[cs_content][cs_section bg_image=”https://www.stjohnsgc.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/David-May-18_1500x500.jpg” parallax=”false” style=”margin: 0px;padding: 10% 0px;”][cs_row inner_container=”false” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column bg_color=”rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5)” fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″ class=”cs-ta-center” style=”padding: 0px;”][x_custom_headline level=”h1″ looks_like=”h1″ accent=”false” class=”h-responsive” style=”color: #ffffff;text-shadow: 0px 0px 10px #333333;margin-top: 0px;”]Community in the Word
June 19, 2016 @ 9:30am[/x_custom_headline][/cs_column][/cs_row][/cs_section][cs_section parallax=”false” style=”margin: 0px;padding: 0px;”][cs_row inner_container=”false” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px;”][cs_text class=”cs-ta-justify”]Community in the Word is our effort to be people of the Book. To read it and to let the Word of God read us, challenge us, and change us into the Image of God. Join us for this experiment in community with the Word at the center.[/cs_text][cs_text class=”cs-ta-justify”]

This Weeks Teaching

Elijah was a prophet of the Lord who was bold in his faith. Except when he wasn’t. This week’s Word is a story of his weakness. The Lord had just spoken through Elijah to defeat false prophets. And now he was running for his life in fear. First, the Lord provides Elijah with food enough for the journey. What food sustains you on the long journeys of life?
As Elijah hides in a cave, the Lord comes to meet him and passes before him. How frustrating, and yet how wonderful, that we can not manufacture God’s presence.
There are times when God saves us from suffering. And there are times God saves us through suffering

[/cs_text][x_line style=”border-top-width: 1px;”][/cs_column][/cs_row][cs_row inner_container=”false” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px;”][x_custom_headline level=”h3″ looks_like=”h3″ accent=”false”]1 Kings 19: 1-16[/x_custom_headline][x_columnize]Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.”

3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” 5 Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.

All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 6 He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.

7 The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” 8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. 9 There he went into a cave and spent the night.

And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

10 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

11 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

14 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

15 The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. [/x_columnize][x_line style=”border-top-width: 1px;”][/cs_column][/cs_row][/cs_section][cs_section parallax=”false” style=”margin: 0px;padding: 45px 0px;”][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/2″ style=”padding: 0px;”][x_feature_list][x_feature_box title=”Read the Teaching for the week yourself and/or with your family” title_color=”” text_color=”” graphic=”icon” graphic_size=”60px” graphic_shape=”circle” graphic_color=”#ffffff” graphic_bg_color=”#2ecc71″ align_h=”left” align_v=”top” side_graphic_spacing=”20px” max_width=”none” child=”true” connector_width=”1px” connector_style=”dashed” connector_color=”#272727″ graphic_icon=”book”]Reflect on what it says and what it means[/x_feature_box][x_feature_box title=”Community in the Word” title_color=”” text_color=”” graphic=”icon” graphic_size=”60px” graphic_shape=”circle” graphic_color=”#ffffff” graphic_bg_color=”#2ecc71″ align_h=”left” align_v=”top” side_graphic_spacing=”20px” max_width=”none” child=”true” connector_width=”1px” connector_style=”dashed” connector_color=”#272727″ graphic_icon=”group”]Sunday at 9:30am. Being together in the Word is central to our faith[/x_feature_box][x_feature_box title=”Worship Shaped by the Word” title_color=”” text_color=”” graphic=”icon” graphic_size=”60px” graphic_shape=”circle” graphic_color=”#ffffff” graphic_bg_color=”#2ecc71″ align_h=”left” align_v=”top” side_graphic_spacing=”20px” max_width=”none” child=”true” connector_width=”1px” connector_style=”dashed” connector_color=”#272727″ graphic_icon=”plus”]While the preaching scripture for worship is different, these CITW help to shape worship each week[/x_feature_box][/x_feature_list][/cs_column][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/2″ style=”padding: 0px;”][x_promo image=”https://www.stjohnsgc.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Worship-SMALL.jpg” alt=””]Connected to Worship | CITW helps to shape our Worship
Every Sunday @ 9:30 am – 10:30 am
FAMILY LIFE CENTER

Join us for CITW, a communal bible study where we learn together what it means to live our faith. Each week we’ll release a lesson, accompanied scripture. The hope is that you read and study prior to arriving on Sunday. Then stick around and see how the Old Testament Scripture echos throughout our Worship service.
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Pastor Scott Ness

Pastor Scott Ness loves stories and finding ways to use ordinary, everyday life to point to our amazing God. He strives to see with eyes of faith. He fails consistently. Through it all, God remains faithful and full of grace. When Pastor Scott isn't running around the church he is often found at home with his wife, Deanna and their six children.