Posted on

November 18, 2013

Urgent Prayer Requests

* Pete Koelling, health concerns
* Brida’s daughter-in-law, Dawn
* Special prayer for Zachary
* Cynthia Wordlaw, need for a kidney
* Health of Cynthia’s mother and mother-in-law
* Dennis fighting kidney failure
* Sandy & Rachelle, working many hours (plus Rachelle is under the weather)
* Julie at Mizzou plus problems with ex-boyfriend.
* Dan, health concerns
* 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.  Bible Study (Brief Books) and 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. NO Discipleship Training this Sunday.

Concerning the sanctification and preservation of believers, John Owen wrote the following:

“If He (God) doth it not, none other can do it. … He doth it of Himself, from His own grace; by Himself, of His own power; for Himself, of His own glory.”

Ministry to Afghan Soldiers

The women’s ministry is doing a project involving sending items to Afghan soldiers.  Since there will be more than one box, we expect the postage to be costly.  We wanted to give everyone an opportunity to participate in the mailing of these boxes.  If you wish to contribute, please write “postage” on your check or envelope and drop it into the offering during the next two Sundays.  Thank you for helping us bless these soldiers.

Also, we will be including homemade cookies.  If you would like to bake some cookies (any kind) to include in these boxes, give them to Debbie by December 1st.  We will also be including letters, cards, and pictures drawn by the children to thank them for their service!

Upcoming Facility Changes

In case you did not notice, our church sign is gone!  Several of our members spent their Sunday afternoon a week ago removing the sign in preparation for our new sign scheduled to arrive at the end of the month.  We thank those who took the time to remove the old sign.

Also, Harry and Audrey are donating an organ and piano to the church.  Some of the men are working on moving these new instruments from their present home in Chesterfield to our auditorium.  Thank you, Harry and Audrey, for your gift.  And thank you to all the men involved in moving these instruments!
“For this is the will of God, your sanctification. … For God has not called us for impurity but in holiness.”
1 Thessalonians 4:3,7

Sermon Extras

“… may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23)

For centuries this verse has played a significant role in the discussion of man’s being.  Is man a two part being composed of a body and soul (or spirit)?  Is man a three part being composed of a body, soul, and spirit?  The theological term for stating man is a two part being is “dichotomy”.  Similarly, “trichotomy” views man as a three part being.  Obviously, verse 23 appears to teach a trichotomous nature for man.

Without getting into a lengthy debate in our newsletter, there are other possible interpretations of Paul’s words in this verse.  Here are three of the more popular ones.

1.  Man is, indeed, a trichotomy.
2.  Paul is describing the nature of a believer in v. 23, men who have a body & soul (like all men).  But believers also have the spirit of God.
3.  Paul is making a general statement to refer to the entire nature of man.  It would be like you and me describing something about ourselves by saying “from the top of our head to the bottom of our feet”.  Hopefully we are more than head and feet!

In the context of 1 Thessalonians, I believe view 3 above is the more reasonable understanding of the phrase.  Paul is telling us that his request is for those believers, in every part of their being, be sanctified and preserved by God.

Ultimately, whether you are a dichotomous or trichotomous supporter on the nature of man, we can agree man has a material part and an immaterial part.  When God sanctifies and preserves us, he preserves both parts completely!

Hallelujah!

Nominating Committee

Let each of us use the gifts and abilities the Lord has given us to serve Him through our church next year!  How would the Lord have you serve Him?  Contact the Nominating Committee (Sandy Brandel and Debbie Walker) and let them know.

Thanksgiving Fellowship

Join us this Sunday morning after worship for our  Thanksgiving Fellowship potluck dinner!  The church is providing all the meat so, bring a side and dessert (and yourself) and enjoy a time of giving thanks to our God for all of His man blessings!

Pastor’s Postscripts

We’ve completed 1 Thessalonians and will begin 2 Thessalonians in January.  In the meantime, Sunday will find us in the book of Revelation.  Please pray for me as I prepare for a message I have entitled “Worthy are You!”  God is indeed worthy of all our praise and thanksgiving!

May Christ be glorified in your life and ministry this week!

Posted on

September 23, 2013

Urgent Prayer Requests

* Bill Sugar, friends of the Diamonds, Lymphoma
* Brenda, more tests on her heart.  Also pray for Pete’s health.
* Zachary recovering from gall bladder surgery
* Cynthia Wordlaw, need for a kidney
* Dennis fighting kidney failure
* Sandy & Rachelle, working many hours (plus Rachelle is under the weather)
* Dan, health concerns
* Mueller family, Alicia’s pregnancy
* Marilynn Norvell
* Aaron Wordlaw and his arthritis
* Gene & Lois Schulze at home
* Mark & Julie Johnson and the situation with their Illinois home
* Julie away at school at Mizzou; pray she remains in good health
* Our church and need for revival

Upcoming Activities

1. Bible Study (Brief Books) and 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 (Elijah), Sunday,
5 p.m.
5.  5th Sunday Q & A Fellowship, Sunday,
6 p.m.

“It is amazing how much wisdom people have about other people’s affairs and so little interest in their own.”
A. T. Robertson

Sermon Extras

Verse 9 of chapter 4 reads:

“Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves HAVE BEEN taught by God to love one another.”

The phrase “taught by God” is actually one word, a word only used here in the New Testament.  As I mentioned in the message, it means the believer is taught by God via the indwelling Spirit to love one another.

I highlighted the words “have been” in the text.  The ESV reads as though this lesson from the Spirit is a past act, perhaps LONG past.  Actually, a better rendering would be “…you yourselves ARE taught by God…”.  Paul is telling us such teaching is an ever-present, continuous lesson of God’s Spirit throughout our sanctification.

Check out some other translations and notice which ones use the present tense “are” instead of “have been”.
MMO

Next Sunday is our last one for you to contribute to the Missouri Missions Offering for 2013.  Please seek the Lord for what He would have you give.

 

5th Sunday Q & A Fellowship

Sunday evening, September 29, marks our next 5th Sunday Q & A Fellowship.  We spend an hour munching on snacks while the pastor attempts to answer questions on the hearts and minds of our members.  Normally it is an informal hour of fellowship and I encourage you to attend even if you have no questions at this time.

If you would like to ask a question but prefer no one knows it is from you, simply write your question on a piece of paper and place it in the container on the table near the front door.  Also, if you are coming to the fellowship, please bring a snack and drink to share with others.

See you Sunday at 5pm for Discipleship Training and 6pm for our Q & A Fellowship!
Ladies’ Book Study

Our ladies begin a new book study in just over a week on Tuesday, October 1st.  The study is entitled “Duty or Delight?  Knowing where you stand with God” and will meet for 7 consecutive Tuesdays, each week at 6:30 p.m.

If you have an interest in being a part of this study and have not yet registered, I encourage you to do so by calling Pam DePriest so she will know how many books will be required.

Ladies, come and be a part of this fun and challenging study!

“Mutual love among Christians is an inbred quality.”

 

Pastor’s Postscripts

I want to share with you some specific prayer requests.

First, please pray for our Trustees: they have several items “on their plate” at the moment.  Foremost among them is the bringing of a proposal for a new church sign.  Pray they would have God’s wisdom to guide them in their selection so that our church ultimately has the proper sign at a reasonable price.

Second, pray for our church when we consider their proposal!  I suspect their recommendation will be made during the October business meeting in a couple of weeks.  Churches have split over matters such as carpets, pew Bibles, etc., and we do not want a church split over a new sign!  So, be in prayer that God will give each of us a discerning spirit but also a spirit of love as we consider the Trustees’ proposal.

Third, we are concluding the Missouri Mission Offering this Sunday.  Pray for wisdom on what the Lord wants you to give, then do so!  Also pray for our upcoming Operation Christmas Child effort which will begin in just a matter of weeks.

Finally, praise God for all the blessings He has poured out on our church these first 9 months of 2013!  He has sent numerous visitors. He has given us new members. He has blessed us with financial abundance.  He has inspired members to reach out to the lost.

What might He do in the last 3 months of 2013?!  PRAY!

Posted on

September 16, 2013

Urgent Prayer Requests

* Bill Sugar, friends of the Diamonds, Lymphoma
* Brenda, having a card cath on Tuesday.  Also pray for Pete’s health.
* Zachary recovering from gall bladder surgery
* Cynthia Wordlaw, need for a kidney
* Dennis fighting kidney failure
* Sandy & Rachelle, working many hours (plus Rachelle is under the weather)
* Dan, health concerns
* Mueller family, Alicia’s pregnancy
* Marilynn Norvell
* Aaron Wordlaw and his arthritis
* Gene & Lois Schulze at home
* Mark & Julie Johnson and the situation with their Illinois home
* Julie away at school at Mizzou; pray she remains in good health
* Our church and need for revival

Upcoming Activities

1. Trustee Meeting, Tuesday, 7 p.m.
2. Bible Study (Brief Books) and Prayer Meeting, Wednesday, 7 p.m.
3. Sunday school, Sunday, 9:15 a.m.
4. Worship Service, Sunday, 10:30 a.m.
5. Discipleship Training (Elijah), Sunday,
5 p.m.

“Sanctification is that life-long process in which God works within a true believer to conform him to the image of His Son, the Lord Jesus.  The believer is daily separated from sin unto holiness in all avenues of his life until that day he is finally and forever with his Lord.”

Ladies’ Book Study

A new ladies book study begins on Tuesday, October 1st.  Ladies will meet at the church each Tuesday evening at 6:30 p.m. for 7 weeks.  The book being studied is “Duty or Delight?  Knowing where you stand with God” by Tammie Head.

Our sister Pam DePriest has once again agreed to lead the study.  If you have an interest in joining the study and the fellowship, please sign the sheet in the foyer so Pam will know how many books to purchase.

This will be a great study as well as a good time to get to know one another. There are 9 ladies already registered!

CHURCH WORK DAY!

This Saturday morning (September 21) beginning at 8 a.m.  Come and help out.

“A Christian engaging in sexual immorality is telling the lost world God’s Word has no authority.”

Sermon Extras

Verse 4 has challenged Bible scholars for centuries.  The two most viable translations of the verse are as follows:

(1) that each of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor…

(2) that each one of you know how to take a wife for himself in holiness and honor…

In the message yesterday I briefly discussed the two words which make this verse somewhat difficult.

“control/take” – has more of the idea of acquire or get

“body/wife” – is actually the word vessel

If the latter word refers to one’s own body then “acquiring or getting one’s own body” really makes little sense.  And since “vessel” is used elsewhere in the New Testament to refer to wife, I prefer the 2nd translation.

In defense of the first translation, though, “acquire” could be viewed in the sense of “possessing”.  And if you possess something, you “control” it.  If you translate that word “control” then surely the second word should be rendered “body”.  Otherwise our translation would be “that each one of you know how to control his own wife…”

Oh, my, that would really get me into trouble!

“Marriage is for Promoting the Honor of your Partner and the Holiness of God, not your Personal Happiness.”

We have 2 Sundays remaining for you to contribute to the Missouri Missions Offering for 2013.  Our church goal is $500 and our church will match up to that amount.

Please pray and give as the Lord directs.

Pastor’s Postscripts

A big thank you to all who helped make yesterday’s fellowship such a success.  I include those who prepared and brought the food, those who set up the tables, and those who helped clean the facilities afterwards.

Sunday evening, September 29 at 6 p.m. will be our next “5th Sunday Q & A”.  This is an hour of informal fellowship where the pastor attempts to respond to questions from our members.  You may submit questions early by writing them out and placing them in the container on the table in the foyer (no name required).  So, if anything is on your mind, get your questions ready and I will do my best to answer them.  However, I reserve the right to say “I don’t know!”

Also, please pray for our Trustees as they close in on a proposal for a new church sign.  The committee’s goal is to bring a recommendation to the church in our October business meeting.  This is a major investment for our church and we certainly want to do the Lord’s will in this.

See you Sunday, Bible in hand!

Posted on

September 9, 2013

Urgent Prayer Requests

* Bill Sugar, friends of the Diamonds, Lymphoma
* Cynthia Wordlaw, need for a kidney
* Dennis fighting kidney failure
* Sandy & Rachelle, working many hours (plus Rachelle is under the weather)
* Pete & Brenda, grieving over loss of her father; their health
* Dan, health concerns
* Mueller family, Alicia’s pregnancy & Jeff’s need for work
* Marilynn Norvell
* Aaron Wordlaw and his arthritis
* Gene & Lois Schulze at home
* Mark & Julie Johnson and the situation with their Illinois home
* Julie away at school at Mizzou; pray she remains in good health
* Our church and need for revival

Upcoming Activities

1. Trustee Meeting, Tuesday, 7 p.m.
2. BUSINESS MEETING, Wednesday, 7 p.m.
3. Apple Picking, Grafton, Saturday, 10 a.m.
4. Sunday school, Sunday, 9:15 a.m.
5. Worship Service, Sunday, 10:30 a.m.
6. September Soup, Salad, Sandwich Fellowship, Sunday, 12:15 p.m.
7. Discipleship Training, Sunday, 5 p.m.

“… those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works.”
Titus 3:8

“A Christian man is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none.  A Christian man is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all.” Martin Luther on our freedom in Christ

Sermon Extras

1.  In verse 2 of chapter 4 Paul writes, “For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus”.  The Thessalonians “knew” the teaching Paul had shared.  They knew God’s Word.  How about you and me?

2.  Many of our English translations render verse 3 as “For this is the will of God, your sanctification”.  Such a translation gives the reader the impression that God’s entire will (“THE will”) has to do with your sanctification.  Actually, the original writing does not contain the article (“the”) before the word “will”.  So, what Paul is talking about is not the entire will of God but a portion of His will.

3.  The Contemporary English Version translates verse 3 in an interesting way:  “God wants you to be holy”.  Holiness, indeed, is the very heart of sanctification.  Only holy people can dwell in the present of our thrice holy God.  God declared us holy in our justification; He is making us more and more holy in our sanctification, and will complete our holiness in our glorification!

September Soup, Salad, Sandwich Fellowship

Bring soup, salad, sandwich, or dessert and drink to share this coming Sunday morning (September 15).  We’ll fellowship following our morning worship service.  Come out and enjoy good food as well as good conversation and sharing!

“A regenerated, reconciled soul living contentedly on in sin, ‘that grace may abound’—the very conception is in Paul’s estimation a horror and an impossibility.”
John Lillie

APPLE PICKING!

If you wish to pick apples this Saturday (14th) with church members, please contact Karla.  Everyone is meeting in Grafton, IL at 10 a.m.

CHURCH WORK DAY!

The Trustees have scheduled a church work day for Saturday, September 21.  Members will gather at 8 a.m. and work around the facility, preparing it for the upcoming winter.

“A Christian can never be fully satisfied with his spiritual growth (i.e., sanctification).  He must always push onward and upward until he is with the Lord in glory!”

Pastor’s Postscripts

This Wednesday is our monthly business meeting and I am aware of at least two of the items we will cover at the meeting.

1.  The Diamonds have requested to join our fellowship.  Per our church bylaws, we will vote on their request during the business meeting.

2.  The Trustees have been considering options for replacing our church sign.  I’m certain we will have an update on their progress.

I encourage our members to plan to attend and participate in the meeting at 7 p.m. this Wednesday.

On another note, Pam and Dennis are back from Texas!  We praise the Lord for their safe travel and look forward to seeing them this Wednesday.  I am especially delighted they have returned so Dennis can, once again, lead our hymn singing next Sunday morning!

Lastly, we will continue our exposition of 1 Thessalonians this Sunday as Paul further shares thoughts on the matter of sanctification.  This will naturally lead us to his discussion of the coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  I say naturally for:  (1)  the Lord’s coming marks the end of our sanctification and (2) our sanctification is designed to prepare us for His coming.

So bring your Bible on Sunday and join me in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4!