Urgent Prayer Requests
* Cynthia Wordlaw, need for a kidney
* Pete & Brenda, grieving over loss of her father; their health
* Dan, health concerns
* Mueller family, especially Alicia
* 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
* 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.
Deacon Elections
You have 2 weeks remaining to nominate men to serve as a deacon for the next three years. Write the name of your nominee(s) on a piece of paper (or nomination form), sign your paper, and give it to one of the deacons or the pastor.
“Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test?
2 Corinthians 13:5
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 15:
XV. The Christian and the Social Order
Every Christian is under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ supreme in his own life and in human society. Means and methods used for the improvement of society and the establishment of righteousness among men can be truly and permanently helpful only when they are rooted in the regeneration of the individual by the saving grace of God in Christ Jesus. The Christian should oppose in the spirit of Christ every form of greed, selfishness, and vice. He should work to provide for the orphaned, the needy, the aged, the helpless, and the sick. Every Christian should seek to bring industry, government, and society as a whole under the sway of the principles of righteousness, truth, and brotherly love. In order to promote these ends Christians should be ready to work with all men of good will in any good cause, always being careful to act in the spirit of love without compromising their loyalty to Christ and his truth.
“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
“Such faith to believe in Jesus is not found in the heart of a lost man. That man needs a new heart to believe. He needs a spiritual birth.”
Reminders
1. The “prayer stars” are available on the board in the foyer. Please take one home, attach it to your refrigerator, and pray for that family all week.
2. Next Sunday is the last one for giving to the baby collection for Lacey Mueller. She specifically needs diapers and wet wipes.
Sermon Extras
1. One of the more interesting aspects of 1 Thessalonians is trying to determine the movements of Paul, Silas, and Timothy during their 2nd missionary journey. For example, Acts 17 tells us Paul left Berea for Athens but Silas and Timothy remained. Yet, in our text from yesterday, Paul is sending Timothy to Thessalonica with words that imply Timothy was in Athens with him. Paul also uses the plural pronoun “we” in our passage yet notes at the end of verse 1 says he has been left alone in Athens. And where is Silas through all of this? I challenge you to read through 1 Thessalonians and then sit down with Acts 17 and see if you can piece together a reasonable explanation for their movements (there are multiple possibilities)!
2. The latter part of verse 5 is very interesting as well. The ESV reads:
“for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you, and our labor would be in vain.”
First, Paul uses both the verb and noun forms of the word “to tempt”. It’s quite appropriate to call Satan “the temper” since he is so good at “tempting”. Williams Hendriksen said of Satan: “His manners consists especially in this, that he first tempts a man into sin and then accuses him of it!”
Second, Paul states the reality of the temptation (“had tempted”) but only the possibility that his work would have come to nothing (“would be”). The NIV better translates the last part of the verse as “our labors MIGHT have been in vain.” It’s a fact we will be tempted. It is only a possibility we might prove to be a false believer!
3. In verse 3, Paul teaches that we are “destined” for affliction. The basic meaning of the word is “to recline, to appoint.” The idea of “destiny” may be seen by its use in Luke 2:34 when Simeon, upon seeing the infant Jesus, says:
“Behold this child is APPOINTED for the fall and rising of many in Israel.”
Pastor’s Postscripts
Thanks to everyone who made our fellowship such a success yesterday: Karla for planning it, bringing the pizza, and helping with the cleanup. Tom for all his efforts in cleanup. Pam for bringing the salad. And, of course, to everyone who brought the ice cream, toppings, and fruit! I thought it was an enjoyable time and I hope everyone else did as well.
Finally, I do hope each of us have taken the time to examine ourselves per the commandment of Paul in 2 Corinthians 13:5. If you have not then I encourage you (and, as your pastor, exhort you!) to do so. Make certain your spirit and the Spirit of God agree that you are, indeed, a child of God.
We continue with Philemon on Wednesday evening. Join us for study and prayer time!
Pastor Bruce