Good Morning, Bethesda!
Memorial Day saw many of our folks out, likely visiting with relatives and friends. Nevertheless, the Lord blessed us with not only a great weather day but also a great worship time!
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.
* Anne Overton's family
* Our church and need for revival
Outreach Effort
The Outreach Committee is collecting energy or granola bars. If you would like to donate some, please place them in the box at church. The committee will add a Scripture verse and basic church information to each bar. You may then take bars to distribute to those you encounter who may have need of them (e.g., homeless individuals). Some bars should be available for distributing beginning this coming Sunday. This is a very simple way to share a witness for Christ and to provide very basic help to those in need.
Upcoming Activities
1. Bible Study (Brief Books) and Prayer Meeting, Wednesday, 7 p.m.
2. Sunday school, Sunday, 9:15 a.m.
3. Worship Service, Sunday, 10:30 a.m.
4. Discipleship Training, Sunday, 5 p.m.
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 Man.
III. Man
Man was created by the special act of God, in His own image, and is the crowning work of His creation. In the beginning man was innocent of sin and was endowed by his Creator with freedom of choice. By his free choice man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race. Through the temptation of Satan man transgressed the command of God, and fell from his original innocence; whereby his posterity inherit a nature and an environment inclined toward sin, and as soon as they are capable of moral action become transgressors and are under condemnation. Only the grace of God can bring man into His holy fellowship and enable man to fulfil the creative purpose of God. The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image, and in that Christ died for man; therefore every man possesses dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.
Sermon Extras
In that final verse of the Gospel which we looked at yesterday morning, John writes “Now there are also many other things that Jesus DID.” At the time John wrote these words, he was pondering the many works Jesus had done in history prior to that moment. “That moment” was almost 2000 years ago! Consider how many more things Jesus has done since then! Think about all He has done just in your life alone. Praise God the works of Jesus did not end when John put down his pen!
Graduates
Unless I am mistaken (and there’s always a high probability of that!), we have 2 graduates in our midst this year: Meghan Bartner and Julie Brandel. Congratulations to them on completing their high school days!
We will recognize them this coming Sunday during our worship service. If I have overlooked a graduate, please accept my apologies and let me know whom I missed.
“... no infinite number can ever record the deeds performed by Infinite Love.”
William Hendriksen
Pastor’s Postscripts
Since I concluded our exposition of John’s Gospel yesterday by quoting a stanza of Frederick Lehman’s great hymn “The Love of God” and since that hymn is not in our hymnal, I thought I would simply share with you the hymn in its entirety as my column this week.
The Love of God
by
Frederick M. Lehman
The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.
Refrain: O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints’ and angels’ song.
When years of time shall pass away,
And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,
When men, who here refuse to pray,
On rocks and hills and mountains call,
God’s love so sure, shall still endure,
All measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam’s race—
The saints’ and angels’ song.
Refrain
Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above,
Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.
Refrain
I do pray the Lord grants you a terrific week! Bring your Bibles Sunday as we begin a new journey in God’s Word!
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