Pray!
Jonah 1:17-2:10
A Great Fish Swallows Jonah
17 And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
Jonah's Prayer
2 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, 2 saying,
“I called out to the Lord, out of my distress,
and he answered me;
out of the belly of Sheol I cried,
and you heard my voice.
3 For you cast me into the deep,
into the heart of the seas,
and the flood surrounded me;
all your waves and your billows
passed over me.
4 Then I said, ‘I am driven away
from your sight;
yet I shall again look
upon your holy temple.’
5 The waters closed in over me to take my life;
the deep surrounded me;
weeds were wrapped about my head
6 at the roots of the mountains.
I went down to the land
whose bars closed upon me forever;
yet you brought up my life from the pit,
O Lord my God.
7 When my life was fainting away,
I remembered the Lord,
and my prayer came to you,
into your holy temple.
8 Those who pay regard to vain idols
forsake their hope of steadfast love.
9 But I with the voice of thanksgiving
will sacrifice to you;
what I have vowed I will pay.
Salvation belongs to the Lord!”
10 And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.
SERMON NOTES
Why do we pray? (Not an exhaustive list but a good start)
• God hears and answers our prayers. (1 John 5:14)
• God is the One who can save (Acts 4:12)
• When we earnestly seek God, our heart and will aligns with His. (Matthew 6:10)
• He will provide (Philippians 4:19)
• It is right to pray (Luke 18:1)
• Prayer is commanded (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
• It is sinful to neglect it (1 Samuel 12:23)
• Neglecting prayer grieves God (Isaiah 43:21-22; 64:6-7)
• It is the medium through which God bestows blessing (Matthew 7:11; Daniel 9:3)
• It is essential to victory over the forces of evil (Ephesians 6:12-18)
• Christ exemplified it (Hebrew 5:7; Mark 1:35)• Emphasis of prayer given to the early church (Acts 6:4; Acts 12:5; Romans 1:9-10; Colossians 1:9)
• Designated the primary activity of the church by God (Isaiah 56:7)
• To have a relationship with our God (Ephesians 3:14-19)
• To help overcome temptation (Luke 22:40)
• It accomplishes God’s work (John 14:12-14)
• It is a pre-requisite for spiritual awakening (2 Chronicles 7:13-14)
How can we make sure we are following God’s will?
Abide in Christ! - John 15
THIS WEEK
MONDAY, July 23
9:30 am Outreach Prayer
7:30 pm Young Adults at Piska’s
TUESDAY, July 24
WEDNESDAY, July 25
9:45 am Keenagers Study
10:00 am Park Play Days at Broxton Park in Spruce Grove
THURSDAY, July 26
FRIDAY, July 27
SATURDAY , July 28
10:45 am Youth Event: Young Guns Paintball (register by July 24)
SUNDAY, July 29
9:15 am & 11:15 am Worship Services
JOURNEY UPDATES
SUMMER VOLUNTEERS NEEDED sign up today to help out during our Summer Sunday School programming or at Vacation Bible School (VBS).
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL (VBS)
August 13-17 Deadline to register is August 9. Register Today!
Praise God, there are 200 kids registered, however, we still need 44 volunteers to run VBS this year. What do we need?
Crew leaders:
Minimum of 1 adult in preschool
Minimum of 4 teens in preschool
Minimum of 14 adults in elementary
Minimum of 15 teens in elementary
Are also needed and not included in the above numbers.
Please contact the office to sign up.
PARK PLAY DAYS Wednesday, July 25 from 10:00 am - Noon at Broxton Park School Playground in Spruce Grove. Bring your kids to play at the playground while you have a chance to connect with other women from SGAC. This is our last scheduled Play Day for the summer.
LOVE THE GROVE Free Family Festival, Sunday, September 16 at 10:00 am. Start thinking about who you can invite. Stay tuned for more details.
NEIGHBOURLINK PARKLAND is partnering together with Aerials Gymnastics in Spruce Grove to offer FREE GYM TIME for families who need some fun time with their children but are unable to afford the usual cost associated with this activity. Please call and register with Neighbourlink Parkland 780-960-9669 who will need your name/phone # / number attending. The event takes place Saturday July 28 from 10 am - noon.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR for Friday, August 24 (6:30 pm) when SGAC will transform into a movie theatre for a special showing of “I Can Only Imagine”, the inspiring true story behind the best selling Christian single of all time. Funds raised will support the Future Development of SGAC so bring friends and neighbours, and enjoy a theatre-style concession! Please Note: Admission is by donation.
MINISTRY FAIR: coming Sept 9, 2018 following both services. Join us and discover what Bible Study opportunities we have for you. Wednesday evening studies include, Small Group Leadership, Old Testament Word of God, Spiritual Gifts, Parenting Class. Thursday evening studies include, Old Testament Word of God, Case for Christ, Truth Project. Coming in January 2019, Alpha. Come see where you can grow and be involved for the fall season.
Financial Update
Weekly Update July 15, 2018
General Fund giving July 15 $ 25,863
3 week average $ 23,361
-- Budget requirement $ 24,942
Future Dev. Fund giving July 15 $ 4,075
--Balance as of July 15, 2018 $1,151,186
Monthly Update July1 to June 30, 2018
General Fund
Budget Revenue
amount to Date: $1,265,000
General Revnue to Date: $1,225,019
-Budget Shortfall $39,981
Expenses to Date $1,165,918
-Year to date Surplus $59,101
Global Advance Giving $138,081
Canadian Ministries Giving $ 41,615
PRAYER
Please pray for:
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Our International Workers: K.I., Jon & Andrea Bauer, Camp Nakamun Staff.
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Our Pastoral Team Staff Member: Pastor of Women’s Ministries - Karen Houcher. Karen is married to Dan and they have 5 children ages 18, 16, 14 and 12.
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Our Administrative Team Staff Member: Debbie Funk. Debbie is married to Rod and they have two children ages 15 and 13.
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Our Elders Team Member: Anthony Toornstra. Anthony is married to Rosie and they have 3 children ages 8, 6, 3 and a newborn.
Family Matters
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We’re looking for a good used standard size kitchen range to be installed in our church kitchen. Please contact Peter at 587-990-6694.