Stirrings at Bethesda - July 8, 2013

Good Morning, Bethesda!

Praise the Lord for a great Lord’s Day yesterday!  Our worship service was a blessing and our discipleship training class in the evening was quite lively!  Mark your calendar and join us next Sunday evening at 5 p.m.!

Urgent Prayer Requests

* Cynthia Wordlaw, recovering at home; also need for a kidney
* Tom, significant storm damage
* Pete & Brenda, their health & personal needs
* Brazel family
* Mueller family
* Marilynn Norvell
* Aaron Wordlaw and his arthritis
* Dennis fighting kidney failure
* Gene & Lois Schulze at home
* Mark & Julie Johnson and the situation with their Illinois home
* Anne Overton’s family
* Rachelle in California
* Our church and need for revival

Upcoming Activities

1. BUSINESS Meeting, Wednesday, 7 p.m.
2. Bethesda Men Breakfast & Book Study, Saturday, 8 a.m.
3. Sunday school, Sunday, 9:15 a.m.
4. Worship Service, Sunday, 10:30 a.m.
5. Discipleship Training, Sunday, 5 p.m.
6. Skating Fellowship, Great Skate Skating Rink in St. Peters, Sunday, 5:15 – 7:15 p.m.



Statement of Faith

Bethesda’s statement of faith is “The 1963 Baptist Faith and Message” and may be read here.  This is the 9th article concerning the Kingdom of God.

IX. The Kingdom

The kingdom of God includes both His general sovereignty over the universe and His particular kingship over men who willfully acknowledge Him as King. Particularly the kingdom is the realm of salvation into which men enter by trustful, childlike commitment to Jesus Christ. Christians ought to pray and to labor that the kingdom may come and God's will be done on earth. The full consummation of the kingdom awaits the return of Jesus Christ and the end of this age.

Outreach Effort

Energy bars are still available on the table in the foyer.  Please take some and hand them out to those you encounter who have a need for them.


“A witnessing Christian can not do so without sharing the Word and living the Word.”



“The Apostle employs a word never used anywhere else in the New Testament to describe the conspicuous and widespread nature of this testimony of theirs.”
Alexander Maclaren

Roller Skating Fellowship

Sunday, July 14, 5:15 p.m.

Contact Karla if you are planning to attend and let her know if you are planning on skating.

Sermon Extras

1.  In verse 8 of 1 Thessalonians 1, Paul says the word has “sounded forth” and the Thessalonians faith in God “has gone forth”.  Both of these verbs are written in a form which indicates a completed action with results which continue on.  So I might loosely translate this verse something like this to communicate this aspect of the verb form:

“For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you and continues to ring out in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere and continues to impact others even today...”  

2.  In verse 9 Paul notes that others from around the Empire are talking about what has taken place in Thessalonica.  He writes, “For they themselves report”.  The word “report” literally means “to proclaim” and Paul says they continue to do so.  The reports on the Thessalonians keep coming in and those proclaiming it keep talking about it!  What a significant work the Lord accomplished in that city!

3.  Here is the quote from William Hendriksen on Paul’s use of the word “turned” in verse 9:

“When God converts a man, he changes the entire person, not only the emotions, so that one regrets his former manner of life (cf. the idea which predominates in the verb metamelomai), but also the mind and will, with respect to which he experiences a complete change-over (cf. the thought that is placed in the foreground by metanoia), and all of this becomes apparent in his outward conduct (this being the main import of the verb used her in 1 Thess. 1:9).”

Pastor’s Postscripts

A brief “thank you” to whoever gave me the picture of the giraffes.  I truly appreciate the gift and your thoughtfulness.  I apologize for not seeing it sooner but I have found that I am rather focused on the message in the moments before I preach it and often oblivious to things around me!

I intend to hang it in my church study since it was given by a church member plus the fact my “giraffe pen” at home is a bit overcrowded these days (not to mention that my wife has told me to transfer some of my giraffes from my home study to the church study!).

I guess if the picture was NOT intended to be a gift to me, whoever placed it by the pulpit will need to see me and reclaim it.  Good luck with that!    

See you Sunday with Bible in hand!