Bulletin: 2025-08-10

News

1. 2026 Deacon Candidate Nomination electronic ballot will be sent by email and SMS Sun., Aug., 17. Voting deadline is Sun., Aug., 31. The format is as following:
   • Email from Greater Phoenix Chinese Christian Church [email protected]. Vote now: Greater Phoenix Chinese Christian Church – 2026 Deacon Candidate Nomination
   • Text (SMS) from: (877) 225-8712. GPCCC: 2026 Deacon Candidate Nomination: VOTE Now – ebv.io/xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx
2. 2025 Mission Conference is Fri.-Sun., Sep. 12-14. Our theme is “Always Being Prepared” and our speaker is Dr. Michael Copeland.
3. Praise God for the birth of Elise Bejot, born to Marcus and Corina on Aug. 5 at 7 lb, 9 oz. Pray for the family.
4. Connect This Week
   • Sunday College Summer Fellowship – Join us for our final gathering of the summer tonight at 6:00 PM at the Capels’ home. See schedule.
   • Thursday Bible Study. Open to all, 6:00-8:00pm at Marcus & Corina’s. Contact Marcus Bejot [email protected] for info.
   • Thursday Crossroads (Young Adults) meets at 7pm in the church office. Contact P. Steve ([email protected]) for info.
   • Young Families: Instead of meeting on Fri. Aug. 15 for The Truth Project, all young families parents are invited to attend a planning session on Sun. Aug. 17, 12:45pm in CO-204. Contact P. Steve ([email protected]) for info.
   • Youth Ministry will be launching the Equipping Parents Book Club in September. We will be reading and discussing Parenting with Hope together, meeting one Sunday a month. It is open to all parents of youth (7th-12th grade). More information and registration.
5. Children’s Ministry
   • Children’s Ministry is seeking passionate teachers to lead our Children’s Worship and Sunday School from September-November. Contact Children’s Ministry Director Mary Wong ([email protected]).
   • Children’s Ministry’s Lunch & Learn will be Sun., Aug. 24, 1:00-2:20pm in CO-203 on How to Teach Children’s Sunday School. All teachers, parents, potential teachers can join. Register. Contact [email protected] for info.
6. Impact the World
   • Wednesday Prayer Meeting, 7:30-8:30pm (Zoom: 233 085 786; PW 007276). Contact P. Larry ([email protected]) for info.

WORD: Room for Improvement – RFI

Steve Houston • 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians

At our worst and even at our best, there is room for improvement.
Improvement comes by “God-improvement” – by his grace and love.

• RFI in the Basement – Behavior definitely going in the wrong direction.
  • Negative Influences Upon the Church in Corinth:
    • The downward pull from the world, the flesh, and the devil in Corinth.
    • The believers’ familiarity with sin made them calloused to sin’s gravity.
  • Negative Outcomes Within the Church in Corinth:
    • Their sins (1 Cor): factionalism, immorality, litigiousness, and irreverence.
    • Their feelings (2 Cor): They were alienated from Paul by false apostles.

Come clean in your basement with God’s grace! (1 Cor. 1:4; 2 Cor. 1:15)
God’s sanctifying grace enables radical improvement in our morals.

• RFI in the Balcony – Behavior going in somewhat the right direction.
  • Positive Influences Upon the Church at Corinth
    • They benefitted from a consortium of effective and mature leaders.
    • They were enriched in Christ and broadly spiritually gifted. 1 Cor. 1:5,7
  • Positive Outcomes Within the Church at Corinth
    • After resisting appeals, many repented with godly grief. 2 Cor. 7:9-11
    • They excelled “in everything,” including Paul’s love for them! 2 Cor. 8:7

Go even higher than your balcony with God’s love. 1 Cor. 12:31b–14:1a
God’s love enables fine-tuning improvement in our relationships.

God’s grace gets us out of the basement and his love
brings us higher than our current balcony! 2 Cor. 13:14

GROW (Sundays 11:15am-12:25pm) June-August

Middle School – Risk-Takers of Faith (Youth Center) Various Teachers
College & High School – The Jesus I Wish I Knew in HS (D-203) P. Chris
Gospel Project – Kings of Israel and Judah (B-110) Nathan Palmer
Book of Genesis (CO-206) Marcus Bejot & P. Larry

PRAY:

• For those who have been laid off and are looking for a job.
• For wisdom for our elders and pastors as they oversee the church.
• For the Panama Mission Team as they are on the field Aug. 15-26.
• How can the English prayer team pray for you? Send requests.

English Worship Service

Praise	Duane
Prayer	P. Chris
Welcome/Announcements	P. Chris
Message	P. Steve
Reflection Song	Duane
Commission Prayer for Panama STM	P. Steve
Benediction	P. Steve