Stirrings at Bethesda

Weekly Publication of Bethesda Baptist Church
April 28, 2014

Julie’s Mission Trip

You still have time to financially contribute to support Julie’s 10 week mission trip to San Diego. She will be leaving in a month or so. Even if you cannot give, please pray for her and the team.

LADIES Book Study

Three more weeks remaining in the Ladies Book Study. You meet again this Tuesday evening at 6:30 p.m.

Upcoming Activities

1. Bethesda Academy, Monday, 6:30 p.m.
2. Ladies Book Study, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.
3. Bible Study & Prayer Meeting, Wednesday, 7 p.m.
4. Bethesda Men Breakfast & Book Study, Saturday, 8 a.m.
5. Church Council meeting, Saturday, 9 a.m.
6. Sunday School, Sunday, 9:15 a.m.
7. Worship Service, Sunday, 10:30 a.m.
8. Discipleship Training, Sunday, 5 p.m.

The Bethesda Academy

Tonight (Monday) we complete our review of the Gospels concerning future events. Our next stop will be the book of Revelation where we will conduct an overview of the end of time. Plenty of time to join us for the remainder of this study. We meet Mondays at 6:30 p.m.

Recent Prayer Requests

* Cynthia Wordlaw and her family in the death of her mother. Also Cynthia’s need for a kidney.
* Elijah Mueller
* Alicia’s mother
* Meghan Bartner
* Zachary Mueller
* Dennis fighting kidney failure
* Marilynn Norvell
* Debbie, recovering from foot surgery
* Prayer for the conversions of the lost, especially those in our community
* Praise to the Lord for our visitors
* Our church and need for revival

Congratulations to…

Tom Wildgrube celebrates a birthday on Saturday, May 3. Happy Birthday!

“Exemplary conduct serves as a constant reprimand to wrong doers and is an incentive for them to turn from their delinquency.”
Robert Thomas

Coming Sunday…

“Peace and Grace” from 2 Thessalonians 3:16-18 will close out our exposition of Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians.

Sermon Seconds

The 3 verses we examined yesterday are interesting from a number of points of view. One of those has to do with the vocabulary the Apostle uses. In verse 13, Paul instructs us not to weary doing good. The words “doing good” comes from a compound Greek word, kalopoieo, and is used only in this verse by any New Testament writer.

In verse 14, we are told to “take note” of any believer who is disobedient. The phrase translates a single word, semeioo, which was used to describe signing for a formal notice. Like kalopoieo, it is also only used here in Scripture. The noun form of the word, semeion, is often translated “sign”. In fact the word is used repeatedly by John in his Gospel to describe the signs of Jesus. John saw the Lord’s miracles not from the perspective of their power or from wonder but as a pointer to the worker of the miracle, namely Jesus. These signs “marked” Him as the Incarnate God.

Also in verse 14 Paul tells us that after we take note of the disobedient we are to “have nothing to do” with him. Once again this phrase is the translation of one Greek word, sunanamignumi. This word is a combination of three Greek words:

* sun = “together with”
* ana = “again, up”
* mignumi = “to mix, mingle”

So the compound word means “to mix up together with”. We might worship together with the disobedient but we are not to get mixed up together with them. In other words, avoid close and intimate associations with those who are living in disobedience to God.

Pastor’s Postscript

This Sunday marks the conclusion of our exposition of the Thessalonian correspondence. These 2 letters mark some of the Apostle Paul’s earliest writings and some of the earliest books forming what we know as the New Testament. There is much within the two books we have not looked at but one can never fully examine all of Scripture. God’s Word is infinite in its depth, as deep as the knowledge of God Himself. We have merely “touched the hem of the garment” with our messages over these two books. So much more awaits our examination and the illumination of the Holy Spirit. For now, though, we move on to other texts given to us by God.

May Christ bless each of us as we strive to learn more of Him from His Word. and may He bless each of you this week.

STIRRINGS at BETHESDA, the weekly newsletter of Bethesda Baptist Church

January 20, 2014

THANK YOU!

Thank you to brother Carl Schaefer for preaching in my absence yesterday. And thank you to all who helped out! I do appreciate everyone’s efforts.

Recent Prayer Requests

* Pam and her family in the death of her father; also safe travel to Texas
* Brenda Koelling
* Meghan Bartner
* Sali Standley, ill for several weeks
* Special prayer for Zachary
* Cynthia Wordlaw, need for a kidney
* Dennis fighting kidney failure
* Marilynn Norvell
* Debbie Walker, pending foot surgery
* Steve Brook and meeting with ordination council
* 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. including the Lord’s Supper
4. Discipleship Training, January Bible Study, Sunday, 5 p.m.

January Bible Study

You are still not to late to join in our January Bible Study on the book of Colossians. We begin week 3 and Colossians chapter 2 next Sunday.

Sermon Extras

Not having preached yesterday, I don’t have any “extras” to add to my non-existent sermon. And, since I did not hear brother Carl’s message, I wouldn’t dare provide any extras to it. But I do know he shared with you from Isaiah 6. So, here is my contribution from that text (and I hope I am not sharing something he mentioned yesterday!).

The chapter begins “In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne”. Here are two brief observations from this verse.

1. King Uzziah died. Uzziah actually reigned in Judah 52 years and, according to the Word, “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.” In other words, Uzziah was one of the “good kings” of Judah. Yet, he died. 2 Chronicles 26:16 reads “But when he was strong, he grew proud, to his destruction. For he was unfaithful to the Lord his God”.

Each of us is unfaithful to God at various times of our life. Instead of doing what is right in God’s eyes, we do what is right in ours. That is sin in a nutshell and the penalty for sin is death. So, King Uzziah died.

2. The Lord reigns. The King of Judah is dead. His great reign and rule over Judah has ended. But the King of all Creation continues to rule from His throne in glory. Even now He is seated on the throne.

No matter what tragedy may occur in our lives, even the loss of a good ruler or loved one, God still reigns. The Lord of justice, peace, mercy and grace still sits upon His throne, as Isaiah says, “high and lifted up”!
“The Christian view of history, therefore, is linear, and neither circular nor cyclical. We believe that it will come to a planned end, a grand finale, consisting of the Parousia, the Resurrection, the Judgment and the Kingdom. That these are history’s goal is plain in both Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians. … In particular, the vivid descriptions in the second letter of the coming of Christ … and of the previous appearance of Antichrist … justify the sub-title … A Christian perspective on history.”
John R. W. Stott

This coming Sunday we begin our journey through Paul’s 2nd letter to the Thessalonians!

Pastor’s Postscripts

I look forward to being back with my church family this coming week. On Wednesday evening we’ll continue our look at the book of Jude and then join together for prayer. Next Sunday we’ll begin the exposition of 2 Thessalonians as well as celebrate the Lord’s Supper. In the evening, we continue our look at the book of Colossians as part of our January Bible Study. Plan on being there!

May the Lord watch over you and grant you a very good week.