May 26- June 1 Family Worship Guide 2024

Prayer for Jeffersonville City Council Bill Burns
Sovereign Lord, we heed Your command to pray for those in authority. We lift up Councilman Bill Burns to You, asking that You guide him with wisdom and godliness. May he uphold Your law and make decisions that honor You. Grant him the desire to see Jeffersonville submit to the Kingship of Jesus Christ.
Lord, through Councilman Burns, may our city experience tranquility and godliness. Lead him to make judgments that reflect Your will and bring glory to Your name. We thank You for his service and pray that You continue to work through him for the good of our community. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.

Church History Spotlight
Justin Martyr, Philosopher, Apologist, and Martyr
1 June 167
Justin was born around 100 (both his birth and death dates are approximate) at Flavia Neapolis (ancient Shechem, modern Nablus) in Samaria (the middle portion of Israel, between Galilee and Judea) of pagan Greek parents. He was brought up with a good education in rhetoric, poetry, and history. He studied various schools of philosophy in Alexandria and Ephesus , joining himself first to Stoicism, then Pythagoreanism, then Platonism, looking for answers to his questions. While at Ephesus, he was impressed by the steadfastness of the Christian martyrs, and by the personality of an aged Christian man whom he met by chance while walking on the seashore. This man spoke to him about Jesus as the fulfilment of the promises made through the Jewish prophets. Justin was overwhelmed. "Straightway a flame was kindled in my soul," he writes, "and a love of the prophets and those who are friends of Christ possessed me." Justin became a Christian, but he continued to wear the cloak that was the characteristic uniform of the professional teacher of philosophy. His position was that pagan philosophy, especially Platonism, is not simply wrong, but is a partial grasp of the truth, and serves as "a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ." He engaged in debates and disputations with non-Christians of all varieties, pagans, Jews, and heretics. He opened a school of Christian philosophy and accepted students, first at Ephesus and then later at Rome. There he engaged the Cynic philosopher Crescens in debate, and soon after was arrested on the charge of practicing an anauthorized religion. (It is suggested that Crescens lost the debate and denounced Justin to the authorities out of spite.) He was tried before the Roman prefect Rusticus, refused to renounce Christianity, and was put to death by beheading along with six of his students, one of them a woman. A record of the trial, probably authentic, is preserved, known as The Acts of Justin the Martyr.

Three works of Justin have been preserved.
His First Apology (in the sense of "defense" or "vindication") was addressed (around 155) to the Emperor Antoninus Pius and his adopted sons. (It is perhaps worth noting that some of the fiercest persecutors of the Christians were precisely the emperors who had a strong sense of duty, who were fighting to maintain the traditional Roman values, including respect for the gods, which they felt had made Rome great and were her only hope of survival.) He defends Christianity as the only rational creed, and he includes an account of current Christian ceremonies of Baptism and the Eucharist (probably to counteract distorted accounts from anti-Christian sources).

The Second Apology is addressed to the Roman Senate. It is chiefly concerned to rebut specific charges of immorality and the like that had been made against the Christians. He argues that good Christians make good citizens, and that the notion that Christianity undermines the foundations of a good society is based on slander or misunderstanding.
The Dialog With Trypho The Jew is an account of a dialog between Justin and a Jewish rabbi named Trypho(n) (probably a real conversation with a real rabbi, although it may be suspected that Justin in editing it later gave himself a few good lines that he wished he had thought of at the time), whom he met while promenading at Ephesus shortly after the sack of Jerusalem in 135. Trypho had fled from Israel, and the two men talked about the Jewish people and their place in history, and then about Jesus and whether he was the promised Messiah. A principal question is whether the Christian belief in the deity of Christ can be reconciled with the uncompromising monotheism of the Scriptures. The dialogue is a valuable source of information about early Christian thought concerning Judaism and the relation between Israel and the Church as communities having a covenant relation with God. Toward the end of the dialog, Trypho asks, "Suppose that I were to become a Christian. Would I be required to give up keeping kosher and other parts of the Jewish law?" Justin replies: "Christians are not agreed on this. Some would say that you must give them up. Others, such as myself, would say that it would be quite all right for you, as a Jewish convert to Christianity, to keep kosher and otherwise observe the Law of Moses, provided that you did not try to compel other converts to do likewise, and provided that you clearly understand that keeping kosher will not save you. It is only Christ who saves you." They finally part friends, with Trypho saying, "You have given me food for thought. I must consider this further."

A prayer of thanksgiving for John Calvin
Almighty and everlasting God, who found your martyr Justin wandering from teacher to teacher, revealed to him the sublime wisdom of your eternal Word: Grant that all who seek you, or a deeper knowledge of you, may find and be found by you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.


Announcements for the Week 
Enrollment Open:  Enrollment is open. Apply online at www.sovereignkingacademy.com ($50/family application fee is payable online at the end of the application). If you have friends or family interested in applying or who would like more information, please send them to this link or give Pastor Greg Anglen their contact information.  

New Podcast Episode:   Check out the latest Patriarchy Podcast featuring America’s Strongest Man Anthony Diehl on physical fitness and healthy eating. https://youtu.be/yZAKvIcO8Z8?si=sWpmSpJIed7sB1B8

Prayer Concerns:

• Expectant Mothers: We request special prayers for Shawn Crone, Rowina Spurgeon, Gabby Fluhr and Maddie Sands.
• Colgate Baptist Church:  Pastor Hunter McDavid is a young pastor working to revitalize an older church.  He has also joined our own Pastor Joseph preaching in the open air.  The church is hosting a block party in July similar to how we have hosted a festival in the past.  Pray that Pastor Hunter would have wisdom beyond his years and that God would give zeal to those at Colgate.  Pray for a renewed vigor in the Lord and that they would have success reaching the Colgate area of Clarksville.   
• Daniel Courney:  Daniel Courney is a missionary in Nepal.  He routinely preaches in the open air and has faced considerable persecution for this.  He has helped plant several churches and also leads an orphanage in his home.  Pray that God would give him wisdom along with his zeal.  Pray for his safety.  Keep his wife and children in prayer as his wife works hard with the orphans.  Finally pray for all those who would hear the word preached that they would trust in Christ and know the joy of salvation. 
• Jeffersonville City Council President Dustin White: The Holy Spirit speaking through the Apostle Paul teaches us to pray for those in authority. Specifically scripture says “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.”  Pray for Council President Dustin White that he would uphold God’s law and make judgements that are wise, godly, and good.  Pray that he would desire to see Jeffersonville submit to the Kingship of Jesus.  He is also running to be a judge.  Pray that God would have someone become judge who loves Him and will honor biblical justice.

Announcements:

• Memorial Day Fellowship Meal May 26th    Sign up for bringing sides and other goodies.  https://www.perfectpotluck.com/meals.php?t=RTTR7064&v=bde55d7422
• Growing Kids God’s Way  Sunday Evenings in June 5-7 PM
• Sharing the Gospel at Southern Indiana Pride June 1
• Nursing Home June 3 
• Evangel Presbytery Summer Meeting June 6
• Genevan Pub June 16
• Family Ministry Night June 19

 
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