Monthly Church Calendar
The July church calendar is being sent with this newsletter. As with last month’s edition, the July calendar also has a birthday/anniversary section to it.
If you have a birthday and/or anniversary in July and you do not see it on the calendar that means your pastor has no record of it. Please let me know so we can include it on future calendars.
Urgent Prayer Requests
* Cynthia Wordlaw, recovering in hospital; also need for a kidney
* Tom, significant storm damage
* Pete & Brenda, their health
* Brazel family
* Mueller family
* Marilynn Norvell
* Aaron Wordlaw and his arthritis
* Dennis fighting kidney failure
* Gene & Lois Schulze at home.
* Anne Overton’s family
* Rachelle in California
* Our church and need for revival
Upcoming Activities
1. NO Prayer Meeting, Wednesday.
2. Sunday school, Sunday, 9:15 a.m.
3. Worship Service, Sunday, 10:30 a.m.
4. Discipleship Training, Sunday, 5 p.m.
5. Business Meeting, Wednesday, July 10, 7
p.m.
“The missionary for Christ must reveal Jesus in his life as well as in his words.”
Outreach Effort
More bags containing energy bars are available on the table in the foyer. Please take some and hand them out to those you encounter who have a need for them.
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 8th article on the Lord’s Day.
VIII. The Lord's Day
The first day of the week is the Lord's Day. It is a Christian institution for regular observance. It commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead and should be employed in exercises of worship and spiritual devotion, both public and private, and by refraining from worldly amusements, and resting from secular employments, work of necessity and mercy only being excepted.
Roller Skating Fellowship
Sunday, July 14, 5:15 p.m.
More information to follow.
“...grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
2 Peter 3:18
Sermon Extras
In verse 6, the ESV reads “And you became imitators”. The King James translates “imitators” as “followers”. The original in the New Testament is from “mimetes” and is the basis for the English word “mimic”. Paul reveals the Thessalonians “mimicked” him.
Also, in verse 7 Paul writes, “so that you became an example”. As I mentioned in my message, while the word “you” is plural (you Thessalonians, you individuals), the word “example” (tupos from where our word “type” originates) is singular. In other words, the multiple imitating Thessalonians AS A GROUP (or body) has become an example, a type, or a model. The church is an example of a growing church in Christ because its believers are growing by imitating others and the Lord.
I find it interesting Paul notes the Thessalonian church “became” an example, they weren’t original created that way. Becoming a mature Christian or a model church takes time and perseverance.
Finally, the Thessalonian church is a model to all the believers in Greece (Macedonian & Achaia). “Believers” is literally “the believing ones”, the ones who persist in their faith, who always believe. Faith in Christ is never a one time, one event faith. One does not merely believe in Jesus to get saved. Rather, one believers to be saved and continues to believe throughout their life. Lastly, the Thessalonian church had become a model church for not just a few of the believers in Greece but ALL of them. While Paul may be using a bit of hyperbole, he has likely received good reports from multiple cities in which churches have started as a result of his ministry. These reports obviously indicate the example of the Thessalonians has made its mark on these other believers.
Deacon Nominations
Please begin praying concerning our deacon nomination process which begins in August. By our constitution, we are permitted to have 3 deacons at this time. These deacons serve for 3 year terms and then rotate off our active deacon list. Presently our deacons are Dennis DePriest, Rich Norvell, and Dan Repperger. Dan completes his term of service at the end of this year. Beginning in August the church may nominate some man (including Dan) to serve another 3 years beginning in 2014.
I encourage you to begin praying for deacons and the man who should serve for the next 3 years. Consult 1 Timothy 3 for the Biblical qualifications of this office.
More on our deacon election process in the coming weeks.
Pastor’s Postscripts
This will be a busy week for many as we celebrate our country’s 237th birthday. Our nation has radically changed since its founding and, regrettably, much of this change has been very negative when weighed against Biblical principles. But our God is still on the throne. He builds nations up and tears nations down as His Sovereign will decides. Those of us who are born again may confidently live our lives in the hope of Christ even in the midst of a decaying society.
Celebrate the freedoms we have as well as those who help procure and secure them over the years. And pray that God will bring repentance and a great revival to our land.
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