By Matt Huey
God is continuing to draw people to himself, and this week we were encouraged to have 14 men gather to pray, one of which is fairly new to Mars Hill where he recently became a new believer. We gave praise to God for how he continues to call people to witness to gospel of Jesus Christ, and how he has continued to open doors to do so in our spheres of influence.

Pastor Cliff led us this week, and as we turned our focus to the word of God we looked at Luke 6:43-45 (verse below):

“For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”

We discussed how having a heart of humility and grace that is oriented toward God is what Jesus desires. In order to be fruitful it is imperative that our hearts are right before Jesus, which requires us to continually remain in him (a joy, not a burden) due to the deceitfulness of our hearts. Pastor Cliff also read the following verse out of Jeremiah 17:9-10:

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? ‘I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”

Application Questions:

• What is the condition of your heart towards others?
• What outward actions are you doing that do not reflect a heart change?
• What type of fruits are you producing when no one is looking?
• What steps are you willing to take to change your heart?

Prayers this week:

• Pray for the elders, staff, and other leaders of Mars Hill – that God would protect their families during this holiday season.
• Pray for the D.A. Carson conference this Saturday – that many would attend, and that hearts would be open to what God would want to reveal to them.
• Pray for the Adopt-a-Family program this Christmas. Pray that the believers of Mars Hill would show the love of Jesus through the sacrificial giving of their time, talents, and treasure to those that are in need.
• Pray for the community groups – that each member and group as a whole would become far more missional. Pray for the new community groups and leaders that will be starting this next year.
• Pray for those that are single at Mars Hill during the holidays. Pray that they would be surrounded by loving family and friends, and that they would find joy and give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
• Pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to use the Song of Solomon series in the lives of those at Mars Hill long after its completion. Pray that all believers will seek to pursue their primary identity in Christ, that marriages will be strengthened, that fathers and mothers will raise their children to the glory of God, and that those yet to be married will pursue relationships that are honoring to Jesus.
• Pray that the men of Mars Hill would lead well and cover their families.
• Pray against Satan, his tricks, and divisive attempts to hamper the mission of Mars Hill and lead people astray from the truth of the gospel.