Weekly Update May 27

This Wednesday at Hyfi we are starting a new theme, Remarkable, and we are teaching the Simple Truth, “I Am Uniquely Designed.” This week’s Bible story is from Psalm 139, which tells us that God made us on purpose. We want your kids to know that God made them on purpose—no one is an accident or a mistake. We will celebrate God’s amazing design by teaching that God made us on purpose, with value, in His image, and for relationship with Him. Take some time as a family this week to look through old pictures with your kids—pictures of them when they were younger and even pictures of you as a child. Celebrate the amazing and unique ways that God has made each person in your family.

This Wednesday at Refuge Students we will be continuing in our study of Jonah together titled "Salvation Comes from the Lord" by looking at Jonah 3. In Jonah 3, we see that Jonah finally obeys God's command to go to Nineveh and warn the Assyrians that God will judge them if they don't repent. The revival that ensues among the Ninnevites is nothing short of a miracle! The main point of this week's lesson could be summarized thus: God sovereignly saves us from sin in order to sovereignly save others from sin. God has not saved us so that we can spend the rest of our lives enjoying our salvation on a deserted island. Rather, God has saved us so that His grace might be proclaimed to the nations. This task might seem intimidating, but thankfully, God is the one who changes hearts and minds. Our job is to simply proclaim the hope offered in the gospel, just like Jonah, and trust God to do the rest. This week as a family discuss times in which you might have felt called to share the gospel but didn't. What kept you from sharing the gospel with others? How should knowing that God is in control of all things (sovereign) encourage you to share the gospel boldly?

This Sunday at Sunday School and at Refuge Hangout we will be taking a look at Acts 12 which tells the story of God’s divine and miraculous rescue of His apostle Peter who was imprisoned for proclaiming the gospel. Peter knew the consequences of sharing the gospel, yet he also believed that Jesus was worth giving his life for and trusted that the salvation of others was worth the risk. God used the prayer of faithful believers to rescue Peter from prison via an angel so that Peter could continue living on mission for Him. As God answered their prayers, He showcased His power to thwart the evil plans of those who wish to harm His church. May we be aware that God has done more than send an angel to rescue us from earthly hardships. He sent His very Son to rescue us from the eternal consequence of our sins. Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf offers the hope we need to endure difficulties and the boldness we need to share His divine hope with others.

Don't forget that the last night of Hyfi and Refuge Students is June 5th!

 For a full schedule of the family ministry activities we will be doing this summer, just take a look at our Google calendar at this link!