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Compiled by the Faith Newsletter editor: Burt Pearson
Contents:
From your Pastor
American Heritage
Prayer Chain Ministry
Welcome to Joe Richardson
Welcome to the Perez Family
Chocolate Calories
The Pastor’s Cat
At Peace With God
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From your Pastor |
Every spring, just in time for Easter, modem scholars seem to give us a new portrait of Jesus. The more unusual the portrait, the more it departs from the traditional view of Jesus, the more attention it gets in the popular media. However, no portrait is more radical and disturbing to traditional Christian belief than that offered by the Jesus Seminar, a group of scholars who meet bi-annually to sort out the historically valid from the invalid narratives of the New Testament. Their picture is disturbing, not only because they strip away the supernatural elements, but because it is utterly unlike what you see in the Gospels. These scholars claim that the early church ascribed divine status to Jesus, and that the church has preserved an utterly false picture of him. Of course this means that the Incarnation, the Virgin Birth, the miracles Jesus performed, and his resurrection go right out the window. All of these afore-mentioned doctrines are critical. However, the resurrection is the pivotal doctrine of our faith because, if the resurrection of Jesus actually happened as portrayed in the Bible, then the message of Christianity is of supreme and eternal significance for every man. On the other hand, if the resurrection of Jesus was not the miracle that the Bible describes, then the message of
Christianity is the greatest evil perpetrated on every man. Again, I will state the implications of
the resurrection: if Jesus, who claimed to be God, substantiated his claim by being the only person to ever permanently come back to life, then we must deal with him, because Christianity is not a moral code or a particular way of life. "The truth of the Christian message is tied to the historical reality of Christ's death and exaltation."(New Geneva Study Bible-see commentary on 1 Corinthians. 15:14.) Only a few years after Jesus died on the cross, the Apostle Paul wrote the following words to the church in Corinth, Greece. "And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up -- if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!" (NKJ 1 Corinthians 15:14-17) The resurrection is the pivotal doctrine of our faith.
But the questions often arise: Can we trust the gospel records of what happened after the death of Jesus? After all, these early followers of Jesus had a religious agenda didn't they? Consider just a few, of many, responses to these questions.
1. The Gospel record is clear regarding what took place after Jesus died. (Matt. 27:50-66; Mark
15:37-47; Luke 23:46-56; John 19:38-42.) At the end of the day, his body was laid to rest in a tomb owned by Joseph of Arimathea. A guard was placed at the tomb to keep watch and protect it, and a large stone was placed over the opening of the tomb to seal the grave forever. But according to the gospels, the tomb became empty on the morning of the third day after his death. How do you explain that empty tomb? (And remember, the debate was over why it was empty, not whether it was empty.)
There are many details of the gospel accounts that suggest their truthfulness. One such detail is that of the women being the first witnesses of the empty tomb. That is one of the marks of authenticity because no one inventing a story like this would have placed women in this role because they were not acceptable witnesses in Jewish courts of law. Another important detail that is often overlooked is the necessary implication of Jesus' burial. If the burial itself was true, then both Jew and Christian alike would have known where the tomb was. First, the tomb must have been empty because the disciples began to preach that Jesus was risen. They could not have believed in Jesus' resurrection if his corpse still lay in the tomb. Secondly, if the disciples preached his resurrection and his body was in the grave no one else would have believed them. And thirdly, the Jewish authorities would have exposed the entire affair by pointing to Jesus' tomb, or by exhuming the body as decisive proof. An empty tomb was the final, unanswerable objective witness. At this point some assert a theory that the disciples stole the body of Jesus. But the disciples had nothing to gain by lying and starting a new religion. In fact, they faced unimaginable hardship, ridicule, hostility, and martyr's deaths.
2. The appearances of Jesus after His death. Jesus' body did not mysteriously vanish without a trace. He appeared to many witnesses, and demonstrated that he was not merely a spirit but was present in their midst with a body of flesh and blood. The Apostle Paul recorded the early Christian testimony in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 which included an account of Jesus appearing to over 500 people at one time. Doubters often accuse the witnesses of hallucinating. But how do hallucinations occur in en masse?
3. Formerly cowardly disciples endured persecution and torturous deaths for their testimony of the resurrection. How do you account for the character transformation of the early disciples? Before the resurrection the disciples could best be characterized as cowards. After the
resurrection, they were transformed into courageous men. Despite intense persecution and even cruel deaths, they testified to the truth of the resurrection. You have heard the argument, people will often die for their religious beliefs if they sincerely believe they are true, but no one will die for their religious beliefs if they know their beliefs are false. Well, the disciples were in a position to know without a doubt whether Jesus had risen from the dead or not. If they were not absolutely certain, they would not have allowed themselves to be tortured to death for proclaiming that the resurrection occurred.
As you consider just three of many evidences for the resurrection, from a spiritual standpoint I believe they are secondary proof mainly because Holy Spirit has to open your eyes to spiritual things. But secondly, because God's progressive drama of redemption is what captures our heart, and demonstrates that the resurrection must have been real, historical-in fact the crux of all history. The message of the Bible is singular. The crowning and unifying theme is Jesus Christ and the redemption he brings, because all problems are solved in Christ. All purposes meet in Christ. All desires are met in Christ. All the apparent loose ends in the Bible come together in Christ. The Bible is both amazingly simple and profoundly complex. It reveals things that are hidden, and conceals things of which we are unaware. It contains innumerable subplots and seemingly unrelated stories and prophecies. All of its poems, laws, and genealogies, in some beautiful way are culminated in Christ. It is an amazingly perfect book, but the miracle of the Bible is that it is rooted in history. And the resurrection of the Bible must be true because it is the perfect historical climax of the perfect history book. All signs point to the resurrection as the victory.
So what difference does the resurrection make? It makes all the difference because it has eternal implications on your life and mine. It offers convincing proof that Jesus Christ is who he
claimed to be-that a man born in Bethlehem almost 2,000 years ago was God in the flesh-the God-man. He is God's only appointed resolution to humanity's problem ("for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," and "the wages of sin is death." Romans 3:23; 6:23) His life of perfect obedience earned the favor of God, his death paid the penalty that sinners deserve, and his resurrection provides the way to mercy and forgiveness for all who repent and believe in him.
That is the good news! Salvation from the punishment of God has been provided by God through Christ for all who run to him. (portions of this article were adapted from "Why I Believe in the Resurrection" by Brian Sandifer)
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Grace and Peace,
Pastor Adams |
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American Heritage |
You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot help the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by encouraging class hatred. You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn. You cannot build character and courage by taking away man’s initiative and independence. You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.
Abraham Lincoln
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Taken from the Fishwrapper
as provided by Marion Sweigart |
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Prayer Chain Ministry |
Many of you know that Faith Presbyterian maintains an active prayer chain. However, do you also know that our Prayer Chain Ministry is supported and available through our website?
In addition to generating the emails that keep Faith’s Prayer Chain Subscribers informed of prayer requests and praises, the website allows users to: view prayer/praise requests online and to make prayer/praise requests online. The website removes requests automatically after 7 days.
Our Prayer Chain Ministry is a tool that facilitates people’s requests be made known to God through prayer.
"Let my prayer come before You; bow down Your ear to my cry." (Psalm 88:2)
"Ask and it shall be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you." (Matthew 7:7)
"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
"And all things, whatever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive." (Matthew 21:22)
At Faith, the Prayer Chain Ministry is for anyone wishing to utilize it. All submitted requests are first sent to the Prayer Chain Coordinator for review. Upon acceptance, the request is posted to our website and automatically e-mailed to our growing list of prayer chain subscribers, where the faithful people in the Faith Prayer Chain will pray daily for you or the ones you name. Our Prayer Chain consists of members who pray, as part of their daily devotions, for God's gifts to be sent to the names that are mentioned.
Because the Faith Prayer Chain Ministry is open to everyone, it is our policy that requests not include: email/postal addresses, website urls, nor any form of solicitation for funds.
Although we rarely have to do so, we reserve the right to edit requests when their content requires it, or to withhold distribution all together if necessary.
If you would like to be part of our Prayer Chain Ministry here at Faith and are a member of the Faith website, you can add your email address to the Prayer Chain List by:
1 - Visiting our website at: http://www.faithpresbyterianarp.org
2 - Select “Members”, and login
3 - Select “Prayer Chain”, under the “Ministries” menu
4 – Click the “Join Prayer Chain” button (note: this button is not visible if you did not login)
If you are not a member of the Faith website and would like to join our Prayer Chain Ministry, please contact the Prayer Chain Administrator at: prayerchain@faithpresbyterianarp.org
Anyone can add their prayer or praise requests so our church can pray for them. The suggested and recommended method for adding Prayer or Praise Requests is via the website’s online request form. Using this form results in a streamlined and automated process and allows posting the request with minimum delay.
Our Faith Prayer Chain Administrator, Barbara Caylor, continues to play an important role as gatekeeper and moderator of all requests. All requests generated online pass through Barbara for approval. For those of you who, in the past, have emailed Barbara with your requests and praises… we ask and encourage you to begin using the online request form, which will allow your request to be processed and posted quicker.
To post a prayer or praise request using the website’s online form:
1 - Visit http://www.faithpresbyterianarp.org
2 - Select “Prayer Chain”, under the “Ministries” menu
3 - Click the “Prayer Request” button
4 - Complete the simple form and click “Submit”
For those who are: computer challenged, do not own a computer, or in a situation where a computer is not appropriate for the timely deliverance of a request, please continue to call Barbara.
Remember, if you are traveling or maintain a second residence, the “happenings” and “goings on” at Faith is as close as the internet. Visit Faith’s website to keep up with recent announcements, listen to the latest sermon, pray for those who have submitted prayer or praise requests, view “workday” photos, or to simply “stay in touch”.
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Submitted by, Al Spengler
Deaconate Chairman (and Faith Webmaster) |
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Welcome to Joe Richardson |
Joseph (Joe) Richardson joined Faith Presbyterian on Sunday, February 15, 2009. He is 16 and a sophomore/junior, home schooled since 4th grade and also attending the co-op at Faith. His favorite subject this year is, as always, history.
Joe enjoys video games and movies in his spare time. His favorite vacation was a trip to Turkey in 2007 with his Dad. While there, they participated in the dedication of the Yeni Dogus church in Izmir as well as visiting the sites of the seven churches of the Revelation. He is currently in the process of preparing for his first Teen Mission trip, planning to spend the summer of 2009 in Zambia on a Foot Washing Mission.
He would like to be a pastor or in the military when he finishes school. He is currently a SAR (Search And Rescue) Cadet which is preparing him for the military.
Joe has been a Christian since he was 10 years old but felt it was now time to make a public profession of his faith.
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| Welcome, Joe! |
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Welcome to the Perez Family |
On March 1, 2009, John and Diane Perez joined Faith Presbyterian. They live in Melbourne, close to the Pineda Causeway. John is a manager of Contracts and Pricing with Northrop Grumman. He has been with them for 23 years. Diane is both an interior designer and also a paralegal. The attorney she had been working for has become a judge so she’s currently seeking new employment.
John and Diane have a 29 year old daughter, JoAnn, who lives in Viera with their 3 year old granddaughter, Morgan. Their 23 year old son, Jarrod, has taken a job in Boulder, Colorado so has moved out west. Their younger daughter Jenna is 14 and is currently a 9th grader at Viera High School.
John enjoys golf, wood-working and watching movies. Diana enjoys reading, writing and watching old English movies, especially Jane Austin stories. Additionally she loves to decorate (and re-decorate and re-decorate).
Diane learned of Christ early in their marriage during a Literature of the Bible class in Suffolk Community College in New York. The professor was an ex-Catholic nun. When she went from that class to a Sociology class, she realized that she now knew the difference. She eventually found a church through a Bible verse on its sign out front and became a Christian. John wasn’t too excited about Diane becoming a Christian but saw Diane’s witness and eventually joined her at that small church on Long Island. Following hearing the truth, and in particular, a sermon on Jesus’ words about separating the sheep from the goats, he, too, came to Christ. They both state that marriage is a path to sanctification. God has used many trials in their lives to bring them to this place and they continue to rely on Him day-to-day to live this life.
John and Diane were reformed before they knew what Reformed was… John ran into an old friend, Russ Soule, in Publix one day, who told him about Faith Presbyterian. They are thrilled to find a congregation that is focused on the Glory of Christ.
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Chocolate Calories |
A good piece of chocolate has about 200 calories. As I enjoy 2 servings per night, and a few more on weekends, I consume about 3,500 calories of chocolate in a week, which equals one pound of weight per week.
Therefore…
In the last 3 ½ years, I have had chocolate caloric intake of about 180 pounds, and I only weigh 165 pounds, so without chocolate, I would have wasted away to nothing about 3 months ago.
I owe my life to chocolate.
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From the Fishwrapper
as submitted by Marion Sweigart |
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The Pastor’s Cat |
Dwight Nelson told a true story abut the pastor of his church. He had a kitten that climbed a tree in his backyard and then was afraid to come down. The pastor coaxed, offered warm milk. etc.
The kitty would not come down. The tree was not sturdy enough to climb, so the pastor decided that if he tied a rope to his car and drove slowly away, the tree would bend and he would be able to reach up and get the kitten.
That's what he did. all the while checking his progress in the car. He then figured if he went just a little bit further. the tree would be sufficiently bent for him to reach the kitten. But as he moved the car a little further forward, the rope broke.
The tree went "boing" and the kitten instantly sailed through the air and out of sight. The pastor felt terrible. He walked all over the neighborhood asking people if they'd seen a little kitten. No. Nobody had seen a stray kitten. So he prayed. "Lord, I just commit the kitten to your keeping," and went on about his business.
A few days later he was at the grocery store. and met one of his church members. He happened to look into her shopping cart and was amazed to see cat food. This woman was a cat hater and everyone knew it, so he asked her, "Why are you buying cat food when you hate cats so much?"
She replied. "You won't believe this." and then told him how her little girl had been begging her for a cat, but she kept refusing. Then a few days before, the child had begged again and the Mom finally told her little girl, "If God gives you a cat, I'll let you keep it"
She told the pastor, "I watched my child go out in the yard, get on her knees. and ask God for a cat. And really. Pastor. you won't believe this. but I saw it with my own eyes. A kitten suddenly came flying out of the blue sky. with its paws outspread. and landed right in front of her."
Never underestimate the Power of God
and His unique sense of humor.
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At Peace With God |
By Irving D. Larson
A man lay dying. His family had asked the pastor to break the news to him as gently as he could. The pastor told him that the doctor felt his time was short and asked if he had made his peace with God. “No,” he said, “I have not made my peace with God.” “Then are you not afraid to die?” the pastor asked him. Aagain he responded, “No, I have not made my peace with God, but I am not afraid to die.” “Tell me about it,” the pastor encouraged. Then the man explained like this. “You see, I do not have to make my peace with God; for this has already been done by Jesus Christ. The Bible tells me that He has made peace by the blood of His cross, and He has broken down the middle wall of partition between God and man. I do not havve to make peace, but I have received and I am living in the peace that Jesus has made for me.”
The man was correct. There is no way that we can make peace with God, but by faith we receive that peace when we trust Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord. Then, we can have not only peace with God, but we can have the peace of God on a continuing basis day by day. Mr. Gladstone, the famous English leader had on the wall of his bedroom the following text: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee.” These were the first words upon which the statesman looked every morning, and were the source of his calm strength. Christ’s great legacy to the believer is peace.
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