February 23, 2025

The post Reece Bowling | Radical Love – Part lV – Love Is Built On Truth appeared first on Encounter Church.

February 16, 2025

The post Isabell Bowling | Radical Love – Part lll – What To Do When You’ve Run Out Of Love appeared first on Encounter Church.

February 9, 2025

The post Reece Bowling | Radical Love – Part ll – The Debt Of Love appeared first on Encounter Church.

February 2, 2025

The post Reece Bowling | Radical Love – Part l appeared first on Encounter Church.

January 26, 2025

The post Reece Bowling | Becoming A Living Sacrifice – Part ll appeared first on Encounter Church.

January 19, 2025

The post Reece Bowling | Becoming A Living Sacrifice – Part l – God Wants What?! appeared first on Encounter Church.

Brite Idea: Jesus knows what we’ve done and loves us.

Simon, a Pharisee, invited Jesus to eat in his home. A woman came in weeping and washed Jesus’ feet with her tears and her hair. She poured oil from an alabaster box on his feet. The Pharisee wondered why Jesus would allow the woman there since she was known as a sinner. Jesus told Simon a story of two men who owed different amounts of money and were both forgiven. Jesus said the man who was forgiven the larger amount would be the most grateful. The woman had been forgiven much, so she loved much. Jesus told the woman her sins were forgiven, confusing the others in the room.

Jesus knew the woman’s sins, but He loved her anyway. Ever since Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the garden, our world has been broken by sin. We all say, do and think things that disobey God. Because God is holy and perfect, He cannot be near sin. Sin separates us from God. But because God loves us so much, He doesn’t want to be apart from us. Romans 5:8 says: God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Jesus knows us and loves us!

Think About It: Jesus forgives and heals us. He cares about the soul and body.

QUESTIONS:
1. What did this lesson teach you about God?
2. What did this lesson teach you about you?
3. From this lesson what is He asking you to do and/or what is He going to do?
4. How did you hear from God today?

God Encounters:

Please join me in praising our God. Last week, God brought us a remarkable teacher to Quest. Her name is Bella Siegel and she is our new teacher in Quest. Bella has the calling to be a pastor and is already fitting in as one of our family,
When you see her, please welcome her and thank God for bringing us our desired teacher.

Philippians 2:13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

Discipleship:
Navigating a Broken World – Judging Others

“Judgmental” is a common term used to describe the church in our culture. Kids even often use the phrase, “Don’t judge me.” Unfortunately, believers have a reputation in our world for treating people harshly when they believe or behave differently. In this week’s story, kids learned about a woman who had sinned and whom the Pharisees judged and Jesus accepted. Kids can discover that Jesus loves and can forgive anyone. He calls us to love others as well. At the same time, Jesus never said what the woman had done was okay. We can love people and treat them kindly, even if we don’t agree with what they do, but that doesn’t mean we have to say sin is okay.

Here’s how we discussed this topic and how you can discuss at home:

Discuss: What does someone mean when they say, “Don’t judge me!”

Discuss: Is it ever okay to judge someone?

Discuss: What does God have to say about that?

Say: In today’s world, people may think if you disagree with something they do or say, you are judging them. The reality is there is still right and wrong and the Bible is clear that some things are wrong. God wants us to stand up for His Word and His truth. At the same time, He calls us to love people—all people. Even if we disagree with someone, God calls us to be loving and kind and to treat them with great respect. God also calls us to focus more on what needs to change in our own lives before we focus on what others should do differently (Matthew 7:4–5). Ultimately, God is the only one who can truly judge our sin, and that’s a good thing, since He is also the only one who can forgive.

Testimonies

I want you to continue to expect your own testimonies.
How?
Listen to God and trust what He says. As always, make sure it is God by comparing His direction with the Bible and/or asking a spiritual leader to help you. Everything God does is a testimony so pay attention. Write the testimony down and share it with others. Remember to say, “Thank you, Lord!” after He speaks.

“With every prayer and request, pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be alert with all perseverance and every request for all the saints,” – Ephesians 6:18

$5 Memory Verse:
O Lord, You have searched me and known me!
Psalm 139:1

The post Jesus is Anointed (Luke 7:36–50) appeared first on Encounter Church.

Brite Idea: Jesus knows us.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught His followers about the kingdom of God and walking in His ways. As part of the sermon, He assured listeners that God knows what we need and He provides. If He provides for the birds and the flowers, He will take even better care of us. Jesus taught we should not worry about things such as food and clothes but rather focus on His kingdom.

God has always provided for His people. From Adam and Eve’s first day in the Garden of Eden, He provided food. When the Israelites left Egypt, God provided food, water, and everything they needed in the wilderness. But God also knew our greatest need was to be rescued from our sin. From the very beginning, He had a plan to send Jesus to live a perfect life and die on the cross. When Jesus rose again, He provided a way for us to live with Him in heaven forever, where we will never have to worry about anything again.

Think About It: Jesus forgives and heals us. He cares about the soul and body.

QUESTIONS:
1. What did this lesson teach you about God?
2. What did this lesson teach you about you?
3. From this lesson what is He asking you to do and/or what is He going to do?
4. How did you hear from God today?

God Encounters:

I encountered God in a difficult time this week.
I worked hard to prepare for an event. I felt pretty good about my preparation, but soon afterward I discovered that others did not feel the same way I did.
I wanted to become offended, but I felt like God just wanted me to listen to their perspectives.
After, I learned that they were not upset about my preparation. They just cared as much as I did and they wanted to see it succeed and had additional thoughts.

Philippians 2:13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

Discipling Your Children:
Navigating a Broken World – Materialism
Kids today are inundated with messaging about products and brands they “need” to have. Christmas lists written by today’s elementary kids and preteens look nothing like those from a generation ago. Thanks to social media, brand-name shoes, clothing, and even hygiene products are more in demand than ever. Kids in today’s culture often feel their worth is defined by the things they own. In this week’s lesson, kids will learn how Jesus taught His followers not to worry about those types of things. While some kids may truly worry if they have the right brand of shoes, some kids may be worried about even having shoes that fit. Both ends of the spectrum can be overly concerned about materialistic things, though in different ways. Help kids focus on God’s blessings and ways they can bless others.

Here’s how we discussed this topic and how you can discuss at home:

Discuss: What are some brands of clothes or shoes or other products that are really popular right now?

Discuss: How important is it for kids to have those things? Why?

Discuss: What does the Bible have to say about that?

Say: It is so fun to own really cool brands or to have the things everyone is talking about. It can also be discouraging when everyone else has something and maybe your family can’t afford it. Sometimes we get so focused on “stuff” we think what we own determines how good or cool we are. We are not defined by what kind of shoes we wear. We are defined by being loved and treasured by God. Whether we have the most expensive shoes or holey socks, He loves us and says we are incredibly important. Instead of thinking so much about stuff, we can think about God, grow closer to Him and be generous to other people. Those things matter so much more than having the coolest shoes. Matthew 6:33 says: But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Testimonies

I want you to continue to expect your own testimonies.
How?
Listen to God and trust what He says. As always, make sure it is God by comparing His direction with the Bible and/or asking a spiritual leader to help you. Everything God does is a testimony so pay attention. Write the testimony down and share it with others. Remember to say, “Thank you, Lord!” after He speaks.

“With every prayer and request, pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be alert with all perseverance and every request for all the saints,” – Ephesians 6:18

$5 Memory Verse:
O Lord, You have searched me and known me!
Psalm 139:1

The post Do Not Worry (Matthew 6:25-34) appeared first on Encounter Church.

January 12, 2025

The post Sarah Bowling | Growing On Purpose appeared first on Encounter Church.

January 5, 2025

The post Reece Bowling | Living A Saved Life appeared first on Encounter Church.