Posted on

March 31, 2015

STIRRINGS AT BETHESDA

A Monthly Publication of Bethesda Baptist Church

March 31, 2015
Upcoming Activities

* Good Friday Tenebrae Service.  This year marks our 3rd Good Friday worship service scheduled for April 3 at 6:30 p.m.  The service will last about an hour and will focus on the events of the day marking the death of our Lord.  Brother Gary Robnett, the former pastor of Highland View Baptist Church in St. Charles, will deliver the message.  You are encouraged to join us for this special time of worship.
* Resurrection Sunday (Easter) is this Sunday, April 5.  The message will be the final in a series on the “professions of Jesus Christ”.  We have already examined the Private Profession of Simon Peter and the Public Professions of the crowd.  On Sunday we look at the Angelic Profession based on Matthew 28.  While every Sunday is a reminder of our Lord’s victory over death, this Sunday is most special since it marks the anniversary of his resurrection.

* Election Day, is Tuesday, April 7.  Our church is a local polling place and will be busy on that day providing local citizens with an opportunity to vote.

* Business Meeting:  our monthly business meeting is Wednesday, April 8 at 7 p.m.  Each member is encouraged to attend and participate in the decision making process of our church.

* Ladies Book Study has already begun with an introductory meeting.  But the study begins its weekly sessions on Tuesday, April 14 at 6:30 p.m.  It’s not too late to be a part of this time of study and fellowship.  If you failed to sign up but would like to participate, contact Pam DePriest as soon as possible and plan on being there on the 14th.

* Spring Clean Up is Saturday, April 18 beginning at 8 a.m.  We need volunteers for our church work day.  We want to do some landscaping, clean up around our property line and, yes, paint our fellowship hall!

* Ladies Tea is scheduled for Saturday, April 25 at 11 a.m.  Last year’s tea was well attended and everyone had a great time.  This year should be no different.  Mark your calendars.

“WHY do you seek the LIVING among the dead?  HE is NOT here, but has RISEN.”
Luke 24:5
The Luther Monthly

“Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime.”
Martin Luther
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Pastor’s Postscript

This Sunday is Easter.  Therefore I am making a personal request to each of you:  Invite your family, friends, and neighbors to join you in worship at Bethesda!

Most “unchurched” (or uncommitted) individuals will usually make an effort to attend one or two services a year.  They likely choose Christmas, Mothers’ Day, and/or Easter.  So this Sunday provides a great opportunity for you to invite someone who rarely attends church.

Let’s face the truth for a moment.  Most small churches in America are holding their own or declining.  Lost people are highly unlikely to simply visit our church.  If they do go to a church they will select a large one where they may get lost in the big crowds.  We can NOT wait for those outside the church to seek us out.  We are commanded to take the Gospel to them.

I realize many believers are uncomfortable sharing their faith with others.  Some of Christ’s faithful struggle with this their entire life.  But this is what God has called us to do.  And, surely if you are unable to share the Gospel with those in your family, with your neighbors, or with your co-workers, you can at least invite them to church where they will hear the Gospel preached.

So take advantage of Easter this Sunday and reach out to those you know who do not attend church.  Ask them to go with you this one time to celebrate Easter.  If you can’t share your faith then at least share your time and bring them to our church this Sunday.

May the Lord bless our ministries at Bethesda and our efforts in sharing the Gospel with the lost in our community and around the world.

Pastor Bruce

Posted on

February 28, 2015

STIRRINGS AT BETHESDA
A Monthly Publication of
Bethesda Baptist Church

February 28, 2015

“In fact, anyone who claims to be a Christian yet is not an active member of a church may not actually be a follower of Christ.”
David Platt
President, SBC International Mission Board
 
Upcoming Activities

* Easter Egg Hunt and Soup/Salad Fellowship.  Yes, Easter is almost here!  Following our worship service on Sunday, March 29, the children will hunt for some Easter Eggs and everyone will join together for soup & salad and a time of fellowship.  Please mark your calendars and watch upcoming bulletins for specific information.

* Our monthly business meeting is Wednesday, March 4 at 7 p.m.  Every member is encouraged to attend as we look to the practical matters of the church.  Join us as we seek the Lord’s leadership in deciding the various issues which confront our church family!

“Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.”
Ephesians 5:25

Wednesday Evening

“Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.”
2 Peter 1:1

We have made some changes to our Wednesday evening prayer service.  First, we are no longer meeting in the auditorium, rather, we are gathering in the Fellowship Hall.  I believe it helps us feel more like the church family we are as we pray.  Second, we have dropped the use of the two sided prayer request sheet that has been part of our prayer meeting since before I came as your pastor.  Instead, we are praying over requests made at the beginning of our prayer time and as the Holy Spirit leads.  Furthermore, we are selecting different Bethesda families each week, gathering their specific requests, and lifting those requests to the Lord.

Our new approach is only two weeks old but I have been blessed by our time together.  We all know the Bethesda membership is not very large (only 37) BUT there are NOT 37 members attending our prayer meetings!  Those of you not joining us are missing out on one of the most important elements of Christian service:  prayer.

Before our prayer time this past Wednesday, I read and shared briefly on the text above, 2 Peter 1:1.  The various translations brought out different aspects of this text and we had a brief discussion on it.  I enjoyed the discussion enough that I decided to engage in just a little personal study and seek some clarification as well as illumination from this passage.

1.  The ESV uses “Simeon” for Peter’s name while other translations use “Simon”.  Both forms of his name are used interchangeably in the NT.  The difference in this verse lies with different manuscripts.  Some of the ancient texts use “Simon” while others use “Simeon”.  I think you will agree it really makes no difference relative to the content.  Peter is doing the writing!

2.  The phrase “have obtained” in the ESV is rendered “have received” in other versions.  “Obtain” almost sounds like the faith they received is something they reached for and got.  But the word translated “obtained” actually means to “obtain by lot”.  In today’s speech we might say “I got lucky!”  You received something you weren’t striving for, it just came.  Surely that is true of our faith.  God alone must provide the faith we require.

3.  “A faith of equal standing with ours” is another phrase we spent some time discussing.  The NAS renders this phrase as “the same kind of faith as ours”.  The King James reads “like precious faith with us”.  The NIV is similar with “a faith as precious as ours.”

The differences come from the word Peter used:  “isotimon”, a word only used here in the New Testament  You may recognize the “iso” prefix from English words such as “isotope” (from the Greek “equal place”), used to describe two forms of the same element.  This prefix means “equal”.  The last part of the word means “honor” or “price”.  So Peter is describing our faith as “equal honor” or “equal value”.  That is why the various translations read slightly differently.  The translators either take the “equal honor” aspect (hence, “equal standing”) or the “equal value” aspect (giving us “like precious”).

The great Southern Baptist Greek scholar A. T. Robertson wrote, “The faith which they have obtained is like in honor and privilege with that of Peter or any of the apostles.”  WOW!  The faith we have in Christ is just like the faith Peter had, a man who was with the Lord, saw the Lord, heard the Lord, walked on water with the Lord, etc.!

That thought alone blows my mind!

Come join us this Wednesday evening as we share some Scripture and then lift our requests to the throne of our heavenly Father.

The Luther Monthly

Since your pastor is fond of Luther, I thought I would invoke some personal privilege and include a Luther quote each month.  Much of what the good doctor says stirs one’s mind as well as “stirs the pot” of discussion!

“Apart from the church, salvation is impossible.”
Martin Luther

Good Friday Service

Easter is the first Sunday of April this year, only a month away.  For the past two years, Bethesda has held a Good Friday evening service and that will be the case once again this year.  Please watch the bulletins over the coming Sundays for announcements relative to our Good Friday service on April 3, make plans to attend, and bring family and friends.

“If you call yourself a Christian but you are not a member of the church you regularly attend, I worry that you might be going to hell.”
Mark Dever
Pastor, Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C.

Some special prayer requests have been shared this week and I want us to keep lifting them to the Lord.

First, former pastor Randy Curless lost his mother this week.  Randy is well known not only by our church but also throughout the St. Louis community.  Please keep him and the family in your prayers.

Second, our brother Nolan Brook is still fighting a high fever which comes and goes.  In diagnosing the problem, doctors have found that three of his lymph nodes are very swollen.  As of this writing, doctors are pursuing the possibility it is the result of a fungal infection actually common in our area.  Please continue to pray for Nolan, those treating him, and his parents.

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”
Matthew 7:7-8

Special Ministry Opportunity

On Saturday, March 28, Bethesda members may take a tour of our local fire station from 11 a.m. to noon.  Cottleville Station #1 is at the corner of N and Motherhead.  This opportunity is led by our Outreach Committee which is also organizing a meal to take to the station.  We are showing our appreciation for all that the firefighters do.

There will be sign-up sheets in the foyer of the church for those who wish to take the tour and/or donate food.

Ladies Book Study

Ladies, Pam is leading you in a spring book study beginning this month!

The introductory session will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 31.  The study will then meet on Tuesdays from April 14 through May 19.  You will be studying the book “He Speaks to Me:  Preparing to Hear from God” by Priscilla Shirer.

This is a great opportunity not only to study a book but also a time to study Scripture and fellowship with one another.  Mark your calendars and watch future bulletins for more information.

Pastor’s Postscript

A public thank you to brother Gary Robnett for stepping in at the very last minute and preaching for me last Sunday morning.  I truly appreciate his willingness to do so.

Furthermore, I appreciate the prayers of everyone at Bethesda on my behalf.  I am feeling much better and more like myself (I don’t know, is that good?).  If the Lord wills I will be back in the pulpit this Sunday.

Debbie mentioned to me last evening how quickly February has gone.  We are already two months through 2015.  Spring will be here before we know it!  I know the Trustees will be having a work day within the next two months, somewhat like our spring cleaning day for our church.

As February ends and March begins, I pray the Lord would pour out His blessings on each of you.  I also pray that He gives us both the wisdom and the desire to serve Him in our community.

May all we say and do bring glory and honor to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Pastor Bruce

Posted on

April 14, 2014

STIRRINGS AT BETHESDA

Weekly Publication of Bethesda Baptist Church

April 14, 2014

 

 

Tenebrae Service
Good Friday

Join us this Friday, April 18 at 6:30 p.m for our Good Friday service.  Brother Bill Savage, pastor of St. Clair Southern Baptist Church, will bring the message as we reflect on the death of our Lord and His accomplishments on the cross.

LADIES Book Study

The Ladies Book Study resumes tomorrow (Tuesday) evening at 6:30 p.m.  Even if you missed the first two meetings you are welcome to join in tomorrow night.

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. Good Friday service, Friday, 6:30 p.m.
5.  Sunday School, Sunday, 9:15 a.m.
6. Worship Service, Sunday, 10:30 a.m.
7.  NO Discipleship Training

The Bethesda Academy

Tonight (Monday) we will meet and resume our study of future events by examining the Gospel of Matthew.  Come join us at 6:30 p.m. as we seek to better understand God’s revelation on this subject.

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
* Prayer for those involved in North American missions.
* Praise to the Lord for our visitors
* Our church and need for revival

Julie’s Mission Trip

If you wish to contribute to a local mission activity, our own Julie Brandel will leave on a 10 week mission trip to San Diego in less than 2 months.  Pray for her and, if possible, contribute financially towards this trip by writing a check made out to the church with a note that it is for “Julie’s Trip”.

North American Missions

At Discipleship training last night, Pam announced we have reached our Annie Armstrong Offering goal of $1200!  Praise the Lord and thank you to all those who have given for your generosity.

We will continue collecting for this offering through the last Sunday of April.  If the Lord impresses you to give (or give more), please be obedient to Him and His will.
Congratulations to…

* Bruce & Debbie Walker celebrating their 41st wedding anniversary on April 20.

Pastor’s Postscript

Last year we held our first Good Friday service at Bethesda and it was well received.  So we are going to hold another one this coming Friday and I urge you to do all you can to be there.  The service will naturally focus on our Lord, His crucifixion and His death plus the work that He accomplished on that Good Friday many centuries ago.

Also as we did last year, there will not be an Easter sunrise service this year.  In fact our Easter Sunday schedule is slightly reduced.  We will have Sunday school at 9:15 a.m. giving our teachers an opportunity to share on the Lord’s death and resurrection.  We will also have our morning worship service at 10:30 a.m. which will focus on the resurrection.  If the Lord wills I will preach from 1 Peter chapter 1 on the subject “Raised from the Dead”.  Our Sunday evening activities are cancelled this week to permit everyone the opportunity to spend the afternoon and evening with family.

A big “thank you” to everyone who helped with yesterday’s fellowship.  The food was great and the time together was even better.  It appeared all the children had a good time as well (though, perhaps, with too much sugar!).

It was also great seeing visitors once again in our service.  The Lord continues to send visitors to worship with us and we are very grateful He does so.  May those who are visiting and looking for a church home find the church in which the Lord wants them to serve.

On a personal note, this Sunday not only marks Easter but also Debbie and my 41st wedding anniversary.  We were actually married on Good Friday back in 1973.  Debbie has been the greatest blessing the Lord has given me next to my salvation.  God has used her in many ways towards my sanctification.  Any good you see in me is the result of the Lord’s work and much of that has been through my wife!  Any bad you see is the real “me” still under construction.  I have never regretted saying ‘I Do” 41 years ago.  I would love to have at least another 41 years together!

Back to church matters, let me encourage you to attend our Good Friday and Easter worship services this coming weekend.  Our country spends a lot of time and money “honoring” our Lord’s birth at Christmas time.  Let’s give at least some time to celebrating His resurrection at Easter time.

May our great God and Savior the Lord Jesus Christ richly bless you this week as you reflect on His death (an atonement for sins) and His resurrection (a victory over death).

 

Posted on

April 7, 2014

Stirrings at Bethesda

Weekly Newsletter of Bethesda Baptist Church

April 7, 2014

 

LADIES Book Study

NO meeting this Tuesday of the Ladies Book Study.  Our church serves as a polling place and, since Tuesday is Election Day, there will officials and voters occupying our fellowship hall all day.

The book study resumes on Tuesday, April 15.

Recent Prayer Requests

* Elijah Mueller – recovering at home
* Alicia’s mother
* 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
* Prayer for those involved in North American missions.
* Praise to the Lord for our visitors
* Our church and need for revival

North American Missions

As of Sunday morning, our gifts towards the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering stood at $975.  That is only $225 short of our church goal!  Thanks to everyone who has given and may the Lord richly bless you for having done so.

We will continue to accept gifts towards this offering through the month of April.

Julie’s Mission Trip

Time is growing shorter before Julie leaves for a 10 week mission trip.  Continue to prayer for her and consider giving to support her financially.

Upcoming Activities

1.  Bethesda Academy, Monday, 6:30 p.m.
2.  NO Ladies Book Study, Tuesday
3.  BUSINESS Meeting, Wednesday, 7 p.m.
4.  Sunday School, Sunday, 9:15 a.m.
5. Worship Service, Sunday, 10:30 a.m.
6.  Soup, Salad, and Sandwich Fellowship, Sunday, 12:15 p.m.
7.  Discipleship Training (Ruth), Sunday, 5 p.m.

The Bethesda Academy

Each Monday evening beginning at 6:30 p.m. we are searching the Scripture to better understand future events as revealed by God.  Come out and join us tonight!

Soup, Salad, and Sandwich Fellowship

THIS Sunday, April 13 at 12:15 p.m. – Soup, Salad, and Sandwich Fellowship after the morning service.  Bring at least two of the above to share and some plastic Easter eggs (with candy inside!) for our children to hunt.

Tenebrae Service
Good Friday

Friday, April 18 at 6:30 p.m. – Join us for our Good Friday service.  Brother Bill Savage, pastor of St. Clair Southern Baptist Church, will bring the message.

Pastor’s Postscript

I was quite lengthy in last week’s newsletter so I will be much briefer this week.

Thanks to everyone who helped with yesterday’s worship service.  I am delighted to report that Dennis and Pam have safely returned.  It will be good having them in worship next week!

The Lord continues to bless our church in many ways, most of them not visible to the physical eye.  Let us give Him all the thanks and praise for His continual watch care over our congregation.

This Tuesday is an election day and our church serves as a polling place.  I recommend to each of you that, if you are not voting at our building, that you simply stay away on Tuesday (did you ever think a pastor would tell you to stay away from the church?!).  While I doubt the turnout for this election will be very great, I still suggest leaving the use of the facilities to the election officials and the voters on that date and just staying out of the way.

Wednesday is our monthly business meeting and there is some business to discuss.  I encourage our members to come out and participate in the decision making process.

I will take a brief break from 2 Thessalonians.  I have two additional sermons from chapter 3 before we complete this book.  But Easter Sunday is two weeks away and I intend to preach from 1 Peter that morning.  Next Sunday is Palm Sunday.  Last year we were snowed out on Palm Sunday though I don’t anticipate that happening again this year.  So, unless the Lord convinces me otherwise, I will return to the Gospel of John and preach the message next week that I intended to preach last year.  This message covers the only verses in John that I never covered during our journey through the book.

In the meantime, I do pray for each of you and ask the Lord to give you a great week!

May our great God and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, protect you and richly bless you!