“I will pour water upon him that is thirsty.”

I try to read Spurgeon’s “Morning Devotional” each day. This morning was especially helpful. It reminded me that we all have ups and downs, even the preacher.

As you read it let the grace of God lift you up today. Isaiah 44:3

When a believer has fallen into a low, sad state of feeling, he often tries to lift himself out of it by chastening himself with dark and doleful fears. Such is not the way to rise from the dust, but to continue in it. As well chain the eagle’s wing to make it mount, as doubt in order to increase our grace. It is not the law, but the gospel which saves the seeking soul at first; and it is not a legal bondage, but gospel liberty which can restore the fainting believer afterwards. Slavish fear brings not back the backslider to God, but the sweet wooings of love allure him to Jesus’ bosom. Are you this morning thirsting for the living God, and unhappy because you cannot find him to the delight of your heart? Have you lost the joy of religion, and is this your prayer, “Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation”? Are you conscious also that you are barren, like the dry ground; that you are not bringing forth the fruit unto God which He has a right to expect of you; that you are not so useful in the Church, or in the world, as your heart desires to be? Then here is exactly the promise which you need, “I will pour water upon him that is thirsty.” You shall receive the grace you so much require, and you shall have it to the utmost reach of your needs. Water refreshes the thirsty: you shall be refreshed; your desires shall be gratified. Water quickens sleeping vegetable life: your life shall be quickened by fresh grace. Water swells the buds and makes the fruits ripen; you shall have fructifying grace: you shall be made fruitful in the ways of God. Whatever good quality there is in divine grace, you shall enjoy it to the full. All the riches of divine grace you shall receive in plenty; you shall be as it were drenched with it: and as sometimes the meadows become flooded by the bursting rivers, and the fields are turned into pools, so shall you be—the thirsty land shall be springs of water.  Charles Spurgeon

 

SCRIPTURE MEMORY VERSE-November 2009

Colossians 3:15

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.  (NKJV)

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. (KJV)

And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are all called to live in peace. And always be thankful (NLT)

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. (NIV)

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. (ESV)

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. (NASB)

 

Being Built Up in FAITH and HOPE and LOVE

But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Jude 20

Jesus has prepared heaven for you! (John 14)

Jesus is preparing you for heaven! (2 Corinthians 4:16)

Jesus loves you and has given Himself for you! (John 3:16)

“Do you not know the power of His love? What does the world think of a love that never shows itself in action? Who will accept a love that does not actuate you to self-denial, generosity, and the zeal of serving Jesus? Is the love of Jesus like a rushing mighty wind to your soul sweeping out your worldliness? It is the power of His love that will usher in the divine rapture, to bear you aloft from the earth. It is His love in the divine Spirit that will make you right now bold as lions and swift as eagles in your Lord’s service.

In building yourselves up be resolute and determined to be pressing on towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.(Philippians 3:13-14)

Charles H. Spurgeon

Many Christians remain dwarfed in spiritual things, having the same appearance year after year. No advancement of faith, hope, and love is manifested in them. Such Christians are satisfied with no desire to experience the fullness to be found in abiding with Christ Jesus and to be enriched in knowledge of Him. To abide with Jesus is to hold daily communion with Him, bearing the fruit of the Holy Spirit to others. (John 15)

As you come near Jesus in all things (Ephesians 4:15) you will find yourself advancing in faith, hope, and love.”

But now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

1Corinthians 13:13

Submitted by Pat Hutchens

 

The Salvation of the Jews

Interpreters differ on the meaning of Romans 11:25-36. We must think hard and pray as we read the Scriptures (especially when we are teachers) so that we give the clear meaning of difficult passages. I wish I had done a better job last Sunday night with this passage. Forgive me for misquoting 2 Peter 3:9 in my excitement. It says:

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

When interpreting Scripture we cannot say that there are several interpretations of all Scriptures and you can just pick the one you like. There is a real danger in saying “Oh that’s just your interpretation”. I’ve heard that response to my witness for Christ from unbelievers. It is also common when a hard saying of Jesus offends our logic. However we must be humble when confronted with mystery in the Scriptures. Paul’s response was to break out in praise! (Romans 11:33)

On Sunday night I promised that I would give you four main viewpoints of Romans 11:25-36. They are listed below.

1) All people both Gentiles and Jews will ultimately be saved. This is called Universalism and is rejected because of the clear teaching of other texts to the contrary.

2) “All Israel” means the church, the new Israel of God. This explanation spiritualizes the term “Israel” instead of regarding them as a people. I reject this view. God still has a purpose for His people the Jews.

3) A great conversion of Israel will take place at the time of the Lord’s return. There are variations of this viewpoint depending on your understanding of eschatology.

4) “All Israel” indicates a great turning of Israel to Christ when the fullness of the gentiles has come in (Rom. 10:25). It does not mean every individual Jew.

I pray the following verse for the Jewish people almost every day:

And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. Zechariah 12:10

One day Israel will know that they have rejected their Messiah. Now we should show compassion and pray that Jewish people would trust in Jesus Christ. Our burden for lost people is not very great (Romans 9:1, 10:1)!

 

How spiritual are you?

It doesn’t matter how high we jump, or how loud we shout, what church we attend or what music we like, if we are not sharing Jesus we are not filled with the Holy Spirit. In Acts 4:31 it says that after the disciples prayed (because they were being persecuted for sharing Jesus), the place was shaken, they were filled with the Holy Spirit and they “spoke the word of God with boldness”. Wow that really convicts me!

We are not as spiritual as we think we are. You are not as spiritual as you think you are if you are not active in speaking the name of Jesus to other people. The early disciples were fisherman and IRS agents not theologians. The fire of the Holy Spirit was what they had and what we need.

We all could use a fresh touch in the area of evangelism. That is why we are offering a motivating reminder called “Conquer Your Fear, Share Your Faith” on November 14, Saturday morning from 8:30am-1:00pm. Do you want to share your faith with others, but don’t know where to start? Are you discouraged or convicted?

Learn to share your faith simply and effectively in four powerful, eye-opening sessions featuring DVD presentations hosted by Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort. Then go out and put what you have learned into practice in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Sign up at the Welcome Center this Sunday. Registration closes November 11. Light breakfast provided.

 

Learning Cherokee

We are trying to reach out to every tribe, language, people and nation. Last Sunday evening at 4:30 we began learning about the American Indian culture.

Below is a picture submitted by Dana Suggs. What a great reminder of the beauty and creativity of our God. Let’s continue to ask God for His burden for those who don’t yet know Him!

Join us this Sunday as we begin to learn Cherokee.

 

Doing Something INCREDIBLE!

Sometimes in life, we are given opportunities to lay ourselves aside…our own selfish desires, our own agendas, our own plans…and we get to do something INCREDIBLE.

Hands and Feet is one such time for my family.

Our church… Eastwood Baptist Church, in Tulsa, Oklahoma is a little different from your normal, run of the mill church. Our Pastor and our staff strive to build a community within its walls…

…and out….

all photos are copyright protected.

(Not the official photo for it, although, I think it could definitely work!)

Our church has a monthly activity called “Hands and Feet”. The Youth gather together one Saturday a month to do some kind of service project for our elderly church family. The work could be as little as weeding a garden, or more in depth like cleaning gutters or painting a shed. This particular Saturday, we had quite a few projects going on, but this is the one that my family completed.

The particular couple we worked for, are in their 70s and active in the church as well, but when it comes to things like painting a good-sized shed, this is stuff they shouldn’t be doing.

copyrighted photo

So this is where our family came in.

And even though, technically, the only teenager we had with us was Austin, we do most things together as a family. So, we all participated.

Even Brooklyn:

The work was tiring, tedious at times, but God was kind to us and dropped the temperature down from the 100s where it has been for weeks, to the low 90s. And we were very pleased with that.

It was one of those times that the work didn’t really seem so much like work. We laughed, we talked, we had chips and cookies….and we got to know another couple at church. Yes, older than ourselves, and the very sweetest people….ones we have promised to visit more often.

See? Our church is different. It not only cares about where we sit spiritually, they care about us as people. They encourage us to memorize scripture, read our Bibles daily, and pray together. We have intercessory prayer during all the services. We have “fishing” trips where we go and share Christ with people in the city. We have several mission opportunities out of the country. And we are encouraged to love and support our church family. We are a community of people that care about one another inside the church…

…and out.

You can’t beat that.

So if I had to miss my ONLY day to sleep in, that’s alright.

If we ruined some clothes with paint…that’s alright too.

We were a family and we were given an opportunity to help someone else.

And that was worth it.

Dana Suggs
www.momof3darlings.wordpress.com

 

Rosh Hashanah-Yom Kippur

Two important events occur for the Hebrew people this month. On the evening of September 18 Rosh Hashanah begins and ten days later Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement.

Rosh Hashanah occurs on the first and second days of Tishri. In Hebrew, it means, literally, “head of the year” or “first of the year.” It is commonly known as the Jewish New Year.

The name “Rosh Hashanah” is not used in the Bible to discuss this holiday. The Bible refers to the holiday as Yom Ha-Zikkaron (the day of remembrance) or Yom Teruah (the day of the sounding of the shofar). The holiday is instituted in Leviticus 23:24-25.

The ten days starting with Rosh Hashanah and ending with Yom Kippur are commonly known as the Days of Awe (Yamim Noraim) or the Days of Repentance. For the Jews this is a time for serious introspection, a time to consider the sins of the previous year and repent before Yom Kippur.

Yom Kippur is probably the most important holiday of the Jewish year. Many Jews who do not observe any other Jewish custom will refrain from work, fast and/or attend synagogue services on this day. Yom Kippur occurs on the 10th day of Tishri. The holiday is instituted at Leviticus 23:26.

For Christians it is important to remember that the Hebrew people continue to follow their traditions. We can learn more about their practices in order to share the good news of Jesus Christ’s atonement for the sins of the whole world.

Since the temple was destroyed in 70AD there is no place for Jews to offer the required blood sacrifices for sins. They believe that God will forgive the repentant sinner. Christians also believe in repentance and God’s forgiveness. However, the forgiveness is based upon the acceptance of the all sufficient sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

If you would like to learn about modern Judaism go to Judaism 101 at the following address: http://www.jewfaq.org/index.htm ; it is the best one that I know of. It will give you a desire to share Christ with your Jewish friend.

 

History of Labor Day

Labor Day: How it Came About; What it Means

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

Founder of Labor Day

More than 100 years after the first Labor Day observance, there is still some doubt as to who first proposed the holiday for workers. Some records show that Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a co founder of the American Federation of Labor, was first in suggesting a day to honor those “who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold.”

But Peter McGuire’s place in Labor Day history has not gone unchallenged. Many believe that Matthew Maguire, a machinist, not Peter McGuire, founded the holiday. Recent research seems to support the contention that Matthew Maguire, later the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, N.J., proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. What is clear is that the Central Labor Union adopted a Labor Day proposal and appointed a committee to plan a demonstration and picnic.

The First Labor Day

The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, 1883.

In 1884 the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday, as originally proposed, and the Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in other cities to follow the example of New York and celebrate a “workingmen’s holiday” on that date. The idea spread with the growth of labor organizations, and in 1885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country.

Taken from United States Dept. of Labor web site

To read more go to: http://www.dol.gov/OPA/ABOUTDOL/LABORDAY.HTM

 

Perspective

Perspective: from Latin perspicere, to see through…

For those who have seen the Earth from space, and for the hundreds and perhaps thousands more who will, the experience most certainly changes your perspective. The things that we share in our world are far more valuable than those which divide us. Donald Williams

Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts. In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.

Albert Einstein

The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight, but has no vision. Helen Keller

Tonight, at the Wednesday night Bible study and Prayer time we are going to look at “perspective” from Luke 24. This will be a facinating study on how the early diciples viewed the events of the crucifixion from their limited perspective.

We can learn from their mistakes. I hope to see you there!

Bro. Gordon