July 15, 2013
Urgent Prayer Requests
* Cynthia Wordlaw, 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. Bible Study (Brief Books) & 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.
Christ, by highest heaven adored
Christ, the everlasting Lord
Late in time, behold Him come
Offspring of a virgin’s womb
Veiled in flesh the God-head see
Hail the incarnate Deity!
Pleased as man with men to dwell
Jesus our Immanuel
Hark the herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn King.
Charles Wesley
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 article 10:
X. Last Things
God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. According to His promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth; the dead will be raised; and Christ will judge all men in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to hell, the place of everlasting punishment. The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and will dwell forever in heaven with the Lord.
“The Judge will have His final reckoning with evil at the Great White Throne followed by the wrath of the fire of Hell. We were in that ‘judgment line’ until Christ delivered us.”
Sermon Extras
As I mentioned in the message, the phrase in v. 10 “delivers us from the wrath to come” has been interpreted by some to support the teaching that Christians will be removed from the world via the rapture prior to the Great Tribulation when God pours out His wrath upon the earth. In their understanding, Christ will deliver us from experiencing this wrath by removing us before it occurs.
But the phrase in the original uses the preposition ek meaning “out of” implying we are delivered from a wrath we are already under. The same preposition is used earlier in this verse when Paul writes “Son from heaven”. In both cases, “from” means “from within” or “out of”. So it is unlikely this verse provides any support for a “pre-tribulation rapture”.
Furthermore, even the time of God’s wrath known as the Great Tribulation has a “wrath to come”, namely the Great White Throne Judgment. That judgment is followed by the eternal pouring out of God’s wrath upon the lost in Hell itself. My understanding of the “wrath to come” believes this is a reference to the time of the final judgment.
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
Psalm 2:12
Pastor’s Postscripts
Another mysterious gift giver struck this Sunday! I walked out of my office shortly before worship and found a giraffe coffee cup sitting by my door. I’m assuming someone gave this to me as a gift and I thank whoever it is!
I want to remind you of our Bible Study on Wednesday evenings. We are spending about 15 minutes each week working our way through the “brief books” of the Bible. By brief books I am mean those books which contain only one chapter. We have completed Obadiah and are starting the first of four New Testament books this week with the book of Philemon. So come out and join us as we begin this new study.
Also, there are some changes coming to our prayer time which follows the Bible study. About a month ago, those present spent some time discussing the various prayer needs of our church and several good suggestions were made. You will see some of those “rolled out” over the coming weeks.
Our Trustees are working on several matters of importance relative to our facility. As many of you know, our church sign needs to be replaced. They are examining various possibilities and I suspect a proposal for a new sign will be coming from this committee soon. Please keep this body of members much in your prayers as they examine the various designs and associated costs.
The Trustees are also checking possible solutions to problems with our irrigation system. Please pray and ask the Lord to give them wisdom.
I’ll close out this week’s edition with an appeal to those who are members of our church but who, for whatever reason, are not joining us for worship on Sundays. We really would love to have you back with us. Furthermore, the Lord expects His followers to be with brothers and sisters on the Lord’s Day worshiping Him! So why don’t you plan on returning next Sunday and join us in singing praises to our great God?
This Sunday’s message will come from the opening verses of chapter 2 of 1 Thessalonians. I trust I will see you there with your Bible in hand!