XXXChurch (Online Support Community) - www.xxxchurch.com

X3 Watch (Accountability Software) - www.x3watch.com

Integrity Online (Internet Filtering) - www.integrity.com

Sexaholics Anonymous - www.sa.org

Safe Eyes (Internet Filtering) - www.internetsafety.com

Pure Online (Counseling Help)  - www.pureonline.com

Pure Life Ministries (Intensive Counseling) - www.purelifeministries.org

Not sure where you want to serve? Not sure what your spiritual gifts are? No problem, check out these websites to find out exactly what God has gifted you with!

Hostage - Anger - 08.30.2009 from Life Church of Rome on Vimeo.

1. How Not to Handle Anger. People usually fall into two categories. There’s two wrong ways to handle anger. First, there are spewers and second, there are stewers.

a. Spewers - Get it out in the open, They send emails, not just an email. They use bold and caps lock. They underline. They send text messages, they leave messages on the answering machine. They get it out, they feel better, they get it off their chest.

b. Stewers -  Are a bit harder to find, but still dangerous. They keep it all within, and it stirs inside, and the anger just builds up. It’s like water that’s about to boil, and you say everything is fine, yet you are ready to rupture like a volcano because it’s been stirring on the inside.

2. How to Handle anger.

a. You make it right!

b. You take the exit ramp! ¹⁴The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so abandon the quarrel before it breaks out. Proverbs 17:14 (NASB) 

Technology may fail, but our God never does.

Be sure to visit LIFE Church Sunday, August 30th for week 4 of “Hostage”!

Ephesians 6:12 – “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 

Will you choose Jesus and His plan for your life, or Satan’s plan of failure and deceit?

Hostage - Addictions - 08.26.2009 from Life Church of Rome on Vimeo.

John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal, slaughter, and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

The master plan of the enemy is to separate us from others, ourselves and from God.  

Jonah 2:6 – “Yet, you have brought up my life from the pit, O Lord, my God.”

Christ, through His death and resurrection, reached down, and pulled us up from the curse of sin, death, and the devil. These had brought us low. But by His grace, He lifted us up. Through faith, we take His hand, and we take hold of all of the gifts that He has won for us.

Psalm 23:3 – Through faith, our soul has been restored.

Daily, Christ lifts us up through His Word and Spirit. He lifts us up through the offering of Himself. Here, He feeds and nourishes us. He is present, and through faith, He forgives our sins, and renews our spirit. He picks us up, and gives us strength for the journey. DON’T STAY DOWN. GET UP!

There will be times when situations will knock you down and beat you up. Don’t wallow in misery or self pity. In faith, take hold of Christ. Get up, brush the dust off. Hold on to Christ, and get on with the journey. When you’ve hit bottom, don’t stay there. Look in faith to Christ. He can raise you up, when you hit bottom.

Do you want to break free…or remain hostage?

Hebrews 12:14 - 15 “Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; because without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and to defile many.”

Ephesians 4:31 - 32 (NASB) 31Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

Hostage - Bitterness - 08.09.2009 from Life Church of Rome on Vimeo.

Two Biblical thoughts about bitterness:
a. Bitterness has a dangerous root. Bitter roots absorb the hurts and they store it. And when these roots do that, they start to grow. Bitterness produces a dangerous root.

b. Bitterness produces a poisonious fruit. Out of this dangerous root of bitterness, our lives start to exude hatred and anger and rage and something just totally poisons relationships. Whenever a bitter root grows up, many people, including you, will be corrupted by its poison.

Five qualities of bitter people:
1. They justify their bitterness.
2. They are overly critical.
3. They celebrate others misfortunes.
4. They write off entire groups of people.
5. They can’t see bitterness in the mirror.

For videos of past sermons check out the video page on our website or our vimeo page!

Are you looking to make some new friends with students from other schools? Every Wednesday night at 6 p.m., our students gather together for a time of worship, a relevant Bible message, and a lot of FUN! For more information contact Donnie Slade @ dslade@livefullcircle.org or Christy Slade @ christyslade@gmail.com.

Haven’t been to Pulse lately? Wanna see what you have been missing over the last few weeks? Check out these photos!

Sunday, Mark taught about serving. We learned about:

1. Who should be serving? Everyone!

1 Peter 4:10 - Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.

2. What gifts in particular should I be using? Below are links to spiritual gifts tests to find out your gifts.

http://www.churchgrowth.org/cgi-cg/gifts.cgi?intro=1

http://www.christianet.com/bible/spiritualgiftstest.htm

http://archive.elca.org/evangelizingchurch/assessments/spiritgifts.html

3. Why should I do this? What’s the point? God says so!

Ephesians 6:7 - Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men.

Romans 12:6-8 - We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7 If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

To read Mark’s recap of Sunday you can click here.