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Compiled by the Faith Newsletter editor: Burt Pearson
Contents:
From your Pastor
From the Sunday School
The “LITTLE” Things
George L. Syms
Prayer – and Miracles
The Secret Garden
From the Deacons
Who Is Your Daddy?
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From your Pastor |
On Mother's Day I cannot help but think about those women who have lost children to death. Perhaps that is the most painful reality you can experience in this life.
Some of you, while you have not experienced a tragedy like that, may feel as if you have lost a child. Maybe you have a wayward son or daughter. Perhaps they are not a Christian and are mired in sin. Maybe they are even angry and bitter toward you.
You spent a lifetime caring for them, praying for them, teaching them God's Word, and hoping they would become followers of Christ. And yet, they have chosen, at least up to this point, to pursue their own selfish desires instead. So for you Mother's Day evokes a host of conflicting temptations-guilt, fear, anger, and perhaps even despair.
If you dread this day as a reminder of your greatest earthly sorrow, please remember the gospel. Because no matter how "far gone" you think your child is or how great your temptations, there is hope in Christ. You may not have been a perfect mother (no one has!), but if you have repented from your sin and put your trust in Christ, you have a perfect Savior, and you are clothed in His righteousness. So instead of spending Mother's Day reflecting on your failure, rejoice instead in the forgiveness and mercy of our Lord, and take heart. This same mercy and forgiveness is powerful enough to reach your child-no matter how far away from Christ he or she is trying to run. Tedd Tripp, author of Shepherding a Child's Heart, wrote these encouraging words:
"You have reason for hope as parents who desire to see your children have faith. The hope is in the power of the gospel. The gospel is suited to the human condition. The gospel is attractive. God has already shown great mercy to your children. He has given them a place of rich privilege. He has placed them in a home where they have heard His truth. They have seen the transforming power of grace in their lives of His people. Your prayer and expectation is that the gospel will overcome their resistance as it has yours."
So may you be filled with hope instead of despair on this Mother's Day. Continue to pray in faith that God's love and mercy will conquer your wayward child's resistance, as it has yours. Finally, meditate on God's Word.
The children of your servants shall dwell secure; their offspring shall be established before you.
Psalm 102:28
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commandments! His offspring
will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Psalm 112:1-2
Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways! You shall eat the fruit of the
labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you. Your wife will be like a
fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.
Psalm 128:1-3
For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit
upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. Isaiah 44:3
"For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart
from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed, " says the Lord, who has compassion
on you. "0 afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted, behold ... All your children shall be
taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children. In righteousness you shall be
established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall
not come near you .... This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from
me, declares the Lord. " Isaiah 54: 10-14; 17
"This is my covenant with them, " says the Lord: "My Spirit that is upon you, and my words that
I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouth of your offspring, or out of the mouth of your children's offspring, " says the Lord, "from this time fort and forevermore. " Isaiah 59:21
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Grace and peace,
Pastor Adams |
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From the Sunday School |
Where do our Sunday School offerings go?
Ever since our church first began, our offerings have been given to support missions. Recently, the following missions benefited from money given by Sunday School students.
The Benecorts (ARP, Turkey) $1500
The Thomas’s (ARP, Turkey) $1500
The Kostners (Teen Mission) $1500
The Algharys (ARP-Connect-Muslim) $1000
Kelly Bandareau (Pioneer/India) $500*
*One time gift. Kelly formerly attended Faith while at Teen Missions.
Christian Education Committee’s future plans include a teacher’s training class to begin very soon.
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Submitted by
Dave Kalm |
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The “LITTLE” Things |
As you might know, the head of a company survived 9/11 because his son started kindergarten.
Another fellow was alive because it was his turn to bring donuts.
One woman was late because her alarm clock didn't go off in time.
One was late because of being stuck on the NJ Turnpike because of an auto accident.
One of them missed his bus.
One spilled food on her clothes and had to take time to change.
One's car wouldn't start.
One couldn't get a taxi.
The one that struck me was the man who put on a new pair of shoes that morning, took the various means to get to work but before he got there, he developed a blister on his foot. He stopped at a drugstore to buy a Band-Aid.
That is why he is alive today ..
Now when l am stuck in traffic, miss an elevator, turn back to answer a ringing telephone .. All the little things that annoy me.
I think to myself, this is exactly where God wants me to be at this very moment..
Next time your morning seems to be going wrong, you can't seem to find the car keys,
you hit every traffic light, don't get mad or frustrated; It May be just that God is at work watching over you.
May God continue to bless you with all those annoying little things and may you remember their possible purpose.
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Submitted by
Dan Acker |
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George L. Syms |
This was my grandfather, George L. Syms, whom I loved and respected very much. I went into the Army because of him and his love for this country. My Grandfather was a hero. Just before he died of cancer this year, I asked him how he earned the Silver Star with "V" device. My Grandfather told me the story. I obviously don't remember all of it but here it goes.
He was in the Artillery. After being overrun by the North Koreans, a retreat order was
given. My Grandfather evacuated with some of the first to leave. When his unit realized that they had left wounded and others behind, he went back for them. He had to steal a jeep from an officer. While saving his fellow soldiers' lives, he was engaged by enemy and was shot at numerous times, he said, sometimes coming within yards of the North Koreans. He said he turned a corner and there was a young North Korean soldier scared to death. My Grandfather sped away from him quickly before he could shoot at my grandfather. After getting to the front line and saving his fellow soldiers, my Grandfather ended up driving along a creek bed, following it until he reached a unit that could help them. When he returned he had been shot, "grazed" as he put it, three times. He went back for men that his command left behind. He was the only one who would go and get those men. My Grandfather lived by the words, "No man left behind." Also, my Grandfather went to the medics with his wounds from being shot. They patched him up and told him to come back later and fill out the paperwork for his Purple Heart. My Grandfather never went back and he never received a Purple Heart for being wounded in action. He did get the Silver Star. I guess that was enough for him. He treasured that award until the day he died. A few years ago I got together with my family and we bought an awards display for him for Christmas for his medal and awards. This was the only time I ever saw my Grandfather cry.
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Submitted by
Det. Richard Campbell |
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Prayer – and Miracles |
In our Adult II Sunday school class (Adults Without Supervision) we’ve spent a few weeks studying “Signs and Miracles” and whether or not there are modern day signs and miracles.
There are several reasons why God sees (or saw, depending on your viewpoint) fit to give a sign. One of these reasons was to show that the person He had sent was, indeed, sent by the One, True, God. In this vein, let me tell you a true story, received first-hand from the man to whom it happened:
While building the Yeni Dogus Kelisesi (New Life Church) in Izmir, Turkey, it came time to tile the floors. Our purchaser went to a local tile shop owned, of course, by a Muslim man. The tile which our purchaser chose, a beautiful tile quarried and cut in Turkey, was extremely expensive. After the usual negotiations the lowest price that could be obtained was about three times what we could afford for the church building.
Our man said that we could not afford the tile, as beautiful as it was, but asked the shop owner for permission to pray for him. The shop owner, as is the case for most Turks, did not mind the extra prayers, so he gave his permission.
About two weeks later the shop owner called the church and said (in Turkish, of course) “Come get the tile - at your price. Since you have been praying for us we have had more business than we can keep up with.”
That tile now adorns the floors of the Yeni Dogus Church, as well as the baptismal font in the chapel, which is the first baptismal font built in Turkey for several centuries.
Coincidence, good business practice, or a sign from God? Turkey is a land in which visions, dreams and signs are a part of everyday, normal life. Perhaps ours is, too, but we don’t recognize the sign when we see it; we don’t expect an answer when we pray for it.
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Submitted by
Steve Richardson |
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The Secret Garden |
Those of you who missed Merritt Island High School’s presentation of “The Secret Garden” April 16 – 19 missed a great performance. While the cast was all extremely talented, it was a special treat to watch and listen to Chris Fallows as Archibald Craven. He was a very dapper looking hunchback – since the hump was quite unnoticeable – and if he ages like the make-up artist worked on him, Chris will be quite fine looking in his 40s. Chris’ solos, duets and trios made it obvious God has blessed him with a beautiful voice as well as acting talent. Thank you for developing your talents and sharing them with the greater community, Chris! Great job!
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Submitted by
Mari Richardson |
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From the Deacons |
Dear Church Family,
The following is a selection of excerpts from an article by Aaron Menikoff, PHD and Senior Pastor of Mt. Vernon Baptist Church in Atlanta.
While his article is directed mainly at those who have lost a job during this recession, it also serves as good guidance for those who are already retired or on fixed income and are concerned about “tending their own financial garden” during these difficult times. As always, the main theme is that we need to trust in our Lord Jesus, do our part of the responsible work, stay the course our faith has lead us, and He will provide and all will be well.
I do hope the following will give you encouragement and resolve in following Christ through the recession.
Following Jesus Christ through the Recession
Aaron Menikoff
Pastor, Author (March 30, 2009)
The church I serve, like a lot of other churches, has been affected by the recession. Several individuals have lost their jobs and are working hard to follow Christ in a difficult season of life. We recently came together for an evening of encouragement and counsel. I suggested ten ways the unemployed can address their trial with a biblical worldview:
First, confess anxiety. To be anxious is to be nervous or worried about the future. We know from Scripture that “an anxious heart weighs a man down” (Prov. 12:25). We know that David prayed, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts” (Psalm 139:23). We should not be weighed down by anxiety. We should repent of it with a robust conviction that God will not fail us. Where do we start? Confess anxiety.
Second, expect difficulty. Work is hard. Looking for work is hard. Life is hard. One of the great things about being a Christian is we know why this is the case. Judgment came when sin entered the world through Adam’s sin. God decreed then and there that work would be hard: “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life” (Gen. 3:17). We have no reason to think that keeping a job will be easy and we have every reason to believe that finding a job will be hard. At least we understand why. We live in a fallen world where crops don’t grow without hard labor and where jobs aren’t kept or found without toil. Expect difficulty. (Same goes for tending our “financial garden” when we’re retired).
Third, embrace responsibility. Paul instructed Timothy, “If anyone does not provide for his relatives and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Tim. 5:8). How much more should Christian men—those who have experienced the work of Jesus Christ on their behalf—strive to provide, materially, for their families? Embrace responsibility.
Fourth, embrace biblical manhood. Men need to feel the full force of Paul’s instruction to Timothy. Pastor John Piper minced no words when he wrote, “where there is no bread on the table it is the man who should feel the main pressure to do something to get it there.” There may very well be seasons where that is not happening. Following Christ certainly means using every godly means available to provide for one’s family. However, being a godly man does not merely mean providing physically for one’s family.
A godly husband and father provides spiritually for his family. Paul explained to the church in Ephesus, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish” (Eph. 5:25-27).
The church needs men who understand their role to provide physically and spiritually for their families. Embrace biblical manhood.
Fifth, do not love the world. The fact of the matter is, we can’t do anything that is really, really great if we love the world. When we refuse to love the world we are better able to trust that God will provide.
What is the alternative? Let’s say you get that job and eventually move into middle management. Eventually you do so well you are promoted to regional manager. Maybe you have stock options and enough money for a down payment on a second home. Then what? Remember what John wrote:
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever (1 John 2:15-17).
It is easier to weather the storms of life when the object of our affections is Christ. Tying ourselves to “the world and its desires” is a recipe for spiritual disaster.
Sixth, have an eternal perspective. This, of course, is related to the preceding point. An eternal perspective is fueled by the commitment not to love the world. Jesus was so clear: What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?” (Mark 8:36). One day we will all stand before a holy God, the God who made us, and we will be forced to account for our lives. God is not going to ask about the size of our 401(k) or the efficiency of our company. The eternal questions are much more significant: “Did I trust in Christ, the crucified and resurrected savior? Did I love him more than anything else?” Believe the Gospel. Have an eternal perspective.
Seventh, do not worry. This is a herculean request. Jesus addressed this very topic when he spoke to his disciples: “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or stow away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” (Matt. 6:26). Christians need to take this promise seriously. The issue at hand is “needs.” God has promised to provide for our needs. How does He do that? Ordinarily this is through a local church. Local churches met the needs of the poor in the Jerusalem church (2 Cor. 8). We should not worry because we know God will provide what we need. We should put ourselves in a position to benefit from God’s generosity by committing ourselves to a local body of Christ.
Eighth, embrace spiritual disciplines. God has given you time. Use that time to pursue God with zeal. The psalmist prayed, “You are my portion, O LORD; I have promised to obey your words. I have sought your face with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise” (Psalm 119:57-58). This should be the attitude of every believer. We should be seeking God. He has given us a day, the Lord’s Day. We should use it well. We will be tempted to overindulge in distractions afforded by the world—sports, movies, and television. Sometimes we need a distraction. We always, however, need to seek the face of God. This takes time. It takes discipline. A job loss is a tremendous opportunity to commit oneself to spiritual growth. Read the Word. Pray the Word. Listen to the Word preached. Embrace spiritual disciplines.
Ninth, rejoice. We should never underestimate the value of tough times. Every trial, unemployment included, is an opportunity for the grace of God to be obvious in our lives. As James wrote, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4). This kind of joy is not a shallow happiness accompanied by a fake grin. It is, instead, a committed resolve to praise God through hardship. It is the quiet confidence that God reigns in any and every difficulty. Rejoice.
Tenth, prove that God is powerful. Trials exist not only so that we will be made holy but so that God will be glorified. We are weak, fragile beings. We have every reason to crack under the disappointment of a lost job (or lost income and security in our retirement plans). God, however, intends for our perseverance in the midst of trials to provide evidence that He is powerful. Paul taught the church in Corinth that the Gospel of God is a treasure at work in our lives to prove that God is great:
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed (2 Cor. 4:7-9).
Jars of clay are crushable. We are easily broken. God is strong, unbreakable. When we endure as Christians in the face of trials we show that God sustains His children. If you are unemployed, please do not waste this opportunity to prove “this all-surpassing power is from God.” In God’s wisdom you have been given the privilege of showing the world that God is faithful. As you hold on to the Gospel in the midst of your job loss or other financial stresses, prove that God is powerful.
The following are quotes from Thomas Jefferson. Perhaps he should be called a prophet.
(Don’t miss the last one.)
The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.
When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe.
It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world.
I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.
My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.
No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.
The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.
The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.
In light of the present financial crisis, it's interesting to read what Thomas
Jefferson said in 1802:
I Believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.
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Who Is Your Daddy? |
A seminary professor was vacationing with his wife in Gatlinburg, TN. One morning, they were eating breakfast at a little restaurant, hoping to enjoy a quiet, family meal. While they were waiting for their food, they noticed a distinguished looking, white-haired man moving from table to table, visiting with the
guests. The professor leaned over and whispered to his wife, "I hope he doesn't come over here." But sure enough, the man
did come over to their table.
"Where are you folks from?" he asked in a friendly voice.
"Oklahoma," they answered.
"Great to have you here in Tennessee," the stranger said.
"What do you do for a living?"
"I teach at a seminary," he replied.
"Oh, so you teach preachers how to preach, do you? Well, I've got a really great story for you."
And with that, the gentleman pulled up a chair and sat down at the table with the couple.
The professor groaned and thought to himself, "Great .. Just what I need ...another preacher story!"
The man started, "See that mountain over there? (pointing out the restaurant window). Not far from the base of that mountain,
there was a boy born to an unwed mother. He had a hard time growing up, because every place he went, he was always asked the same
question, “Hey boy, Who's your daddy?'
Whether he was at school, in the grocery store or drug store, people would ask the same question, 'Who's your daddy?'
He would hide at recess and lunchtime from other students.
He would avoid going into stores because that question hurt him so bad. 'When he was about 12 years old, a new preacher came
to his church. He would always go in late and slip out early to avoid hearing the question, 'Who's your daddy?'
But one day, the new preacher said the benediction so fast that he got caught and had to walk out with the crowd.
Just about the time he got to the back door, the new preacher, not knowing anything about him, put his hand on his shoulder and asked him, 'Son, who's your daddy?'
The whole church got deathly quiet. He could feel every eye in the church looking at him. Now everyone would finally know the answer to the question, 'Who's your daddy?'
This new preacher, though, sensed the situation around him said, and using discernment that only the Holy Spirit could give, said the following to that scared little boy 'Wait a minute! I know who you are! I see the family resemblance You are a child of God.'
With that he patted the boy on his shoulder and said, 'Boy, you've got a great inheritance. Go and claim it.'
'With that, the boy smiled for the first time in a long time and walked out the door a changed
person. He was never the same again. Whenever anybody asked him, 'Who's your Daddy?' he'd just tell them, 'I'm a Child of
God.'"
The distinguished gentleman got up from the table and said, "Isn't that a great story?"
The professor responded that it really was a great story!
As the man turned to leave, he said, "You know, if that new preacher hadn't told me that I was one of God's children, I probably never would have amounted to anything!" And he walked away.
The seminary professor and his wife were stunned. He called the waitress over & asked her, "Do you know who that man was - the one who just left that was sitting at our table?”
The waitress grinned and said, "Of course. Everybody here knows him. That's Ben Hooper. He's governor of Tennessee !"
Some one in your life today needs a reminder that they’re one of God’s children!
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From the Fishwrapper
as provided by Marian Sweigart |
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