Carl Schaefer Archives - Bethesda Baptist Church

STIRRINGS AT BETHESDA
A Weekly Publication of
Bethesda Baptist Church
St. Charles, MO

June 23, 2014

Upcoming Activities

1. Bethesda Academy, Monday, 6:30 p.m.
2. Bible Study & Prayer Meeting, Wednesday, 7:00 p.m.
3. Sunday School, Sunday, 9:15 a.m.
4. Worship Service, Sunday, 10:30 a.m.
5. Discipleship Training (“The Attributes of God”), Sunday, 5 p.m.
Special Prayer Requests

* Cynthia sees the doctor today about further surgery.
* Betty Lesley is at home under hospice care.
* Debbie has additional foot surgery tomorrow (Tuesday).

Coming Sunday…

Next Sunday, the Lord willing, we examine Romans 1:11-15, “Preaching the Gospel”.

“Resistance to tyranny becomes the Christian and social duty of each individual. … Continue steadfast and, with a proper sense of your dependence on God, nobly defend those rights which heaven gave, and no man ought to take from us.”

John Hancock
1st Signer of the Declaration of Independence

Spurgeon Speaks

“Man’s intellect seeks after rest, and by nature seeks it apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. Men of education are apt, even when converted, to look upon the simplicities of the cross of Christ with an eye too little reverent and loving…the temptation with a man of refined thought and high education is to depart from the simple truth of Christ crucified, and to invent, as the term is, a more intellectual doctrine. …whoever you are, good reader, and whatever your education may be, if you be the Lord’s, be assured you will find no rest in philosophizing divinity. You may receive this dogma of one great thinker. or that dream of another profound reasoner, by what the chaff is to the wheat, that will these be to the pure word of God. All that reason, when best guided, can find out is but the A B C of truth, and even that lacks certainty, while in Christ Jesus there is treasured up all the fullness of wisdom and knowledge. … Jesus satisfies the most elevated intellect when He is believingly received, but apart from Him the mind of the regenerate discovers no rest. ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.’ ‘A good understanding have all they that do His commandments.’”

“The Bible … is a book worth more than all the other books that were ever printed.”
Patrick Henry
Ratifier of the U.S. Constitution

5th Sunday Q & A Fellowship

Bring a drink and snack to share and join us for our next 5th Sunday Q & A Fellowship this coming Sunday evening at 6 p.m. immediately following Discipleship Training. I recommend you come at 5 and join us for both sessions!

Congratulations…

* Happy Birthday to Austin Wildgrube who celebrates his birthday on June 26.
* Happy Birthday to Ian Carapella who celebrates his birthday on June 29.

The Bethesda Academy

Tonight, with the introductory material behind us, we move into chapter 1 of the book of Revelation. So it is not too late to join us in our journey through this final book of the Bible. We meet for an hour beginning at 6:30 p.m. so come and study God’s Word with us beginning this (Monday) evening.

“While we are zealously performing the duties of good citizens and soldiers, we certainly ought not to be inattentive to the higher duties of religion. To the distinguished character of Patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of Christian.”
George Washington
1st U.S. President

Pastor’s Postscript

Thank you to Brother Carl Schaefer for being willing to “pinch hit” for me yesterday morning. It is such an encouragement to find a fellow preacher who, on very short notice, is willing to step in the gap and proclaim the Word of God on behalf of another!

I guess I had some type of “bug” which lasted about 36 hours or so. I’m still not convinced part of my lunch on our way home from Springfield on Saturday didn’t have something to do with it! But I am much better this Monday morning other than being a little tired. I really missed not being with you for worship yesterday.

Debbie told me the service went well. Thank you, Brother Dan for leading the Scripture reading. Praise the Lord for the visitors we had.

Since I was unable to do so yesterday, let me say “CONGRATULATIONS” to Jon and Kate Bounds on the birth of their 3rd son, Samuel Philip, last Monday! Keep both the baby and his mother in your prayers over the coming weeks.

The Lord is good and greatly to be praised. May He bless your 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.