Heartbeat. INDIAN HILLS COMMUNITY CHURCH February 4, 2018

Transcription

1 Heartbeat INDIAN HILLS COMMUNITY CHURCH February 4, 2018 Welcome to this local fellowship of believers known as Indian Hills Community Church. When a sinner turns from his sin and places his faith in Jesus death on the cross, he is born into God s family. On top of that, he becomes part of the body of Christ, and a dwelling is reserved for him in glory. Regarding our new life, Paul said, Now you are Christ s body, and individually members of it (1 Corinthians 12:27). Then, regarding our eternal home, Jesus said, In My Father s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also (John 14:2, 3). Not only do we have a home in heaven, but as the Body of Christ we have a spiritual family here on earth united by the blood of Christ. This is an amazing truth. Every single believer in this local fellowship of believers is a brother or sister in Christ. We love our earthly families, but there is nothing like the love and common bond we have in our spiritual family, the Body of Christ. Immerse yourself in the love of this local fellowship. The blessings will be out of this world. Wide & Narrow Roads In America, most people believe there is a heaven and a hell. What s interesting however, is that almost everyone believes they are going to heaven. Few believe they are going to hell. Jesus said the exact opposite. He said, Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it (Matthew 7:13, 14). Many people who think they are on the path to heaven are tragically mistaken. If you believe there is a heaven, yet live without any thought of God, you are likely one of the many on the wide path to destruction. God is not fooled by our outward trappings. He knows our very thoughts and when we die, we will have to give an account of our lives. Heaven or hell will be hanging in the balance. Today, while there is still time, please consider what road you are on. Come to Jesus today. Heartbeat 3

2 Ministering Near and Far and to All Ages Sound Words Gale Engle Bennie Leonard moves a lot slower than he used to. His hearing isn t that good either. But, according to Bennie, none of that matters because his inner man is being renewed day by day. Bennie Leonard (left) and Ken Laws (right) live in Southern Pines, NC and are thankful for the Bible teaching they receive through Sound Words. At age 82, Bennie is busy studying the Word and praising the Lord. I m hungry for the Word of God, Bennie said. My goal is to learn as much as I can about my Maker, before I meet Him. I was saved at age 77, and since then, I have been listening to Pastor Gil Rugh every day. Ken Laws is Bennie s neighbor and a former Indian Hills attender. Ken and his wife, Liz, attended The Hills from , before moving to North Carolina. We 4 Heartbeat never heard the Scriptures taught like Gil teaches and our time in Nebraska was fruitful. When Bennie was saved and wanted to learn God s Word, I knew where he could get good Bible teaching, and lots of it. Bennie adds, My neighbor Ken put me in touch with Sound Words, which is a treasury of Bible teaching. I love Gil s teaching because I do not want to have my ears tickled. Gil doesn t do any of that, he teaches the Truth. Retired in Southern Pines, North Carolina, Bennie gets up each morning, has breakfast and then heads to his boat house where he listens to Gil s messages until 3:00 or 4:00 p.m. I have learned a lot from listening to Gil. I like the depth of his teaching and I understand what he s talking about. He has a gift for making the Scriptures easy to understand. Plus, he doesn t beat around the bush. He gets right to the point. Bennie knew about the Lord all his life, through his mother and grandmother. I went to church, and because I walked the aisle, I thought I was saved. However, I ignored God my whole life. About the time many people are slowing down and coming to the end of their lives, the Lord

3 opened Bennie s eyes. It was like a light came on and suddenly I knew I was a sinner and that I deserved eternal punishment in hell, Bennie said. I repented of my sins and believed in Jesus finished work on the cross that day. The Lord gave me an appetite for His Truth and I have been devouring His Word ever since. I m thankful for Indian Hills Community Church and Sound Words ministry. Sound Words has kept me well fed. Two Parking Lot Entrances Now Have Gates Two parking lot entrances, one on the east to Smoky Hill Road, and one on the north to Indian Hills Drive, are now gated. The gates will be open all day Sunday and Wednesday evenings, but otherwise the gates will be locked with a chain and padlock. The sign reads Entrance Closed. The main reason for installing gates on those two entrances is for the benefit of the parking lot. Since the parking lot is not built like a city street, it can t stand up to constant heavy traffic. We get a lot of traffic from the neighborhoods around the church and would like to reduce it. Another reason for gating these two entrances is for the safety of people at church. Adults working on the church grounds, the garden ladies, kids riding bikes, and little ones playing in the park, are at risk from cars flying by. It is dangerous to have cars driving too fast and we have no way to enforce drivers to slow down. After we received approval from the city, Kevin Wheat, Jerry Andrews and Gerry Pool began drilling holes in the ground, setting posts, and building the gates. Heartbeat 5

4 How Would You Describe Love? Valentine s Day is the day we give friends and loved ones a card. Special friends may receive chocolates or a gift. This year, while everyone is focused on valentines, consider giving a gospel tract with some home-made cookies, or a small box of chocolates. Even a small candy bar would add a little sweetness. God s love for us was proven at Calvary and it has echoed through the ages, calling sinners to repent and believe. The gospel reaches us wherever we are and cuts through false beliefs and a life-time of baggage. It is impossible to resist and brings incomparable peace. Oh how we long for our loved ones and acquaintances to be brought into God s fold. We have a gospel tract for Valentine s Day that shows that God has given the greatest demonstration of love the world could ever witness the cross of Christ. Pick up as many of these tracts as you need and give them away with love, a prayer, and a little chocolate. The tracts are available at the main entrances. The tract was written by Adam and Elizabeth Flaugh and designed by John Scholle. This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends (John 15:12, 13). 6 Heartbeat

5 Men s Seminar Features Randall Price Randall Price is the featured speaker at the 2018 Men s Seminar Q: What are some limitations of archaeology? Randall Price: Archaeological excavation is still in its infancy and it s having a hard time keeping pace with the destruction to archaeological sites as a result of construction expansion, wars, terrorism, and black-market looting. As a result, more of the past may be disappearing than is being exposed by archaeology. Even when a site is excavated (rarely completely), it may take years to decades before the results are fully published (the final report on Jericho took 35 years and the Dead Sea Scroll fragments from Cave 4 took over 40 years). And even when published, they may be in a language or in a technical journal that the average person cannot read. Also, in a site such as New Testament Bethsaida, there are rival claims being made by archaeologists and it may take additional years before the dust of scholarly debate settles and one site is confirmed. Therefore, it s never safe to make archaeology a priority over the Bible or to expect that in one s lifetime or in many lifetimes all of the historical and chronological facts in the Bible will be proven by archaeology. Men s Seminar February 16 & 17 Speaker: Randall Price The Stones Cry Out: Archaeology and the Bible Held at Indian Hills Community Church Stop by the table in the south lobby and register today. Registration continues through February 11. Heartbeat 7

6 Spiritual Discipline has Value for the Present Life and the Life to Come Aaron Nicholson Scripture: 1 Timothy 4:7-8 If you look at the lives of world class athletes and artists you ll find they all have something in common. Starting at age 14, Michael 8 Heartbeat Aaron Nicholson Phelps would swim for six hours every day; Larry Bird would show up two hours early and shoot more than 300 practice shots before his games; and by the time Mozart was 28, his hands were deformed because of the many hours he had spent practicing, performing, and gripping a quill pen to compose. Mozart said, People err who think my art comes easily to me. I assure you, dear friend, nobody has devoted so much time and thought to composition as I. These individuals teach us that if you want to be the best, you must have selfdiscipline. Feats of the will like this are fascinating and inspiring. Who doesn t want to be the best of the best? But should this be the ultimate goal in our lives? When we come to God s Word, we find that physical discipline is certainly profitable but it is also severely limited. In 1 Timothy 4, Paul is writing to Timothy, his young son in the faith. Paul is charging him to point out false teaching to his flock and to saturate his own mind with sound doctrine. A good pastor must be an excellent student of Scripture. In verse 7, Paul says discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness. In other words, be constantly and diligently training yourself toward a godly heart and life. Why? For bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come (1 Tim 4:8). Paul was saying that there are two types of discipline. One is temporary but the other is timeless. Bodily discipline is clearly necessary in order to succeed in life on earth. You cannot be healthy,

7 have a good job, or raise a family without some level of bodily discipline. However, spiritual discipline affects your life on earth and in heaven. Studying God s Word, praying, evangelizing, sharing in fellowship, and cultivating a heart of godliness by the power of the Spirit will both keep you from sin on earth and store up a rich and imperishable treasure in heaven (Matthew 5:20). Isn t a holy life and an eternal reward worth the sacrifice of our time today? Will we really gain anything of lasting value from the time spent on earthly pleasures? If world class individuals can devote a stunning amount of time and focus to their craft in a life that fades; how much more can we, and should we, as Spiritempowered Christians, devote all our time and focus to eternal and important things. Ladies Retreat True Wisdom Found: The joyful mindset of fearing God February 23 & 24 Lied Lodge in Nebraska City Teachers: Nancy Butterfield, Sheila Abresch, Deb Terry, LaVon Sperling, Carrie Smith If you would still like to attend but have not registered, there is room for you. Registrations will be accepted through February 8. Brochures are available at the south information desk. Please call Shelley Pratt ( ) to make arrangements. Jonathan Edwards Beginning October 11 All are Welcome Heartbeat 9

8 Family News Hospitalized. Michelle Mertens was a patient at UNMC. Hospitalized. Michelle Pietzyk was hospitalized. Hospitalized. Bode Duval was hospitalized. Thank You to all my brothers and sisters in Christ who have been praying for me during my surgery and recuperation. Special thanks to Curt Kuster for traveling to Omaha to pray with me before my surgery and for his subsequent visits and calls, also to Jack McGovern for his muscle to assist in my transport when needed. All the cards, visits, calls, and food helped boost my spirits and remind me that I m so blessed to have such wonderful Christian friends. I look forward to returning in the near future. Richard Rhoadarmer Children s Studies Children s Sunday School. The children studied Ephesians 1:1 14 and learned about praising God for spiritual lessons. Children s Church. The children reviewed previous lessons. 10 Heartbeat Information 2017 Giving Receipts. Your 2017 donation receipt should have arrived by February 1. Please notify the church of any discrepancies or if you did not receive a giving receipt. To claim a charitable cash donation, the IRS requires that it be substantiated by either a cancelled check, or by a written receipt from the church. For donors who give $250 or more, a written acknowledgement from the church is required. Church Calendar. As you make plans for the end of the school year and summer, be sure to check the church calendar at This will help you avoid schedule conflicts and insure that your event isn t scheduled on the same day as another ministry s big event. Forgotten Clothes. If you accidently drove off and left a bag of clothes in the east parking lot, we saved them for you. They are in the Clothing Outlet. Call Brenda Turner at , and we ll get them back to you. Vacation Bible School 2018 will be held June Mark your calendars and invite your cousins, friends, and neighbors. Awana Cubbies needs one helper to work with children 3 5 years old. Awana needs 40 margarine type bowls with lids for a craft in Cubbies. We need them by March 1. They can be dropped off at the second-floor coordinator desk. Choir meets on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. in the choir room. We would like to have more singers join us. We rehearse every Wednesday and sing every other Sunday through Easter, April 1.

9 Girls Choir meets on Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. and is open to all girls in grades Pickleball meets on Monday from 6:45 9:00 p.m. in the Family Center. Everyone is welcome. For more information, call Vince Ganshorn at The Great Awakenings of the Americas meets on Wednesday from 7:00 8:00 p.m. in room Donald Goertzen is the teacher. Everyone high school age and older is welcome. Cookies and coffee top off the evening. New Class: How did we get the Old Testament? This Wednesday night s class will begin a short series of overviews of the Bible. On February 7, we will focus on how we got our Old Testament. How did the Jews know which books to keep as Scripture? Why did some other books not make the cut? How do we know we have accurate copies of the originals? We meet Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. Please join us. Everyone is welcome and cookies and coffee top off the evening. Titus Tuesday. Join us Tuesday, February 6 for a lesson on Praying for Others, taught by Janice Horn. The second hour includes a discussion group and a class on Sunshine Baskets. Child care is provided. Creative Sewers will meet Tuesday, February 6, at 11:30 a.m. for lunch and sewing. Hospitality Ministry needs one door greeter to welcome people at the southwest doors on Sunday mornings from 8:30 9:00 a.m. Each greeter is on rotation of one month per quarter and would serve four months out of the year. Please let Brian Willet (brian.willet@outlook.com) know if you re interested. Event Kitchen. If you have an upcoming event that involves the new Event Kitchen, contact Rachel Gould at church, She will reserve it for your group and give you an Event Sheet, which will help with the planning. Questions to Merrily Bailey New Messages Jan. 14 AM. Gil Rugh. GR God Protects Israel from Satan s Pursuit. Revelation 12:13-17 Jan. 14 PM. Gil Rugh. GR Behavior Manifests Our Heart Condition. Galatians 5:19; Selected Verses Jan. 21 AM. Gil Rugh. GR The Identity of the Antichrist. Revelation 13:1; Selected Verses Jan. 21 PM. Gil Rugh. GR What We Are Apart From the Spirit. Galatians 5:19-21 Jan. 28 AM. Gil Rugh. GR The Beast Comes to Power. Revelation 13:2-9 Jan. 28 PM. Gil Rugh. GR Character Produced by the Spirit. Galatians 5:22 Heartbeat 11

10 This Week s Events Sunday Sunday Night Church 6:00 p.m. Boys of Faith 6:00 p.m. Girls of Grace 6:00 p.m. Sonshine Kids 6:30 p.m. Monday Sisters 7:00 p.m. Pickleball 6:45 9:00 p.m. Tuesday Titus Tuesday 9:00 a.m. Creative Sewers 11:30 a.m. Wednesday Girls Choir 5:00 p.m. Praise Team, Band 6:00 p.m. Orchestra 6:00 p.m. Awana 6:45 p.m. Choir 7:00 p.m. Junior High Study 7:00 p.m. Issues... World 7:00 p.m. Wednesday Night Study 7:00 p.m. Thursday Alpha Omega Study 7:00 p.m. Friday Girls of Grace Daddy Daughter Date Night Saturday Derby Workshop Heartbeat Feb. 4, 2018 Vol. 26, No. 5 Editor: Gale Engle Publisher: John Scholle 12 Heartbeat Future Events February 16, 17 Men s Seminar February 18 Randall Price Speaking Combined Sunday School & Morning Worship Hour February 23, 24 Ladies Retreat March 3 Pinewood Derby March 11 Daylight Saving Time Begins March 30 Good Friday Service Communion April 1 Resurrection Sunday April 7 Dodgeball Tourney 9:00 a.m. 3:00 p.m. April 8 Dessert Social April 10 Intermission 6:15 p.m. April 22 Girls Choir Concert 2:00 p.m. April Boys of Faith Spring Campout May 13 Mother s Day Boys of Faith Last Night Cookout June Vacation Bible School