Camp Chestnut Ridge Trip Pictures

A good time was had by all from the church who were able to take a trip up to Camp Chestnut Ridge this past weekend...

Texts from 9-23-07

Matthew 14

John the Baptist Beheaded

1At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus, 2and he said to his attendants, "This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him." 3Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, 4for John had been saying to him: "It is not lawful for you to have her." 5Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered him a prophet. 6On Herod's birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for them and pleased Herod so much 7that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. 8Prompted by her mother, she said, "Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist." 9The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted 10and had John beheaded in the prison. 11His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother. 12John's disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

13When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. 15As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food." 16Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away. You [need to] give them something to eat." 17"We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered. 18"Bring them here to me," he said. 19And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Jesus Walks on the Water

22Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24but the boat was already a considerable distance[a] from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. 25During the fourth watch of the night [about 3 a.m.] Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear. 27But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." 28"Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." 29"Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" 31Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" 32And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God." 34When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. 35And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him 36and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed.

1Corinthians 10:13

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

Hebrews 4:15

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.

A Look Forward...

Hard work has been done laying the groundwork for a church storage building behind the parsonage, and it is greatly appreciated. May God richly bless all who are contributing to this project!

A Look Back...

Our annual Harvest Sale is coming up soon, and someone sent in some pictures of the stars of last year's show: The OOGA-OOGA BOYS, which are posted here for the amusement of all...

Sermon Notes for 9-16-07

Malachi 3
1 "I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come," says the LORD Almighty. 2 But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner's fire or a launderer's soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, 4 and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the LORD, as in days gone by, as in former years. 5 "So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear me," says the LORD Almighty.

Breaking Covenant by Withholding Tithes
6 "I the LORD do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. 7 Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you," says the LORD Almighty. "But you ask, 'How are we to return?' 8 "Would a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, 'How are we robbing you?' "In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe," says the LORD Almighty. 12 "Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the LORD Almighty.

Israel Speaks Arrogantly Against God
13 "You have spoken arrogantly against me," says the LORD. "Yet you ask, 'What have we said against you?' 14 "You have said, 'It is futile to serve God. What do we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the LORD Almighty? 15 But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly evildoers prosper, and even when they put God to the test, they get away with it.' "

The Faithful Remnant
16 Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name. 17 "On the day when I act," says the LORD Almighty, "they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him. 18 And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.

Genesis 28:22
"If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear 21 so that I return safely to my father's house, then the LORD will be my God 22 and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth."

Leviticus 27:30
30 " 'A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD.

Numbers 30:2If a man vow a vow unto the LORD, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth.

Deuteronomy 23:21When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee.

Scriptural Texts from 9-9-07

Zepheniah 1:14-16
14 “The Great Day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the Day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. 15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness. 16 A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers.”

Ezekiel 33:11
“As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; [I would rather that] the wicked [would] turn from their way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why would you want to die?”

Philippians 4:8
“Finally, Family of God, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there is anything that has virtue, and if there is anything worthy of praise, think on these things.”

Revelation 18 was also cited...

If He Appeared

If Jesus appeared before you

would he be recognized at once?

Would you recognize, or criticize,

or label him a dunce?

-

If he appeared before you

would you think, 'His hair's too long?'

Would you recognize, or criticize,

or greet him with a song?

-

If he appeared before you

would you note, 'His teeth aren't straight!'

Would you recognize, or criticize,

or realize...too late?

-

If he appeared before you

in the midst of a great crowd

Would you recognize, or criticize,

and speak your peace out loud?

-

If he walked through the mall last night,

I think no one would figure out

that it was he who spoke the Truth,

and so they'd toss him out.

-

The hippie with the sandaled feet

would be tossed into the street,

and no one would really bother

to worry about the heat.

- Bud Jenness

Surprised in Heaven

I was shocked, confused, and bewildered

as I walked through Heaven's door.

Not by the beauty of it all its splendor,

nor by its lights, or its decor.

-

But it was all the folks in Heaven

who caused my teeth to gnash.

I saw thieves, deceivers, and sinners,

I saw alcoholics, and lots of white trash...

-

Why, there stood the kid from seventh grade,

who swiped my lunch money twice!

Next to him stood my old neighbor,

who never did said anything nice.

-

Bert, who I’d always thought

would be sure to rot in hell,

was sitting pretty on a heavenly cloud,

and he looked incredibly well.

-

I nudged Jesus, and asked, "Hey, what's the deal?

I would love to hear your take.

How'd all these sinners get up in here?

You must have made a mistake.

-

"And why is everyone so quiet? And so somber?

Can’t you give me just one clue?"

"Hush, my child," He said, "They're all in shock.

They didn't expect to be seeing you."

- Anonymous, and modified by Bud Jenness

Sermon Notes for 9/02/07

From the Sermon "The Least, the Last, and the Lost"...

Where are the eyes of Jesus fixed? They are fixed upon the Least, the Last, and the Lost...and the Church's eyes should be fixed there as well...

The LEAST

Matthew 25:31-46 “…when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.' Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 'And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 'When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.' Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.' Then they themselves also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?' Then He will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

The Church does not exist merely to satisfy the needs of the Church…we have a mission…a mission that includes ministering to those who are considered the least, and also to those who are usually considered last by those who are secure in their comfort zones...too many people have tricked themselves into believing that merely attending church once a week will get them into heaven. This is a lie from the pit of Hell.

The LAST

Luke 13:22-30 “And [Jesus] was passing through from one city and village to another, teaching, and proceeding on His way to Jerusalem. And someone said to Him, "Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?" And He said to them, "Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, 'Lord, open up to us!' then He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know where you are from.' Then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets'; and He will say, 'I tell you, I do not know where you are from; DEPART FROM ME, ALL YOU EVILDOERS.' In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out. And they will come from east and west and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God. And behold, some are last who will be first and some are first who will be last."

Salvation cannot be bought, inherited, or obtained through church membership…(the Bible says it is by faith in Christ we are saved, not works, lest anyone should boast). However, some people wrongly believe that this is the case…true Christianity is about having a right relationship with God, and ministering not only within the local assembly, but outside the local assembly as well. Why? In Mark 2:17 Jesus said, "They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Jesus came to minister to the lost, and He calls the church to do the same...but if we aren't testifying to our lost friends and loved ones, who is? It is our responsibility as Christians to warn the lost about the danger of hell; Jesus himself preached four times more often about hell than he did heaven.

The LOST

2 Corinthians 4:3 “…if our gospel [is] hid[den], it is hid[den] to them that are lost.”

Romans 10:13-17 “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.” 14 How, then, will they call on Him, in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him, whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? 15 How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!” 16 However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, “LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

If we're not proclaiming the gospel message to others, then others cannot hear it proclaimed. We should take advantage of the opportunities we have to minister; we will one day be held accountable for missed opportunities that we were wholly aware of...