jesus started his ministry in Galilee. His message was, “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news.
- Jesus called five disciples to follow Him. Four were fishermen, Andrew, Simon, James, and John. One was a tax collector, Levi/Matthew.
- In Capernaum, He went to the synagogue multiple times, on the Sabbath and began to teach.
- He cast out an impure spirit from a man.
- He healed a man with a shriveled hand.
- In Capernaum He healed a paralyzed man, telling him his sins were forgiven, proving the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.
- He ate with tax collectors and sinners, telling the teachers of the law, “It is not the healthy that need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.
- While ministering in Galilee, He healed a man with leprosy.
- Back at the synagogue in Capernaum He proved that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. We learned that you could do good on the Sabbath, that’s why He healed the man with the shriveled hand.
Jesus’ popularity is growing, it seems everywhere He goes, He draws a crowd.
Mark 3:7-9
7 Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed.
8 When they heard all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon.
9 Because of the crowd he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, to keep the people from crowding him.
Imagine a mob of people, many that have traveled long distances, coming to see the person you have heard about, a person that can meet your needs with a simple touch. Would you be content to wait patiently for your turn, or would you be trying to reach that person regardless of what you had to do to get to him. This is the situation Jesus finds himself in. Jesus had remained in Galilee doing ministry, but accounts of healing and the casting out of demons has spread beyond Galilee, and the people have come to have their personal need met. One of the tenets about Jesus as the Son of Man was his coming death on the cross. He was going to die, but not on man’s timetable, on God’s timetable. Hence, He had his disciples prepare a small boat that He could escape to because of the crowd. (People have died because of mobs crowding to close to one another.)
The ministry of Jesus was growing and the need for more disciples/Apostles were needed.
Mark 3:13-19
13 Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him.
14 He appointed twelve– designating them apostles –that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach
15 and to have authority to drive out demons.
16 These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter);
17 James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means Sons of Thunder);
18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot
19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
We are familiar with Andrew, Simon, James, John and Levi/Matthew. In addition to these five, Jesus called seven more to be his disciples. Little is known about these seven Apostles. The one that should stand out for us is Judas Iscariot. Why did Jesus pick Judas?
I found this quote online by Faith Bible Church. “When Jesus chose the twelve, there were eleven of them chosen who would believe in Christ and be used by God to establish the church. Judas was also chosen by Jesus, but not for salvation. Judas was chosen for another purpose. He was chosen as the one who would fulfill the plan of God that was prophesied in the Old Testament. Ps 41:9 says, “Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.” Jesus quoted this verse referring to Judas who would betray him.1
After bringing together his Apostles, Jesus returned probably to Capernaum and entered a house. Again, a crowd gathered preventing Jesus and his Apostles the ability to eat.
Mark 3:21
21 When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”
It has been brought to my attention that I am starting to show the effects of burn-out. I’m doing too much. I believe my family would attempt to get me to take some time off for my own well-being.
Jesus’ family is concerned about him. The scripture says they said, “He is out of his mind.” Jesus is doing things nobody else can do. The teachers of the law joined the crowd and made a disturbing statement about Jesus, “He is possessed by Beelzebub! By the prince of demons, he is driving out demons.” These religious leaders were saying that Jesus’ power came from Satan, not God. “They refused to believe that his power was from God because then they would have to accept him as the Messiah. Their pride would not let them do it. They also couldn’t allow the people to believe in Jesus as the Messiah because that would threaten their own power. So, they created this bizarre accusation to try to get the people to believe that Jesus himself was possessed.”2
If they would make false accusations about Jesus, believe me when I say it, they will make false accusations about you. Stay true to who you are in Christ, and He will fight your battles.
23 So Jesus called them and spoke to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan?
24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
26 And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come.
27 In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can rob his house.
In this third chapter of Mark, we are introduced to the word parable. Why did Jesus teach in parables? “Jesus used parables both to hide the truth and to reveal it. The crowd did not judge the parables; the parables judged the crowd. The careless listener, who thought he knew everything, would hear only a story that he did not really understand, and the result in his life would be judgement. The sincere listener, with a desire to know God’s truth, would ponder the parable, confess his ignorance, submit to the Lord, and then begin to understand the spiritual lesson Jesus wanted to teach.”3
“Beelzebub is a name for the devil, and it means “master of the house.” Jesus picked up on this meaning and gave a parable about a strong man guarding his house. To plunder the house, one must first overcome the strong man.”4
The fact that Jesus was casting out demons proved that He was stronger than Satan and that Satan was powerless to stop him. Jesus went on to make the point, when you give credit to Satan for what God has done, you commit blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
28 I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them.
29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin.”
30 He said this because they were saying, “He has an evil spirit.”
Can we commit today what is referred to as the unpardonable sin, which is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? Many of us at one time or another have asked ourselves if we had done it. I came across this quote that gives us the answer that we need; “People today cannot commit the “unpardonable sin” in the same way the Jewish religious leaders did when Jesus was ministering on earth. The only sin today that God cannot forgive is rejection of his Son. When the Spirit of God convicts the sinner and reveals the Savior, the sinner may resist the Spirit and reject the witness of the Word of God, but that does not mean he has forfeited all his opportunities to be saved. If he will repent and believe, God can still forgive him.”5
We have already heard that Jesus’ family thought He was out of his mind. When the family arrived at the house where Jesus was, they couldn’t get to him. They sent someone in to call him. Jesus was informed that his mother and brothers were outside looking for him. Why didn’t Jesus stop what He was doing and meet with his mother and brothers. I’m reminded of the conversation Jesus had with Peter in Mt 16:22, 23 when Jesus told his disciples that He must die and be raised on the third day.
22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!
23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”
Jesus’ family loved Jesus like Peter loved Jesus. We can’t allow family and friends to get in the way of obeying God’s will for our lives. Prayerfully, our family will be included with those who do the will of God. Jesus says they are the ones that are his mother and brothers.
Study Questions
- From the review of Jesus’ early ministry, what stands out to you?
- Have you ever found yourself in the mist of a mob, were you concerned about your life?
- Jesus called 12 disciples to be his Apostles. How do you process the calling of Judas Iscariot?
- We sometimes get busy and forget to eat, have you ever been in a situation where you were ready to eat but your circumstance prevented you from eating?
- How has your family treated you when it comes to your service to the church?
- What is your understanding of what a parable is?
- Have you ever thought that you were guilty of the unpardonable sin?
- Did the sermon help you better understand the unpardonable sin?
Topic: Jesus’ Ministry Challenged
Text: Mark 3:20-30
20 Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat.
21 When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”
22 And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebub! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.”
23 So Jesus called them and spoke to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan?
24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
26 And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come.
27 In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can rob his house.
28 I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them.
29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin.”
30 He said this because they were saying, “He has an evil spirit.”
Support Hillview’s Greeting Card Ministry – We have anniversary, birthday, and get-well cards on the table by the front entrance for you to send to others to let them know you are thinking of them. A donation of $1.00 will help cover the cost of cards and postage.
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
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