STIRRINGS AT BETHESDA
A Monthly Publication of
Bethesda Baptist Church

October 27, 2015

HAPPY … !

We wish a very Happy Birthday this month to the following Bethesda Baptist family members:

* Noah on the 6th
* Sandy on the 17th

BACK to Standard Time…

Daylight Savings Time ends this Saturday evening/Sunday morning. Please remember to turn your clocks BACK one hour before you go to bed on Saturday.

November Fellowship

Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away. As is our tradition, we, as a church, will gather together on Sunday, November 22 after morning worship for our annual Thanksgiving fellowship dinner.

More information will follow in future church bulletins.

BUSINESS MEETING
Wednesday,
November 11
7 p.m.

Men’s Book Study

Brother Dennis is leading the men in a weekly book study over the next couple of months. The study, entitled, “Living the Life” begins this Thursday, October 29, at 7 p.m. at the church. If you wish to attend but did not sign the sheet at the church, please contact Dennis as soon as possible so he can make certain he has enough books for those coming.

Reminder: CHURCH COUNCIL MEETING THIS SATURDAY MORNING AT 9 a. m.

The Luther Monthly

Saturday marks the 498th anniversary of Martin Luther’s nailing of the 95 theses to the castle church door in Wittenberg, Germany. That act is considered by most historians as the spark that lit the flame of the Protestant Reformation. Below is the opening paragraph of that document, announcing Luther’s desire to debate. That “debate” lasted for the rest of his life!

“Out of love for the truth and from desire to elucidate it, the Reverend Father Martin Luther, Master of Arts and Sacred Theology, and ordinary lecturer therein at Wittenberg, intends to defend the following statements and to dispute on them in that place. Therefore he asks that those who cannot be present and dispute with him orally shall do so in their absence by letter. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.”

Pastor’s Postscript

October 31st has been called Protestant Reformation Day for many, many years. For some time Martin Luther, a German monk, had been greatly convicted by his own personal sins as well as by the abuse he read and saw among many Roman Catholic church leaders. On of these abuses was the sale of indulgences. The Church proclaimed that by contributing to the building of St. Peter’s in Rome, you could buy complete forgiveness for you or a loved one presently in purgatory.

Luther did not believe in indulgences and that all the church was doing was stealing the money of the German people. November 1, a Sunday in 1517, was a holy church day still known as “All Saints’ Day”. In his town of Wittenberg, many church relics would be on display. The Church promised a reduced sentence in purgatory for those who viewed them. Therefore, there was a large crowd in town by “All Hallow’s Eve”, October 31 (“Halloween”).

The door of the local church served as a bulletin board. With a good crowd in town, Luther decided to announce he wanted to debate his thoughts and beliefs on indulgences, so he posted his notice and his theses for debate on that church door 498 years ago this Saturday.

Luther never intended to split the Roman church. A year before his death, he even admitted that, in 1517, he would have killed anyone who fought with the pope! His remark was probably a bit of hyperbole but nevertheless it reveals that, at the time, Luther was a Roman Catholic and intended to remain one.

The original theses, written in Latin, were taken from the door, translated into German, and, with the help of the recently invented printing press, distributed throughout Europe. The fire storm which ensued almost cost Luther his life and ultimately resulted in a seismic split within the church. In less than 5 years, Luther had been excommunicated from the church and was deemed an outlaw by the Holy Roman Emperor.

The 95 theses Luther posted were 95 matters he wished to debate. Some of them have little to offer in terms of debate. Some of them are mired in the teachings of the church of that day and require knowledge of church doctrine in order to understand what he was debating. But some of them are priceless! How about #86?

86. Again, “Why does not the pope, whose wealth is today greater than the wealth of the richest Crassus, build this one basilica of St. Peter with his own money rather than with the money of poor believers?”

You can be certain that was political incorrectness of the first order back in 1517! I wonder how deeply the Pope gasped when he read it?

Or, read this one:

82. Such as: “Why does not the pope empty purgatory for the sake of holy love and the dire need of the souls that are there if he redeems an infinite number of souls for the sake of miserable money with which to build a church?” The former reason would be most just; the latter is most trivial.

I suspect the Pope AND those preaching indulgences were quite upset with #82!

And, for a final sample, here is #53.

53. They are the enemies of Christ and the pope who forbid altogether the preaching of the Word of God in some churches in order that indulgences may be preached in others. We see in that thesis the importance Luther placed in the preaching of the Word. Preaching the Word would become a hallmark of Protestant Christianity, a clear, distinguishing mark of separation with the Roman church.

So, maybe on this Saturday we should set aside our candy for a moment and have a sausage for our supper in honor of the beginning of the Reformation!

May Christ richly bless you this coming month!

February 10, 2014

STIRRINGS AT BETHESDA

A Weekly Publication of Bethesda Baptist Church

February 10, 2014

Recent Prayer Requests

* Elijah Mueller, that the present treatment will be successful
* Alicia as she is nearing her due date
* Alicia’s mother
* Brida, recovering from a fall
* Brenda Koelling
* Meghan Bartner
* Zachary Mueller
* Cynthia Wordlaw, need for a kidney
* Dennis fighting kidney failure
* Marilynn Norvell
* Debbie, recovering from foot surgery
* Prayer for the conversions of the lost, especially those in our community
* Our church and need for revival

Upcoming Activities

1. Ladies “Valentine Creation” Fellowship, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m. at the Walkers
2. Business Meeting, Wednesday, 7 p.m.
3. Valentine’s Day Fondue Party, Saturday, 5 p.m.
4. Sunday school, Sunday, 9:15 a.m.
5. Worship Service, Sunday, 10:30 a.m.
6. Discipleship Training, January Bible Study, Sunday, 5 p.m.

Making Valentines

RESCHEDULED: The ladies will meet at the Walkers on TUESDAY evening, February 11, at 6:30 p.m. day to make some valentines for residents of a local retirement center. Debbie will have salad available. Please give her a call (636-233-2685) to see what you might bring.

January Bible Study

There are two weeks remaining in our January Bible Study. Yet, it is NEVER too late to join a study of God’s Word. Come on out this Sunday evening at 5 p.m. as we continue our look at Paul’s Epistle to the Colossians!

Valentine’s Day Fondue Party

Remember, our Valentine’s Day Fondue Party is THIS Saturday, February 15 at 5 p.m. Come and join us for this fun time of fellowship. We share some food and play some games. If you did not sign up to bring anything, give Karla or Debbie a call to find out what you might bring to share in our celebration.

Let’s celebrate the love Christ has for us and the brotherly love we have for one another!

“This I know, that when I personally enter Heaven I shall forever admire and adore the everlasting love which brought me there. Yes, we will all glorify and admire our Savior for what He was worked in us by His infinite Grace.”
Charles Haddon Spurgeon

This Sunday’s Message… “Worthy of His Calling” from 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

Sermon Extras

“To live apart from God is death,
Tis good his face to seek,
My refuge is the living God,
His praise I long to speak.”

Too many in our modern world, the thought of a place of forever punishment is not possible. Those who do not believe in God simply believe death is “the end of the line”. Even some who believe in God (with or without the Bible) find it difficult to believe God would punish someone for eternity. They dismiss Hell, preferring the thought of annihilation, a simple end of all existence.

But God’s ways are not our ways and Paul makes this clear in verse 9. Concerning those who know not God and those who do not obey the Gospel (verse 8), Paul writes, “They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction”. The original reads “Such ones will suffer punishment, age destruction”.

“Punishment” means punishment from the point of a dispassionate judge. It is a just penalty given by an impartial and equitable judge who upholds the law over any emotion. This is the type of punishment we expect from the true, righteous judge, the Lord Jesus.

And what is the just punishment for an act against the law of God? Any such act is not simply against the law but against the lawgiver, an eternal and infinite being. A just punishment must be an eternal and infinite one. So Paul refers to this punishment as “age destruction”.

“Destruction” does not mean annihilation. Rather it refers to a separation from God and the loss of everything worthwhile in life. This corresponds to what Paul later writes in verse 9 when describing this eternal destruction.

“Age” is a word sometimes translated eternal. This destruction is destruction for the age. What age is that? As I read Scripture, I see two ages: “this present evil age” and “the age to come” (see Matthew 12:32). In our text, Christ has been revealed, the “age to come” is now visibly here. And so, the destruction those who do not trust Christ will experience is for the “age to come”, i.e., for eternity.

Praise God, those who have been delivered from “this present evil age” (Galatians 1:4) are already living in “the age to come”. We will not share in the fate of those who receive a punishment of eternal destruction. Our penalty has been taken by the Lord Himself!

“We will rest from affliction, persecution, tribulation. We will rest from pain, illness, death. We will rest from poverty, humiliation, labor. We will rest from the world, the flesh, and the devil. We will rest from sin.”

Pastor’s Postscript

I close with a lengthier column than usual. Two different magazines had articles on subjects which interest me and I found “tidbits” in each of them I wanted to share with you.

First, I love chess though I rarely get to play. In the most recent edition of the “Chess Life” magazine, there is an article entitled “Spiritual Pursuit or Worldly Success?”. Actually it is a book review of a new chess novel (yes, they exist!), “Lisa”.

The article’s title caught my eye so I quickly scanned the review. Nothing entices me to read the reviewed book but I found the reviewer’s summary of the book intriguing.

“… there is a difference between buying into ‘the lower world’ unaware of any other world, and deciding to re-engage after having known the higher world.’”

I see in this summary great spiritual truth. The contrast is between two individuals. The first is the one who seeks success in ‘the lower world’. I envision those individuals being the lost who are only living for what this world may provide. They live for the “here and now”. The second individual is the person who has trusted Christ; they know the “higher world”, the spiritual world, the world yet to come. Having been converted by Christ, they must now live as a Spirit-filled person in this “lower world”. They must “re-engage” this world as the summary says.

Are you living in “the lower world”, lost, concerned only for the here and now? If so I call on you to repent of your sins and trust Christ today.

Or, have you found Christ and been saved by His blood? Then I call on you to “re-engage” this lower world in all of its aspects with the knowledge you have of Jesus. Share Him with those you meet. Live for Him each and every day!

Second, for more than 35 years I have been a student and lover of the Protestant Reformation period of history. The events of that era still resonate in Christianity today. While reading “Table Talk” magazine this week, I came across an article by Dr. James R. White entitled “The Reformation Isn’t Over”. Certainly this is not a new concept in ecclesiology. Ever since the Reformation, Christian writes have discussed the subject and referred to it with the Latin phrase, semper reformanda (“always reforming”). But the article was well written and I wanted to share with you a brief portion of it.

“The Reformation fought a battle that each and every generation is called to fight simply because each and every generation is made up of the fallen sons and daughters of Adam, and hence there will always be those who seek to detract from the singular glory of God in the gospel through the addition of man’s authority, man’s merit, man’s sovereignty. … the church always reforming, always seeking to hear more clearly, walk more closely, to her Lord?”

Certainly those are my hopes for Bethesda Baptist Church. I hope they are yours as well.

May our Lord truly bless you this week.

October 28, 2013

Urgent Prayer Requests

* Petra Lau and her family, friends of Karla – her father was murdered
* Bill Sugar, friends of the Diamonds, Lymphoma
* Pete Koelling, health concerns and special request for prayer.
* Special prayer for Zachary
* Cynthia Wordlaw, need for a kidney
* Dennis fighting kidney failure
* Sandy & Rachelle, working many hours (plus Rachelle is under the weather) & Julie at Mizzou
* Dan, health concerns
* Mueller family, Alicia’s pregnancy
* Marilynn Norvell
* Gene & Lois Schulze at home
* Mark & Julie Johnson and the situation with their Illinois home
* Our church and need for revival

Upcoming Activities

1. Ladies Book Study, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.
2. Bible Study (Brief Books) and Prayer Meeting, Wednesday, 7 p.m.
3. Men’s Breakfast and Book Study, Saturday, 8 a.m.
4. Church Council Meeting, Saturday, 9 a.m.
5. Sunday school, Sunday, 9:15 a.m.
6. Worship Service, Sunday, 10:30 a.m.
7. Discipleship Training (Elisha), Sunday, 5 p.m.

”If God has thus wondrously provided for the fulfillment of His own gracious appointment … then surely we need not, we must not, we dare not, doubt His ability ‘to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him.’”
John Lillie

Operation Christmas Child

This Sunday is the last one available for you to contribute to this year’s Operation Christmas Child. All shoeboxes need to be returned on Sunday. Any donations you wish to be made (gifts and/or cash) must be turned in on Sunday.

Monday evening you are invited to the Walker’s home for a Packing Party. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. If you want to participate but do not have directions, please talk with the pastor in person or call him at 636-233-0645.

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME

Daylight Savings Time ends this coming Sunday morning at 2 a.m. Please make certain you set your clocks BACK 1 hour before going to bed on Saturday evening.

We are “falling back” this weekend which gives you an extra hour of sleep Saturday evening into Sunday morning. Everyone will be well rested for morning worship (and Bible Study at 9:15!).

Reformation Sunday

Yesterday we briefly recognized Reformation Sunday which is always the Sunday before October 31. Many Baptists, to their loss, are unaware of this day or the importance of October 31. Allow me briefly to recap the events which we remember at this time of the year.

Martin Luther was born in Germany in 1483. His father wanted him to become a lawyer and he was attending a university working to achieve that objective. However, when he was caught outside in a violent thunderstorm in 1505 and almost struck by lightning, he vowed to become a monk if the Lord spared his life. Later that year he entered the monastery.

Luther was always under conviction of his sins. He would confess his sins to a priest, walk away, and then return to confess some more. He punished his own body and was fearful of God. Nothing in his religion brought him any peace to his soul.

In 1510 he was sent by his superiors to Rome, the home of the pope. While there he relized something was terribly amiss with the practices of the church.

In 1511 he was sent to teach at a new university in Wittenberg, Germany. While studying for his lectures on the book of Romans in 1515, Luther realized that a right relationship with God was not possible by works, confessions, money, or the Pope. Rather, one need only trust Christ by faith to be saved.

Pope Leo was a great lover of the arts and exhausted the Vatican’s wealth on the purchase of art and the creation of new works. He desired to leave Rome more glorious than he had found her and one way he intended to do so was by the building of St. Peter’s Cathedral. This, of course, required money which was borrowed from European financiers. In order to repay the loan, Leo began selling various new indulgencies. One of these indulgences promised that those who purchased it would be totally forgiven of all their sins and avoid purgatory (the place where a dead soul must go until all his sins were paid according to the Catholic Church). In fact, one could purchase an indulgence for a deceased relative.

Johann Tetzel, a Catholic preacher, was sent into Germany to preach this indulgence and collect the revenue. He was very, very good at his job and the Vatican treasury was receiving a strong income.

Luther was greatly concerned about the false hope indulgences gave to people, upset at Tetzel stealing the money of his countrymen, and certain the Pope, if he knew what Tetzel was doing, would stop the Catholic preacher. On October 31, 1517, Luther posted 95 theses against indulgences on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. The theses were written in Latin and this was the typical method for publicizing a request to debate. Luther never intended to split from his church. He was sure, however, his arguments against indulgences and other current Catholic teachings would be heard and agreed to by the church leaders.

Needless to say, Luther underestimated the impact of his action. The theses were translated into German and spread rapidly throughout the land. The Pope and other church officials saw a drop in the sale of indulgences and began efforts to quiet Luther. Ultimately, he was excommunicated from the church and declared an outlaw of the Holy Roman Empire in 1521.

Many in Germany, Switzerland, and other European countries followed Luther in his attempts at reform. These protesting reformers (hence, Protestant Reformation) preached that salvation was by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone to the glory of God alone according to the Word of God alone. As a result, new churches came into existence across Europe and England opposed to the Roman Catholic Church. Included among these reformers were men who taught that baptism is only for those who are true believers in Christ and that the local church is to be a body of gathered believers evidenced by their baptism. These men are the spiritual ancestors of Southern Baptists today.

So, October 31 marks the anniversary of Luther nailing his 95 theses, the match which ignited the Reformation. We thank those who have gone on before us for their courage, their commitment to the Word of God, and their devotion to Jesus Christ! Reformation Sunday provides us with an opportunity to remember all they accomplished for us and for the glory of God.

Pastor’s Postscripts

This week’s edition is a bit longer than usual but I thought the brief explanation on the Reformation would be worthwhile. If you are unfamiliar with this period of church history, I strongly encourage you to do some reading on the period and/or some of the personalities involved. There are many biographies on Martin Luther alone. If you have an interest, talk with me and I will point you to some good works on the subject.

A reminder of our Church Council meeting this Saturday at 9 a.m. This is an important meeting because, among other things, we need to discuss our plans for Thanksgiving and the Christmas holidays. Also, we will get an update on our church sign plus I have some news to share with you about some musical instruments.

Men, we will meet at 8 a.m for breakfast and our book study. Bring your breakfast and join us for this time of fellowship. Sometimes I think we spend more time sharing than we do examining the book but that’s an important part of fellowship as well! Even if you have not been a part of our study in the past, come out anyway and join in the fun.

May the Lord grant you a wonderful week! See you Sunday morning (remember, set your clock back an hour!).