Kemah never knew her mother.  One day while she and her brother were sleeping, their home caught fire.  In a desperate attempt to save his children, Kemah’s father ran into the house for them.  After he rescued her brother, her father searched for Kemah as well.  That day, the roof of their little house caved in, leaving Kemah’s foot badly burned and killing her father.

Now orphaned, 6 year-old Kemah and her brother found refuge at Master’s Home of Champions-Lifesong Liberia.  Here she is gaining an education, is given daily, nutritious meals, and is learning the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Kemah can tell you that she loves Jesus and knows He loves her because He died for her sins.  Someday she hopes to be a missionary so she can tell others about the love of Christ!  

Wow...  What an amazing response to the Gospel from a young child who's already experienced more pain than many of us will experience in a lifetime.  But Kemah is not alone.  There are other children... so many children... who need our help!

We're asking for a monthly commitment of $28 for one year to help cover the costs of caring for 70 orphans in Liberia.  This donation will cover food and water, and other necessities, such as coal and kerosene, toothpaste, bathing and laundry soup, and hair oil.

A typical grocery list at Lifesong Liberia for 1 month includes:

- 8 bags of rice

- 5 gallons agro oil

- 2 bags of cornmeal

- 1 bag of sugar

- 20 gallons of red cooking oil

- 1 carton of cooking salt

Sometimes powdered milk and flour will also be purchased, but not every month.

Every 1-2 days cassava, various vegetables, fish and occasionally chicken are purchased for soup.

Typically the children at Lifesong Liberia will have cornmeal porridge for breakfast and rice with soup for lunch and dinner.

Will you help us feed and care for these children?  Children like Kemah?

Our goal is 70 people.  $28 a month.  One year commitment.

We have 17 commitments. That means 53 to go in just 4 days!

Join us in bringing joy and purpose for orphans!

Contact us at info@lifesongfororphans.org to make your commitment today!

Lifesong - Liberia

Let's be the Hands and Feet of Jesus!

2010 Liberia Video from Lifesong for Orphans on Vimeo.

This week we are inviting our faithful readers and supporters to step up and help us in a time of need for Lifesong Liberia.

Lifesong has partnered with The Master’s Home of Champions orphanage and is providing a loving and safe home to many destitute and abandoned children, some of whom are deaf.  We seek to be the hands and feet of Jesus, and are focused on the goal of raising up champions for the good of Liberia and glory of God! 

This summer, another orphanage was in dire need, and thanks to an unexpected donation Lifesong was there.  Praise the Lord we can help more children!  But now, we need help too!  We need your help to make sure these children are fed every day!  We need your help to care for the fatherless!  Will you join us?

70 sponsors in one week is a tall order.  We know this.  We also know that we serve a big God who has told us that caring for the poor and vulnerable is at the very heart of who He is!  We believe we can make this happen! We pray that God will call hearts this week and we trust that you will answer!

Contact us at info@lifesongfororphans.org to commit!

Hear personal stories & follow the progress on our blog all this week!

 

Sermon Notes : In Christ Alone - A Study In Romans: Rom 13:8-10

  I.  Love is the debt we owe.

    a.  Love protects others against failure to repay.

-owe = opheileo = owe, indebted, obligated, ought, must

-Matt. 18:30, 34

-Luke 7:41; Philemon 1:18

-Matt. 5:42; Luke 6:34-35; borrow = danizo = to borrow money, to lend money;

-MacArthur "It is a debt we are constantly to pay against but can never pay off."

    b.  Love demonstrates itself through action.

    c.  Love sums up the law.

-summed up = anakephalaioo; comes from noun kephalaion = main point, summary; Heb. 8:1

-anakephalaioo = to summarize, bring to the main point; Rhetorical term used of summing of a speech or argument.

-Matt. 7:12

   d.  Love fulfills the law.

-Harrison "What then is the relationship between lvoe and law? In Christ the two concerns which seem to have so little in common, come together. To love others with the love of Christ exhibited is his new commandment (John 13:34). And if this love is present it will make possible the keeping of all his other commandments (John 14:15). Love promotes obedience and the two together constitute the law of Christ.

Sermon Notes: In Christ Alone- A Study in Romans Romans 13:1-7

-Robert Ottley "There is indeed significance in the fact that in spite of their ardent zeal for social reform they [the prophets] did not as a rule take part in political life or demad political reforms. They desired...not better institutions but better men."

-John MacArthur "It really does not matter whether people go to hell as policemen or prostitutes, judges or criminals, pro-life or pro-choice. The moral will persist with the immoral. Our task is the proclamation of the gospel. Neglecting it is the spiritual equivalent of a skilled heart surgeon abandoning his profession to become a make-up artist, spending his time making people look better rather than saving lives. The mission of the church is not to change society – although that is often a beneficial by-product of faithful ministry and living – but to worship and serve the Lord and to bring others to saving faith in Him.”

 

   I.  Submit to the government.

-hupotasso = to place or rank under, put in subjection

-Titus 3:1, I Pet. 2:13-15

    a.  The government is appointed by God.

-established = tasso = appoint, assign, designate.

-Dan. 2:21, 4:17, John 19:11

    b.  Resisting the government is opposition to God.

-resist = antitasso = oppose, resist;

-James 4:6, I Pet. 5:5, Acts 18:6

    c.  The government is God's minister.

-minister = diakonos = servant, helper, deacon

-Ex. 1:17, Dan. 1:12-15, 3:16-18; Acts 4:18-20, 5:28-29

-Jer. 29:7, I Tim. 2:1-2

 

  II.  The purpose of government is to maintain social order.

-Ezek. 7:23-27

   a.  Deter evil.

   b.  Restrain evil.

   c.  Punish evil.

   d.  Praise what is good.

   e.  Promote what is good.

-Eccl. 8:2-5

 

  III.  Render what is required to the government.

-Matt. 22:21; Matt. 17:24-27

Sermon Notes: In Christ Alone- A Study in Romans Romans 12:9-21

  I.  The supernatural life produces the transformation of personal conduct.
     a.  Loving without hypocrisy.
-John 13:34, 15:12, I John 4:7-1 

     b.  Abhorring evil.

-abhor = apostugeo = despise, hate bitterly
-Ps. 101:3, 119:104, 119:113, 119:128, 119:163; Prov. 8:13; I John 5:3; Zech. 8:17

              c.  Clinging to what is good.

-clinging = kollao = glue or cement
-I John 5:3, Phil. 4:8

     d.  Avoiding spiritual idleness.-lagging = lazy, idle
-diligence = zeal, earnestness, effort

     e.  Zealous in spirit.
-fervent = zeo = boil

     f.  Serving God -serving = douleo = to be a slave

     g.  Rejoicing in hope.
-Titus 2:13, I Tim. 1:1

     h.  Enduring tribulation.

-tribulation = thlipsis = trouble, distress
-persevering = hupomeno = endure, hold out, stand firm, bear
    

     i.  Unfaltering in prayer.

-devoted = proskartereo = devote self to, to continue in; Literally = to be strong toward something
 

  II.  The supernatural life produces transformation in our conduct toward God's family.

      a.  Devoted to one another in brotherly love.
-brotherly love = philadelphia; combination of phileo = to love, tender affection, and adelphos = brother
-devoted to = philostorgos = authentically loving, tenderly devoted; combination of phileo and storge. storge = natural family love.
-"It denotes the delicate affections mutually rendered by those who cherish one another with natural affection, as the innate love of a mother, or as the love of parents and children, brothers and sisters."
-I Thess. 4:9, Heb. 13:1, I Peter. 1:22
  

     b.  Honoring others above ourselves.
-giving preference to one another = proegeomai = to go before, to show the way, to consider, to esteem.
-Phil 2:3
-honor = time = honor, respect, recognition, value

     c.  Sharing with the family.

-contributing = kiononeo = share, contribute, take part
-Heb. 13:16

    d.  Pursuing hospitality.
-practicing = dioko = purse, seek after, strive for
-hospitality = philoxenia = fond of strangers, to receive strangers; combination of phileo and xenia = lodging, guest room. 
-Heb. 13:2, I Pet. 4:9
  

     e.  Sharing our lives with each other.
-Col. 3:12
  

     f.  Being unified.
-phroneo = think, have in mind
-Schreiner "Diversity of gifts and pesonality are beautiful, but they should never lead to disharmony in the church."

     g.  Staying humble.
-Matt. 11:29
-Schreiner "Those who do not associate with the humble are 'wise in their own estimation.' They refuse to associate with others because they deem themselves to be superior in wisdom. The redeemed community should be marked by humble concern for one another and all should be treated as valued persons made in the image of God and redeemed by Him."

 

  III.  The supernatural life produces transformation in our conduct toward enemies.

    

              a.  Bless our persecutors.

-persecute = dioko = to pursue, to strive for

-bless = eulogeo = bestow a blessing, act graciously toward

-Matt. 5:44, Luke, 6:27-28

   

    b.  Never retaliate

-Ex. 21:24; Matt. 5:38-44

-Deut. 32:35; Deut. 7:10

    

             c.  Do what is right.

-respect = pronoeo = have regard for, have in mind to try to do

-Prov. 3:4, II Cor. 8:21

    

   d.  Attempt to live at peace with everyone.

-Mark 9:50

    

   e.  Overcome evil by doing good.

-Prov. 25-21; II Kings 6:22

What does "heap burning coals on his head" mean?

    1) They will become more angry.

    2) They are put to shame.

    3) They are humiliated.

    4) They are under judgment.

-I Sam. 24:17

-Moo "By responding to evil with 'the good' rather than with evil, we gain a victory over that evil. Not only have we not allowed it to corrupt our own moral integrity, but we have displayed the character of Christ before a watching and sekptical world."