EAST TAMPA CHRISTIAN CHURCH
7824 S. 24th Ave., Tampa, Fla. 33619 / (813) 626-2507
Terry Tyree, Minister
ORDER OF WORSHIP
Announcements
Prayer
Sermon
Invitation Song
Communion Song
Communion / Offering
Praise Songs
Open the Eyes of My Heart
You Say
Our God
Closing Prayer
“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
ON THE CALENDAR
Sunday: Sunday School: Adults, 9 a.m., Children, 9 and 10 a.m., Worship, 10 a.m.
Tuesday: Hunger-Free Mission food sharing, 10 a.m.
Wednesday: Bible study and prayer meeting, 6 p.m.
THIS AND THAT
Birthdays this week: Dottie Hunt (today), Stephen Becker (Monday), Connie White (Tuesday), Linda Thomas (Thursday)
Meditations next week: Bob Bellone
FROM THE WORD
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
MATTHEW 5
ADDITIONAL
STEPPING OUTSIDE OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE
Comfort zones. We all have them, even though we might not want to admit it.
Naturally, we tend to gravitate toward places, situations or people that we feel safe around. Maybe you feel comfortable in your day-to-day routine involving where you live, where you work and with whom you spend your time. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, it can hinder us from living life to our fullest potential.
So, what are we supposed to do when God calls us out of our comfort zone? As Christians, we should desire to have a relationship with Christ where we are continuously striving to grow closer to Him.
Sometimes, growing closer to Christ may mean stepping outside of a familiar situation. For example, God may call you to move to a new place, or He may call you to do something different in your career to make an impact for Him.
When we completely give our hearts over to God, He can do amazing things through us. All we must do is listen for His call and be willing to respond in faithfulness. In addition, living for Christ often requires us to do things that go against today’s culture. While this may seem scary, we can always turn to God and rely on His strength to make it through.
A common misconception is that we must go to extravagant measures to make an impact for Christ. While this may sometimes be the case, it is important not to overlook the small things.
For example, stepping out of your comfort zone may mean starting a conversation with someone you do not usually talk to. Or it could be as simple as reaching out to a coworker by taking them to coffee.
Moving forward, I encourage you to not be afraid of stepping outside of your comfort zone. When you know God is calling you to do something new, ask Him to give you strength to accomplish what He has called you to.
In the end, doing something outside of your comfort zone can be very rewarding.
Lauren Abraham, Grand Canyon University
TODAY IS THE DAY OF SALVATION
The invitation at the close of each worship service extends an opportunity for anyone outside of Christ to unite with him and become a Christian through belief (John 3:16); repentance (turning away from sin,
Acts 2:38); confession of belief in Christ (Romans 10:10); baptism into Christ for forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit (Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38, Romans 6:1-8) and devoting the rest of your life to
Christ (Matthew 10:22).
The Lord’s invitation also is open to anyone desiring to rededicate his or her life to Christ; to baptized
believers wanting to transfer their membership to this congregation, or to request prayer support.
ABOUT US
For more than a half-century, we have been a restoration plea fellowship in unity with other independent New Testament church bodies. Certainly, we are not the only Christians, but we are Christians only.
In that regard, we assume no denominational name. We observe the Lord’s Supper every Sunday to honor him and reflect upon his great sacrifice on our behalf (Acts 2:42, 1 Corinthians 11:23-28, Hebrews 10:25).
We teach directly from the Bible. Where it speaks clearly – such as the Gospel plan of salvation and other directions or commands – we seek unity. In matters of opinion, where the Bible does not expressly speak, we seek liberty. In all things, however, we speak love for one another, just as Jesus loved us and laid down his life for us!
If you agree with these matters, please join us to proclaim salvation and unity to those who need to hear it in the name of our blessed Lord and only Savior, Jesus Christ. We urgently invite you to do so since his glorious return is imminent.
OUR ELDERS
Jim Fairchild (813) 361-7809 jfairchild@famins.com
Dan Hefner (813) 244-9843 danshirlh@msn.com