Hear how pastor Ryan Miller's vision for church planting matches ours here at Union Chapel!

Ezra 9:8; Isaiah 22:22-24a; I Samuel 1:9-13; 2:12,18; 3:19-20; 4:2-11; 4:18-5:6“Lord, help us to see trouble coming long before it gets here. And give us the wisdom to know what do and the courage to do it.Proverbs 27:12I False SpiritualityII Corrupt CultureIII False Worship“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure…”Hebrews 6:19

Matthew 4:23-5:10Vs. 7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”The Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.”-Do I operate on a double standard of expecting mercy but not wanting to grant it?-Do I prefer the strict law and order approach, or that of mercy, tenderness and compassion?-Are there places in my life where people are suffering because of me and my unforgiving attitude?-Am I devoid of a merciful spirit toward those I call "enemy"?What is my attitude toward capital punishment, ex-convicts?Vs. 8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”-Am I trusting and trustful?-Do I value living without pretense, or am I constantly fearful that someone will take advantage of me?-Am I open and honest about who I am and what I do?-Do I deflect the attention and honor due to God and claim these things for myself?-Have I been untrue to myself, even a little, for advancement, money or good opinion?-Have I failed to take time for prayer, solitude, reflection?Doris DonnellyVs. 9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be calledsons of God.”-Am I eager for reconciliation, or do I antagonize and yearn for revenge?-Do I think apologizing is a sign of weakness?-Am I willing to be a bridge in family and community arguments?-Do I support violence in films, television and sports?-Have I studied peace and taken initiatives to stop violence and war?-Have I read, and do I support, the many official church statements against the arms race, nuclear weapons, war?-Do I see the Christian vocation as one of peacemaker?-Is my presence a source of peace to those around me?“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”-Do I criticize or ridicule those who suffer for their beliefs?-Am I embarrassed to step out of the mainstream to stand up for a principle?-Who are my heroes? Are there any among them who gave their lives without vengeance for what is true?-Would I do the same?-Do I worship security and fear costly discipleship?-Have I called myself Christian without making my life a witness to the teachings of Jesus?-Have I openly supported those who defend justice and give theirlives for peace?

The Beatitudes Matthew 4:23-5:12I THE KINGDOM OF GOD AT GROUND LEVELII THE UPSIDE-DOWN KINGDOMVs. 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven..."1. The poor know they are in urgent need of redemption.2. The poor know not only their dependence on God and onpowerful people but also their interdependence with one3. The poor rest their security not on things but on people.4. The poor have no exaggerated sense of their own importance, and no exaggerated need of privacy.5. The poor expect little from competition and much from6. The poor can distinguish between necessities and luxuries.7. The poor can wait, because they have acquired a kind ofdogged patience.8. The fears of the poor are more realistic and less exaggerated, because they already know that one can survive great suffering9. When the poor have the gospel preached to them, it sounds like good news and not like a threat or scolding.10. The poor can respond to the call of the gospel with acertain abandonment ad uncomplicated totality because they have so little to lose and are ready for anything.Monika Helwig, a Roman Catholic theologianVs. 4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."Vs. 5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”“The meek man is not a human mouse afflicted with a sense of his own inferiority. Rather, he may be in his moral life as bold as a lion and as strong as Samson; but he has stopped being fooled about himself. He has accepted God’s estimate of his own life. He knows he is as weak and helpless as God has declared him to be, but paradoxically, he knows at the same time that he is, in the sight ofGod, more important than angels…He knows well that the world will never see him as God sees him and he has stopped caring.” Oswald ChambersVs. 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”

After finishing SERVE week here at Union Chapel, Sunday is a huge celebration for what God has helped us accomplish!- Phillipians 2:1-11