Element Christian Church
Not So Little Women: Week 14 - Martha
Locations & Times
Element Christian Church
4890 Bethany Ln, Santa Maria, CA 93455, USA
Sunday 9:00 AM
Sunday 10:45 AM
Welcome to Element
We strive to ensure the biggest thing people think when they hear about Element is Jesus! We aim to glorify God by teaching and living out the Scriptures, transforming community into Gospel community, and planting churches.
Grief Share
Element's second round of Griefshare, a 13-week support group for those who have lost a loved one, will be taking place on Tuesday nights from 6-8 PM starting January 9th. The Griefshare process includes video lessons, group discussions, and workbook exercises to help participants process their loss and find support and encouragement from others
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https://ourelement.churchcenter.com/calendar/event/140035913Men's Study
In the new year we will be studying the first six chapters of Daniel. As Sinclair Ferguson states, "Daniel, exiled in Babylon, a statesman whose personal experiences are breathtaking in their heroism and triumph." These first six chapters really show us how genuinely God-centered Daniel is and how God-centered is the view of the political stage on which he plays his part. <br><br>Join us Saturdays in the Barn 7:30a-9a.
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https://www.ourelement.org/downloads/2023/2023_11_fall_MissionsUpdate.pdfWE NEED HELP
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https://ourelement.churchcenter.com/setupThis week's song list
Interested in looking for some of the songs we sang this week? Here's the titles and original artists:<br><br>Future/ Past - John Mark McMillan<br>Glorious Day - Kristen Stanfill<br>Rock of Ages - Ascend the Hill<br>Fall Afresh - Jeremy RIddle<br>Revelation Song - Jesus Culture<br>In Christ Alone - New City Church
Martha
The Not So Little Women series focuses on stories of different women in the Bible. Today, we look at Martha, on of Jesus' disciples.
Who was Martha? – She was a disciple of Jesus. Martha was from Bethany, a 2-mile walk from Jerusalem. She was the sister of Mary (of Bethany) and Lazarus. Martha was a ‘get things done’ person and likely had a gift for hospitality.
What is her story? – While hosting Jesus at her home, Martha became frustrated with her sister ‘sitting at the feet of Jesus’ while she served Jesus. Jesus spoke truth in love to Martha - teaching her that women and men both can be His disciples, and that ‘being with’ Him supersedes ‘doing for’ Him. Much later, Martha proclaimed her belief in Jesus as Messiah, witnessed Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, and served a meal in Jesus’ honor.
1. Jesus welcomes all people, both women and men, to be His disciples. Galatians 3:28.
2. The Church, the Body of Christ, needs people to serve - people like Martha. Martha was not ‘in trouble’ for hosting Jesus at her house. Her hospitality was a generous (and needed) gift to Jesus and the disciples likely traveling with Him. Similarly, all Jesus followers are called to serve - to use our time, energy, gifts, and skills for the sake of the Body of Christ and the people around us. Where are you serving in the Body of Christ? How has God used serving in your life? If you’re not serving yet, where might you start?
3. ‘Being with’ Jesus is more important than ‘doing things for’ Jesus. Martha allowed busyness and social expectations to take her away from spending relational time with Jesus. Our instant-access, performance-driven, overscheduled lives foster the same in many of us. Serving others in Jesus’ name is valuable. More important is sharing our lives with Jesus, listening to Him, knowing Him more.
4. Jesus, the Messiah, loves us! Let’s trust that He is working in His perfect time. Martha knew Jesus loved her. Over time she matured in her faith. She trusted He was the Messiah - even though Jesus let Lazarus die before He came to Bethany. Like Martha, let’s wait on Jesus to come. Let’s run to Him, share our lives with Him, ask Him about our hurts and challenges, and have faith he will show His glory through our circumstances in His time.
Ask/ Discuss:
• What did you learn about God in this passage/ message?
• What did you learn about yourself/humanity in this passage/message?
• How can we better reflect Jesus together as we live in diverse community?
• How do you feel led to foster healthy, Gospel-centered community this week?