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

September 22, 2014

STIRRINGS AT BETHESDA

A Weekly Publication of
Bethesda Baptist Church

September 22, 2014

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, 7:00 p.m.
4. Men/Boys Camp Out, Friday, 7 p.m.
5. Church Work Day,, Saturday, 8 a.m.
6. Sunday School, Sunday, 9:15 a.m.
7. Worship Service, Sunday, 10:30 a.m.
8. Discipleship Training, Sunday, 5 p.m.

Missouri Missions

PRAISE THE LORD, we reached our church goal!  We have one more Sunday remaining in our collection of the Missouri Mission Offering.  Even though we made our goal, you may still contribute.

Men/Boys Camp Out

The camp out begins this Friday, September 26 at 7 p.m.

“The carcasses of all but two who came out of Egypt fell in the wilderness through unbelief.”
Charles Spurgeon

Some Theological Terms

Our exposition of Romans brings us to the middle of chapter 3 on Sunday.  Paul summarizes his teaching on human depravity and then begins his instruction on the doctrine of justification by faith.  It seems appropriate to me to include some remarks on these (and other) theological terms we will be reading and hearing over the coming weeks.  I begin with some thoughts on “Total Depravity”.
John Owen summarized Total Depravity by writing:
“It is an inherent evil, the fault and corruption of the nature of every man.  It is a thing not subject or conformable to the law of God, but hath in itself, even after baptism, the nature of sin.  By it we are averse from God and inclined to all manner of evil.  It deserveth God’s wrath and damnation.”

Thomas Gregory summarizes the doctrine of total depravity with 5 statements:

1. Sin is the responsible choice of man to violate God’s law.
2. Sin is a depravity of the whole nature of man.
3. Sin conveys guilt before God for man’s personal and Adam’s representational sin.
4. Sin is the actively developed apostasy of man against God.
5. Sin is a full warrant for eternal punishment.

Perhaps one of the best statements on the subject of depravity may be found in the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith.  Here is the entire section on the Fall of Man.

Chapter 6  Of the Fall of Man, of Sin, and of the Punishment Thereof  

1 Although God created man upright and perfect, and gave him a righteous law, which had been unto life had he kept it, and threatened death upon the breach thereof, yet did not long abide in this honour; Satan using the subtlety of the serpent to subdue Eve, then by her seducing Adam, who, without any compulsion, did willfully transgress the law of their creation, and the command given unto them, in eating the forbidden fruit, which God was pleased, according to his wise and holy counsel to permit, having purposed to order it to his own glory.

2  Our first parents, by this sin, fell from their original righteousness and communion with God, and we in them whereby death came upon all: all becoming dead in sin, and wholly defiled in all the faculties and parts of soul and body.

3  They being the root, and by God’s appointment, standing in the room and stead of all mankind, the guilt of the sin was imputed, and corrupted nature conveyed, to all their posterity descending from them by ordinary generation, being now conceived in sin, and by nature children of wrath, the servants of sin, the subjects of death, and all other miseries, spiritual, temporal, and eternal, unless the Lord Jesus set them free.

4  From this original corruption, whereby we are utterly indisposed, disabled, and made opposite to all good, and wholly inclined to all evil, do proceed all actual transgressions.

5  The corruption of nature, during this life, doth remain in those that are regenerated; and although it be through Christ pardoned and mortified, yet both itself, and the first motions thereof, are truly and properly sin.

“God’s faithfulness can be manifested in two ways.  It can be manifested in blessing on those who embrace His promises, or God can be faithful to punish and to judge those who reject His promises.”
J. Ligon Duncan

Pastor’s Postscript

Our Missouri Mission Offering collection ends this Sunday.  I am so grateful for everyone who has given to support Missouri missions!  For a church our size in our present economic conditions to donate over $500 for this cause is quite remarkable.  Thank you so much for your generosity.

I close my column this week with a prayer request.  Our dear younger brother, Zachary Mueller, could use your prayers.  I ask you to take a few moments even as you read this and  pray for him.  Ask the Lord to give Him both peace and purpose.  And, as you recall this request during the week, please continue to pray for him.

May this week be a blessed one in Christ.

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!