The Broadcaster Online
Week of March 20, 2022
1 Peter 1:13-19, Set Your Hope on His Grace (Part 2)
By Brent Kercheville, March 1, 2009
Be Self-disciplined

Second, we place our hope fully on the grace of God by exercising self-discipline and self-control. I am not sure that we know what that means anymore, but it is important if we are going to place our hope fully on God. We are going to control our desires. We are going to control our wants. Control yourself. Do not plunge yourself into the materialism of the world. Do not plunge yourself into the lusts of the world. Our problem is that we want everything and we want it now. With our hope in this world we have tried to accumulate far beyond our means, trying to live above and beyond our paychecks. Now as it all comes crashing down, we are reminded that this world is not our home and we are commanded to exercise discipline and self-control. A lack of control and discipline in this world will bring us a tremendous amount of problem. Remember the words of Jesus: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:20). This is exactly what Peter is teaching. Be self-disciplined and get your mind focused. If our value and treasure is in possessions or work or anything else in this world, then our hope will be on those things also.

14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:14-16; ESV)

Children want to be like their parents when they are young. Children want to be found pleasing to their parents when they are young. True disciples want to be like the Father. If we are going to be true followers of Jesus and be his children, then we cannot conform to the passions that rage within us. We are commanded to reject those desires that enter our minds from our flesh. God has not taught us to do what our desires clamor. God has not taught us to obey our desires. We are not supposed to do the things that we want to do if those wants are coming from the flesh. Do not let your desires squeeze you into the mold that will make you look like the world.

Why not? Because we have been called. We have been called to something. Set your hope fully on the grace of God because we have been called by God. We have been given a purpose for life. Jesus has given us a track for life. We are called to be set apart for the Lord. We are not to obey our desires. We are to be holy in everything that we do. Nothing in our life is to be about myself. Nothing in my life is about obeying my desires. All of my life, everything I do, is to be about obeying Jesus. Peter quotes this from Leviticus 19:2, which is an exact quote from the LXX. This quotation is found in the context of what has been called the “code of holiness” (Leviticus 17-26), a section about how one’s whole life was to holy to the Lord.

God’s call is to deny sinful impulses. In doing so, we will be “foreigners,” “strangers,” and “exiles” in our own society. Jesus is our example as we break with this world. We must be different from the world. If we do not look different, then we are not holy, and we are not like Jesus. God’s qualities make us different. Let me make that point again: if we do not look different, then we are not holy, and then we are not like Jesus.

17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with reverent fear throughout the time of your exile, 18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. (ESV/NRSV)

If we really call upon God as our Father, and we know that we will be judged by our works, then we need to examine our way of life. We need to live our lives in reverent fear. The reason why we live in reverence, fear, and holiness is clear. We have been redeemed. A ransom has been paid for our lives. We have been ransomed away from the passions and futile ways. Redemption and ransom refer to a payment being made. The word “ransom” is often used today when referring to a kidnapping case. The kidnapped person will be return upon a payment of a price. Jesus has paid a ransom price to redeem us from our sinful conduct and futile ways. The price was not money. There is no amount of money that would be sufficient to purchase us from our futility. The price set to purchase us out of our slavery was the precious blood of Jesus. The innocent, perfect, and holy Jesus was the price. The law of Moses revealed that blood was necessary to reveal the steep price for sins. The blood of Jesus was the high price for sins. The death of an innocent man. The death of God.

These events were prophesied hundreds of years previously and Peter is alluding to those prophecies. “For thus says the LORD: ‘You were sold for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money’” (Isaiah 52:3; ESV). This statement is in the context of one who would bring peace to Zion and the servant of the Lord who would suffer. Further, Psalm 34:22 (33:23 LXX) reads in the LXX, “The Lord will redeem the lives of his slaves; none of those who hope in him will go astray.” Of even greater interest is the fact that Psalm 34 is a psalm of deliverance. For example, “When the righteous cry from help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:17-18).

Jesus died to deliver us out of our exile, out of our slavery to sin. Jesus is the leader of the new exodus who has purchased us with the very expensive price of his own life. How dare we return to our futile ways and sinful conduct! To do such is to reject the death of Jesus that purchased us with his own blood. Set your hope fully on the grace of God because he redeems the lives of his people and everyone who hopes in him will not be condemned or go astray. Set your hope fully on Jesus because he bought you.

Summary:

Our hope for hard times is to set our hope fully on his grace
·    By preparing our minds for action
·    By disciplining ourselves
·    By being holy in our conduct as obedient children
·    By living in reverent fear
We do these things because Jesus bought us with his blood. We are his and we are valuable because we have been redeemed. We are chosen.

Lesson adapted from sermon given by Brent Kercheville
Elders
Leon Cort
Mark Craigwell
Martin Samuel
Minister
Mark Craigwell

Assistant Minister
Denver Simmons
Deacons
Raleigh Gallington
Anthony Johnson
Gregory Johnson
Carlfred Malcolm
Albert Martin, Jr.
Walter Maxwell
Richard Meuse
Barry Person
Jason Reid
James Wade, Sr.
News & Notes


Sermon for Sunday, March 20, 2022
Powerful, Perfect and Precious (1 Peter 2:4-8)
Speaker: Bro. Mark Craigwell
Sympathy: We extend our sympathy to the Gallington family in the unexpected passing of Sis. Gallington's older brother, Bro. Charles E. DeBerry, Jr., who passed away on Friday, March 17, 2022. Please keep the family in prayer for strength and comfort. Final arrangements pending.

Services for Sis. Marie Saint Paulin, Bro. Hall Antoine’s sister-in-law, will be held at the church building on Saturday, March 26, 2022, Time TBA. Please keep the Antoine family in prayer.

Services for Bro. Eugene Lawton will be Friday, March 25, 2022 and Saturday, March 26, 2022, at the Newark Church of Christ in Newark, New Jersey. See Newark Church of Christ website for details. https://www.newarkchurchofchrist.net/

A Memorial Service for Bro. John Smiley will be held via Zoom on Sunday, March 20, 2022 at 7:00 p.m., hosted by the ministers who served under him during his ministry. Meeting ID: 514-502-8200; Passcode: john316. The service will also be livestreamed on the Niagara Falls Church of Christ facebook page: Niagara Falls Church of Christ | Facebook

MA EDUCATIONAL FINANCING AUTHORITY (MEFA) PROGRAMS
  • WEBINAR: Tips on loan repayment, 4/1
  • Searching for Scholarships
Click for more information: https://5lx.us/MEFA

Discovery Museum Announces 40th Anniversary Scholarships:  Acton, MA – Discovery Museum announced today the 2022 Discovery Museum Scholarship in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Museum. The program will award two $1,000 scholarships to high school juniors or seniors in MA. Click for more information or to apply: https://bit.ly/3hDXUnL


City of Boston Indoor Mask Mandate: Due to declining COVID-19 rates and high vaccination rates in the City of Boston, effective Saturday, March 5, 2022, the City of Boston lifted its indoor mask mandate. However, we will continue to require masking and distancing at our in person events until further notice. Thank you for your continued cooperation.
Our March Community Outreach will take place on Saturday, March 26, 2022, starting at 10 a.m. at the building to assemble bags of groceries, for delivery to seniors in the community. All are welcome to participate. Masks are required. Thank you to all who helped with our Outreach on Saturday, February 26th.
Sunday Worship Schedule
We will continue to offer two Sunday morning worship services to accommodate in-person attendees
The first service begins at 8:30 a.m. and runs until approximately 9:30 a.m.; the second service begins at 11:00 a.m. The auditorium is sanitized between services. The weekly 10:30 a.m. devotional will continue as scheduled. The usual sign-up rules and COVID protocols remain in effect. When you access the online sign up form, you will be required to specify which service you would like to attend. Once capacity has been reached for a particular time slot, the form will no longer accept new registrations for that time slot. We will continue to livestream the 11:00 service on our YouTube channel, and we encourage members to utilize e-giving, even when attending in person.

PLEASE NOTE: THE LINK BELOW IS FOR NEXT WEEK'S SERVICE. PLEASE SEE LAST WEEK'S E-BULLETIN FOR THE SIGN-UP LINK FOR THE MARCH 20TH SERVICE.

In-Person Worship Sign-up

Please also note that there is a new registration link each week.
Links from previous weeks will not work.

E-giving link

Livestream link
Don't Miss Out! Please scroll through the entire e-bulletin each week to be certain not to miss any important announcements or links. Many items are repeated each week, but there are also new announcements that you'll miss if you don't scroll through the entire bulletin.

See the following sections for new/updated announcements.
  • News & Notes
  • Worship & Class Schedule - Links to Services & Classes; link to worship attendance registration form for next week
  • Latest on COVID-19
  • Vaccine available for ages 5 and up. Booster shots available for J&J, Moderna, and Pfizer. Walk in appointments available at many clinics.
  • Current and Upcoming Events
  • Monday-Friday Meal Distribution, 1:30 p.m. daily
  • Ladies Take Note
  • 4th Sunday Ladies' Class, 3/27/22 @5pm VIA ZOOM. See below for connection details.
  • Mature in Heart, 2022 Pennsylvania Dutch Country Excursion, October 28-29
  • Men Take Note
  • 4th Sunday Men's Class, 3/27/22 @5pm. Location TBD
  • New England Lectureship - See updated flier. Register now and book your hotel room before they are all gone! See below for links to registration, vendor and souvenir booklet ad forms.

TextAlertz: If you are signed up to receive church text blasts via textalertz, but have stopped receiving the blasts, please email Sis. Gallington at ggallington@gmail.com so she can troubleshoot the issue.

Please keep us updated: Please keep us apprised of any changes to your address, phone number and email address so that we can maintain an accurate database of member information. Please notify Sis Nagarajah at enagarajah@gmail.com or Sis Gallington at ggallington@gmail.com of any changes to your contact information.

Midweek Bible Study
Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m.
via freeconferencecall.com
(Click image at left to join the class online, or see remote class schedule below for dial-in info)
New England Lectureship
The 2022 New England Lectureship is scheduled for May 6-8 in Marlborough, MA. Theme: Each One Reach One. Links to registration, vendor, and souvenir booklet ad forms are included in this week’s e-bulletin. Registration is $50 per adult (ages 18 and up) until April 15, 2022. After that, the registration fee will be $55 per adult. Registration is free for youth ages 17 and under. No refunds will be issued after April 1, 2022.

Hotel Information: Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel & Trade Center 181 Boston Post Road West ~ Marlborough, MA ~ 508-460-0700. Room Rate: $99 per night + tax. When you call to make your hotel reservation, request the New England Lectureship rate. Register and book your hotel room now so you don’t miss out. Our own Bro. Phillip Morrison will be one of the featured speakers.
Click here for updated NEL Flier
Click here for NEL Registration Form
Click here for NEL Vendor Form
Click here for NEL Souvenir Booklet Ad Form
Current & Upcoming Events
Latest on COVID-19
The Department of Public Health continues to urge all who are eligible to be vaccinated and/or boosted to do so, as vaccination is currently the best medical defense against the potentially deadly effects of COVID and its variants.

Although the City of Boston has lifted the mask mandate for most indoor spaces, masks are still required on public transportation, in hospitals and medical facilities, and the Department of Public Health (DPH) still recommends masking in indoor spaces for both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. Click here for the most recent advisory (March 1, 2022) from the Department of Public Health regarding face coverings and cloth masks.

All Massachusetts residents ages 5 and up are now eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine, and many facilities have walk-in hours. Booster shots are available for the Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines at many pharmacies and health care facilities. Use the link below if you need assistance scheduling an appointment or locating a facility.
Click here or anywhere in the announcement above for more information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Remote & In-Person
Class/Meeting Schedule
Wednesday Night Dial-In Bible Study
Wednesday evenings at 6:30 p.m.
Dial in number: 978-990-5000
Access Code: 261232#

Or join the class online at



Mid-Week Youth Bible Study
Wednesdays 7-7:30 p.m. via Zoom


Women's Saturday Prayer Meeting
Join us for prayer on Saturday mornings at 9:30 a.m. via freeconferencecall.com

Dial-in:  701-802-5069; Access code 3730930#
REMINDER: Please remember to mute your phone or computer when joining any of the above conference calls to avoid interrupting the class or service you are entering, particularly if you are joining the call after the event has started.
Prayer Requests
Couples Ministry
Beginning in March, 1st & 2nd Fridays of the month @ 7:00 p.m.
Please note new Zoom link, effective immediately:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81710667044?pwd=R2tHeTV6OHFpZHRuTjZVT3VnUmJzdz09
Ladies Take Note


4th Sunday Ladies Class
Sunday, March 27th at 5 p.m.
VIA ZOOM ONLY

Sis. Cindy Woodley
"An Eye on Attitude"
Luke 15:25-30

Click here to join class online

Meeting ID: 842 7265 5713
Passcode: 037668
Mature in Heart Ministry
SAVE THE DATE!
Our 2022 Pennsylvania Dutch Country Excursion is currently scheduled for October 28-29, 2022 to see "David" live on stage at the Sight & Sound Theatre
in Lancaster County.
Men Take Note
Sunday Morning Devotional: Brothers, please see Bro. Phillip Morrison if you would like to present a Sunday morning devotional at 10:30 a.m., prior to our Sunday morning worship service.

4th Sunday Men's Class Sunday, March 27, 2022, at 5:00 p.m. location TBA
Retention Ministry
No announcements at this time.
Support Groups
Young Adult Ministry (YAM)
No announcements at this time.
Youth & Family Ministry
Monthly Ministry Meeting 1st Sunday of each month at 2:00 p.m.
Calendar: February 2022
Meetings & Events
2/28-3/4 - Daily Lunch Distribution 1:30-2pm @church building
3/7-11 - Daily Lunch Distribution 1:30-2pm @church building
3/14-18 - Daily Lunch Distribution 1:30-2pm @church building
3/19 - Friends & Families Roller Skating Outing, 12noon-2:30pm, Saugus
3/21-25 - Daily Lunch Distribution 1:30-2pm @church building
3/26 - Community Outreach, 10am @ church building
3/27 - Roxbury 4th Sunday Ladies' 5:00pm @via Zoom
3/27 - Roxbury 4th Sunday Men's Class, 5:00pm @church building
3/28-4/1 - Daily Lunch Distribution 1:30-2pm @church building

Masks are required for all in-person events
Ministry Meetings - Please contact your ministry coordinator for remote meeting schedules.
Weekly Events - ALL SERVICES, CLASSES, & MEETINGS NORMALLY HELD AT THE CHURCH BUILDING ARE SUSPENDED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE, except as noted below:
  • Sunday Bible Class (children) See above for connection info and times for individual classes.
  • Sunday Adult Devotional/Bible Study, 10:30am @church building
  • Sunday Worship Service 8:30 and 11:00 am in person and 11:00 a.m. via livestream on YouTube. See above for details.
  • Men's/Women's Classes, 5pm (4th Sunday of the month); Men @church building; Women via Zoom (details above)
  • Youth & Family Ministry (1st Sunday of the month at 2pm)
  • Young Adult Ministry (2nd Sunday of the month at 6pm) VIA ZOOM
  • Mature in Heart Women's Prayer (Tuesdays @ 10:30am) VIA TELECONFERENCE (connection info above)
  • Prayer Meeting (Tuesdays @ 7pm) VIA TELECONFERENCE (connection info above)
  • Mid-Week Bible Study (Wednesdays @ 6:30pm) VIA TELECONFERENCE (connection info above)
  • New Converts' Class (Wednesdays @ 7pm) @church building
  • Healing Hearts (Thursdays @6:15pm) VIA ZOOM
  • Couple's Ministry (Fridays @ 7 pm)
  • Women's Prayer (Saturdays 9:30am) VIA TELECONFERENCE (Connection info above)
  • Ministers/Elders/Deacons Wives Meeting, (3rd Saturday @10 am) @church building
Bro. John Kurpiel, minister for the Lawrence congregation, hosts an international radio program, “Soul Food,” on Mondays and Tuesdays from 11AM until 3PM. The program airs on Ignite Radio Broadcast via Mixlr, an interactive internet radio platform. Use the link below to tune in to listen, or to participate in the conversation. Always free to listen. https://mixlr.com/ignite-radio-broadcast
Plan of Salvation
Church of Christ in Roxbury
81 Walnut Avenue
Roxbury, MA 02119
617-442-5826