Time to Tend

To…

Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and tend it (Genesis 2:15 NASB).

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment” (Matthew 22:36-38 NIV).

"No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of" (Luke 6:43-45 NIV).

“And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments" (Matthew 22:39-40 NIV).

"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Matthew 5:43-45 NIV).

"A farmer went out to sow his seed…” (Luke 8:5a NIV).
"The seed is the word of God" (Luke 8:11b NIV).

Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them. Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there (Matthew 19:13-15 NIV).

“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them” (Matthew 18:20 NIV).

Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will" (Matthew 26:36, 39 NIV).

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:1-3 NIV).

Wednesday @7pm - Dive Deep (Matthew 18)

Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me (Matthew 18:4-5 NIV).

Consider/Discuss:
How do you tend to your own mind and heart?
- How do you get good seed into your heart?
- What do you talk to God about in prayer? How often?

Do you tend to others? Who? How?.

Pray for one another
- That we will all tend to our own “garden.”

We would love to connect with you!

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Let us know how to best serve you.

We will be praying for you throughout the week.

Offering is an act of worship that we do cheerfully (2 Corinthians 9:6-15) to thank God for giving us everything we need to enjoy life (Acts 17:25) to the full (John 10:10).

We give at Life Bridge to empower, equip, and encourage one more to walk together with God (Matthew 28:18-20, 22:34-40).

Do not feel pressured by anyone to give a certain amount or percentage (2 Corinthians 9:7). That is between you and God (James 4:17). God will make it clear if you should give and the amount you should give (James 1:5-11).

We trust God to give us all what we need to do what God calls us to do.

Donations can also be sent to:

Life Bridge Christian Church
1705 Laporte Ave.
Valparaiso, IN 46383

Communion is a time when we, as a community, remember Jesus: the central focus of our faith.

The original Last Supper was a passover meal that Jesus had with his disciples before being arrested and taken to his death. Jesus changed the meaning of that meal for his followers.

The meal included bread and wine, which you can supply in your own setting.

The bread would have been unleavened (without yeast). Tortillas, flatbreads or other unleavened bread would be the most authentic. Any bread will suffice.
The wine back then was not as strong as ours today. To include younger audiences and to be sensitive to brothers and sisters who struggle with alcohol in any form, consider using grape juice instead.

Here are some Scriptures to consider in preparing to take communion together. Give one another some quiet time for reflection and prayer.

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body." Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom." (Matthew 26:26-29 NIV)

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take it; this is my body." Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many," he said to them. "Truly I tell you, I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God." (Mark 14:22-25 NIV)

When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God." After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, "Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. (Luke 22:14-20 NIV)

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. (1 Corinthians 11:23-26 NIV)

So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. (1 Corinthians 11:27-29 NIV)