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Showing posts with label outreach. Show all posts
Showing posts with label outreach. Show all posts

Monday, June 3, 2013

Stirrings at Bethesday - June 3, 2013

Good Morning, Bethesda!

We are thankful God protected our facilities on Friday night as the tornado passed nearby.  Also, we praise the Lord there were no fatalities or serious injuries from the storm.

As of this writing, we are aware of only one church member who suffered loss and that’s brother Tom.  His house was significantly damaged and it will take some time before he and his children are able to return to it as their home.  Please keep him in your prayers and, if there is any way you may be able to help him out, please do so.  Thank you to those men who have already been to the house to help him out.

Urgent Prayer Requests

* Tom, significant storm damage
* Pete & Brenda, their health
* Brenda’s father who is very ill
* Brazel family
* Debbie, recovering from foot surgery
* Marilynn Norvell
* Cynthia Wordlaw, need for a kidney
* Aaron Wordlaw and his arthritis
* Dennis fighting kidney failure
* Gene & Lois Schulze at home.
* Anne Overton’s family
* Our church and need for revival



 
“For I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all gods.  Whatever the Lord pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps.”
Psalm 135:5-6


 
Outreach Effort

The Outreach Committee has provided church members with bags containing energy and/or granola bars.  Each bar contains a Bible verse plus the church’s address and phone number.  Please take one or more bags and pass out individual bars to those you meet who have a need.  For example, if you pull up to a light and a person is asking for money, hand him a bar.

The bags are located on the table in the foyer.


Upcoming Activities

1. Bible Study (Brief Books) and Prayer Meeting, Wednesday, 7 p.m.
2. Deacons’ Meeting, Wednesday, 7:45 p.m.
3. Bethesda Men Breakfast & Book Study, Saturday, 8 a.m.
4.  Church Council Meeting, Saturday, 9 a.m.
5.  Sunday school, Sunday, 9:15 a.m.
6. Worship Service, Sunday, 10:30 a.m.
7. NO Discipleship Training


“God is too wise to be mistaken
God is too good to be unkind
So when you don’t understand
When you don’t see His plan
When you can’t trace His hand
Trust His Heart.”

Babbie Mason



Statement of Faith

Bethesda’s statement of faith is “The 1963 Baptist Faith and Message” and may be read at http://www.sbc.net/bfm/bfmcomparison.asp.  Here is the article on Salvation.

IV. Salvation

Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man, and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. In its broadest sense salvation includes regeneration, sanctification, and glorification.

1. Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God's grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace. Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God. Faith is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and commitment of the entire personality to Him as Lord and Saviour. Justification is God's gracious and full acquittal upon principles of His righteousness of all sinners who repent and believe in Christ. Justification brings the believer into a relationship of peace and favor with God.

2. Sanctification is the experience, beginning in regeneration, by which the believer is set apart to God's purposes, and is enabled to progress toward moral and spiritual perfection through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in him. Growth in grace should continue throughout the regenerate person's life.

3. Glorification is the culmination of salvation and is the final blessed and abiding state of the redeemed.


Saturday, June 8

Men, bring your breakfast and join us for some fellowship and study this Saturday beginning at 8 a.m.  We’ll fellowship for 15-20 minutes and then continue our study of Dr. Whitney’s book.  Even if you have been unable to attend in the past, join us this Saturday.

Our church council will meet at 9 a.m. this Saturday to discuss and schedule upcoming activities.  If you are on the council and cannot attend, please ask someone to take your place.


Pastor’s Postscripts

To those who attended Sunday, thank you for your attentiveness during the message.  For a variety of reasons, I had great difficulty in delivering this Sunday’s sermon.  But God is good and His Word powerful!

This Sunday we begin a new series.  We’ll take a look at the Thessalonian church by working our way through Paul’s letters to them.  We’ll begin this series, however, not in 1 Thessalonians but in the book of Acts.  This Sunday we examine “The Beginnings of a Local Church.”

I look forward to seeing you there!  God bless!

Monday, May 20, 2013

Stirrings at Bethesda - May 20, 2013

Good Morning, Bethesda!

The music and singing yesterday morning was simply inspiring and Christ exalting!  Thank you to our musicians and to everyone who sang from their hearts!

Urgent Prayer Requests

* Pete & Brenda, their health
* Brenda’s father who is very ill
* Brazel family
* Debbie, recovering from foot surgery
* Marilynn Norvell
* Cynthia Wordlaw, need for a kidney
* Aaron Wordlaw and his arthritis
* Dennis fighting kidney failure
* Gene & Lois Schulze at home.
* Caroline, Anne Overton’s sister-in-law, and family – terminal brain cancer
* Our church and need for revival


Upcoming Activities

1. Ladies Fellowship. Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.
2.  Bible Study (Brief Books) and Prayer Meeting, Wednesday, 7pm.
3.  Sunday school, Sunday, 9:15 a.m.
4. Worship Service, Sunday, 10:30 a.m. including the Lord’s Supper.
5.  Bowling and Late Lunch Fellowship, Sunday after morning worship.
6. NO Discipleship Training


“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.” 
Ephesians 5:1


Ladies Fellowship!

Ladies, an evening of fellowship will begin Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in the church’s fellowship hall.  All ladies are welcome to attend and join in the fun! 

Statement of Faith

Bethesda’s statement of faith is “The 1963 Baptist Faith and Message” and may be read at http://www.sbc.net/bfm/bfmcomparison.asp.  Here is the 3rd part of the article on God.

3. God the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. He inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures. Through illumination He enables men to understand truth. He exalts Christ. He convicts of sin, of righteousness and of judgment. He calls men to the Saviour, and effects regeneration. He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows the spiritual gifts by which they serve God through His church. He seals the believer unto the day of final redemption. His presence in the Christian is the assurance of God to bring the believer into the fulness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.


“A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.”
Luke 6:40

Sermon Extras

Jesus’ remark concerning John expressed in verse 22 was misunderstood by many to mean John would not die until the Lord returned.  John set the record straight in verse 23, indicating that was not what the Lord was saying.  And, of course, John ultimately did die prior to Christ’s return.  Yet there is a comment on these verses by Arthur W. Pink which speaks truth:

“The ministry of John actually goes on to the end, for in the Revelation he treats at length of those things which are to usher in the Lord’s return to the earth, aye, and beyond to the new heaven and the new earth!”

Outreach Effort

The Outreach Committee is asking church families to donate energy or granola bars for an outreach effort.  We are going to add Scripture verses to these bars and then make them available to church members to hand out to homeless individuals or anyone who has a need for some food and the Gospel.

We’ll start our collection this Sunday.  So if you would like to provide some energy or granola bars for this simple outreach effort, please bring them to church this Sunday.

Pastor’s Postscripts

This Sunday marks a minor milestone relative to my ministry at Bethesda.  If the Lord wills, we complete our exposition of John’s Gospel which we began on April 11, 2010.  After 3 years and 128 messages, we will put John down (for now) despite there being so much more in the Gospel to discuss.

Since coming to Bethesda, we have moved through John, Ruth, and Colossians together.  Combined with my previous pastorate, God has given me the privilege of preaching through a total of 11 books now (1/6th of the Bible).  As a math geek, I calculated that, at that pace, I would have to live to the age of 377 to complete an exposition of all 66 books!  Holy Methuselah!

I sought the Lord’s direction on where in the Word we should now turn.  Repeatedly my mind turned to the local church.  God’s Word has much to say on the church and I believe one great way to do that is to examine a specific New Testament church.  So, beginning in June, we move from the work of the Lord while on this earth to the work of the Lord through His church.  And we will do this by looking at the church of the Thessalonians.

Unless the Lord intervenes, my first message in June will be from the book of Acts in order to provide the background for the following weeks.  Then, on June 9, we open the Word to the book of 1 Thessalonians and see what God had to say to that local church and how His Word applies to us at Bethesda Baptist today.

I began working on these messages a few weeks ago but I covet your prayers as we begin this new series.  May the Lord bless our journey together with the Thessalonians as He brings to a close our study of the Gospel of John!