Messenger. The. Mark 16:6. A Publication of Community Bible Fellowship March 2016

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1 The Messenger A Publication of Community Bible Fellowship March 2016 Don t be alarmed, he said. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. Mark 16:6 Be sure to join us Sunday, March 27th at 9am for Resurrection Breakfast!

2 The Challenge of Being Ethical by Cajun Pauley The role of judicious study: Justice by just means demands Deuteronomy 16:20. However, how can we know what justice looks like in all of life s variegated situations without a constant and careful study of ethics? As President Lyndon Johnson once said, A president s hardest task is not to DO what is right, but to KNOW what is right. Knowing what is good takes great discernment which can only come from long practice at tzedekah (righteousness). We know honesty is valued by El Emet (God of Truth). However, Rahab was blessed for her deceit (Joshua 2:4-5; 6:25; Matthew 1:5; Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25). So, when does righteousness require us to lie? The principle we deduce from this is that if following a commandment explicitly will lead to an injustice, a contravention of love God, love your neighbor (Matthew 22:36-40; Mark 12:31; Luke 10:27), then it should give us pause. We need to reevaluate our understanding of the commandment, our application of the commandment, the timing, or our motives for applying that particular edict. I think that those who hide from persecutors like ISIS today would agree with those who hid Jews from the Nazis that this is indeed a pertinent topic! This subtle complexity that ethics demands is why the Scriptures command Study to show yourself a workman approved! (2 Timothy 2:15) Anyone can pound a nail. It is the one who assiduously studies who becomes the craftsman. I don t know about you but I want to hone my ethical skills in order to become a tzaddik an ethical master craftsman. The role of compassion: If someone thinks that he is religious, but does not practice compassionate ethics, he is sadly mistaken. Every Scriptural command enforces rather than negates basic ethical behavior. As children of light let us no longer lie to one another (Ephesians 4:25). Let the thief no longer steal (Ephesians 4:28). Let the one sleeping with his father s wife be cast out (1 Corinthians 5:11-13). But also, Allow the repentant sinner to return lest he be permanently broken (2 Corinthians 2:6-7). Again, when Adonai summarized His requirements for the prophet Micah He said, What does the Lord require except to do justice, love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8). Humble zeal leads to an understanding of the nature of true mercy which allows us to know the right thing to do in any given situation. Jeremiah agreed, saying that a person who truly understands and knows the Lord God exercises mercy, justice, and righteousness (Jeremiah 9:22-23 cp Acts 9:36; 1 Timothy 6:18; 2 Timothy 3:14-17; Titus 2:7, 12-14; 3:8, 14; Colossians 1:10). The role of fear: Isaiah (33:15-16) posed a rhetorical question: Who can live with a consuming fire or with ever-burning flames? referring to the burning bush and God who is described as a consuming fire. In reply to his own question the prophet gave the following six principles for d vekut (spiritual devotion and intimacy). Interestingly, we find their parallel in King David s Psalm 101! 1. Righteous living (cp Psalm 101:6, cf v.8; also Isaiah 56:1) 2. Right speaking (Psalm 101:1) 3. Abhorrence of dishonesty (Psalm 101:7) 4. Rejection of bribery (sp Psalm 101:2) 5. Refusal to participate in murderous plots (cp Psalm 101:4-5) 6. Taking steps to avoid even the temptation to evil (Psalm 101:3) Jeremiah s listing of the shortcomings of human wisdom, power, or wealth (Jeremiah 9:22) does not mean that we should seek stupidity, impotence, and poverty. No it simply means that we must understand that any of the many good gifts that El Ch uwl (God our Parent) gives us are to be applied toward mercy, justice, and righteousness. If they are used for any other purpose, they are wasted and Yahweh Shaphat (God our Judge) will require an accounting of their misuse on Judgment Day. The role of faith: Then there s Habakkuk s famous phrase, A righteous man will live by faith. This can be taken a couple of different ways, each of which are equally apt. First, we find life in our faith. Faith transforms physical death into an insignificant and even trivial factor in the mind of a believer. Second, our faith should affect the way we live, i.e. The righteous man will live by (his) faith or according to his faith. A dogma that is claimed, but that does not change the adherent s life, is vain. Third, like any equation, the phrase can be reversed: living by faith makes one righteous. Obviously, simple faith is not enough it must be appropriately placed to be worth anything. Plenty of people placed their faith in various rogue messiahs and found themselves drinking poisoned Kool-Aid, burning in a Texan compound, or waiting to catch a ride on the next comet. However, faith properly placed, and appropriately obeyed, will result in righteousness both titular and practical.

3 When You Feel too Busy to Enjoy Life by Alli Worthington LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered how fleeting my life is. Psalm 39:4 (NLT) I wanted to crawl in a hole and hide. Somehow in the rush of my crazy busy schedule and all the demands on my time and attention, I found myself in a crowded airport, realizing I had left my cell phone in the shuttle from the hotel. I asked the couple in front of me if I could borrow their phone so I could call my own phone and ask the shuttle driver to please return it to me. As I dialed my number and waited for the shuttle driver to answer, an embarrassing thing happened: Right there in the airport, surrounded by people, my bra started ringing. I had tucked my phone in my bra, totally forgotten about it, freaked out thinking I had lost it and then called it right there in line! (Can you even imagine?) On the flight home, I worked hard to not make eye contact with anyone else and thought about how my life had become so exhaustingly busy. I have to get off the hamster wheel. I have to be made for more in my life than just running in circles. This busyness is breaking me. My husband Mark and I have five sons, and at that point in our lives we were both working full time, leading a church small group, teaching on Sunday mornings and if that weren t enough, he even coached pee-wee football. On the outside we looked like a happy all-american family (or at least we did on Instagram and Facebook isn t that how it always is?) but on the inside I was exhausted and burned out. And I was way too busy to actually enjoy life. The crazy part of it all is that everything we were doing in our lives was, in itself, a good thing. But we had to admit to ourselves that doing all of it together at the same time was killing us. Between our scheduled commitments, the little things that popped up daily and the needs of all five kids, we barely made time for ourselves, each other and God. Sure, we were serving and leading, but the maddash schedule of one thing after the next didn t leave us with any room to rest or be restored. We were running on empty and had the frazzled nerves to prove it. The Bible teaches us another way to live: to keep our hearts and our minds focused on the things that really matter in our lives. The Psalmist said, LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered how fleeting my life is (Psalm 39:4). Just as we read in today s key verse, being aware that my days are short helps me remember to focus on the things that bring real happiness, peace and purpose to my life: my relationship with Christ, my family and my relationships. I ve learned that by staying focused on the big things in life, I m better at protecting my time from the little things that creep in and make my life crazy busy. Maybe you can relate. Maybe you ve felt the demands of all those little things that seem so urgent in life? You want to finish your Bible study, but those piles of laundry must get done. You want to sit down at the end of a long day and read books to the little ones but your mind can t get away from those work s that need to get answered. The struggle is real. I ve learned the best way to keep my heart and mind focused is by keeping my to-do list focused as well. Lord, help me keep fighting the good fight against busyness today. Remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Enable me to focus on the things You want me to do, not all the little things I worry about or think I should do. In Jesus Name, Amen.

4 Deacons Report We ve been working on some things around the church. Here are a few things that you may or may not have noticed: Some outside security lighting has been installed on the east and north side of the North Building. A grease trap has been installed in the new kitchen. This will help save from having plumbing problems in the future. Per request of the Hospitality Team, an outlet has been installed to keep food warm during potluck events. Thanks to everyone for helpful suggestions. We deacons want to do a good and diligent job of serving our Savior and His/our family. So please if you see something or have any ideas, let us know. Thanks to the contributions to the Good Neighbor Fund, we have purchased 2 generators. The new generators are both 10,000 watt, electric start models. This will give us a total of 3 generators to power up the church in the event of the loss of grid power. One of the new generators will be used to power up our new kitchen/ foyer part of church. The second new generator will power up the Activity Room, Offices, Sanctuary, and classrooms. The size of these generators is a great match for the electrical load of these two areas. The third generator, which we already have, will power up the Chapel and classrooms in the South Building. The deacons would like to thank all of you for being faithful in this area and providing the funds to purchase these items. We, as a church, are able to serve each other and our community through these blessings. To God be the glory, The Deacons Spring Storms Are Coming. Prepare or Beware! Found in the Ameren Illinois newsletter/march 2015 We can t control the weather, but we can control how prepared we are for thunderstorms, lightening, tornadoes, and flooding. These tips from the National Weather Service will help you prepare now and avoid regrets later: 1. Stay informed by monitoring a weather alert radio, TV broadcasts, National Weather Service web pages, or computer and smart phone applications. 2. Have an emergency plan for your home, business, school, and when you are traveling. Designate places to go to seek safe shelter from a tornado or severe thunderstorm. When you are away from home, know the names of cities and counties you are visiting. 3. Prepare yourself and your home for an emergency by learning how to use a fire extinguisher, administer CPR, and turn off the electricity, gas, and water supplies in your home. Inspect your home for potential hazards such as weakened trees or limbs, cracked windows or worn roofing. 4. Put together an emergency supply kit to help you cope with extended power outages. Include water, food, flashlight, batteries, blankets, and a first aid kit. (A full list of suggested items can be found at AmerenIllinois.com)

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6 Carews News from Bangui 2 Corinthians 13:5 KJV Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates. Have you checked the weather yet today? We know that s a question that is very likely asked quite often in the USA this time of year, especially in the northern states. Snowstorms, ice-storms, sleet and slush on the roads cause you to want to know the conditions of the roads, how to dress for the day, if you should maybe stop at the store to get some extra supplies in case you re snowed in. In the south it is a time when ferocious thunderstorms and tornadoes might occur, and sometimes there are worries of black ice on the roads. We are in the habit of checking the weather too! We missionaries often ask each other or some of the nationals whether there has been trouble in this area or that. We ask whether it is safe to go to this church or that church this week. We ask whether we should travel at all sometimes. We re praising the Lord that things have been quite peaceful lately, and even through this presidential election process there is a calm attitude in the city, as well as in the outlying areas for the most part. Another question we are heavily focused on though, is to ask people whether or not they are truly in the faith. We have a daily tendency to ask others about the weather. Have you asked anyone lately about the whether? PRAISES Calm in the city of Bangui. A recent day trip to the Baptist church in Mbaiki, about 100 km south of Bangui. Training for Sunday School teachers going well. Travel has been normal within the city. For Eglise Saki II, which has a very good Sunday School model. We were impressed with this church in 2008, and it is still doing a better job of teaching and discipling than most we ve seen. His brain is fried afterward, but Les has made great gains in writing, speaking and teaching in Sango. Kid s Club is going again, this time on Saturdays at the Bible student village in Ngola. urlough plans beginning to fall in place. UPDATE We re very pleased with the group of people that have been coming to our course for Sunday School teachers! For this first course, we have had an average of 24 Carol has been holding Kid s clubs at a student village, and the kids are loving it! Games, singing and a Bible lesson each Saturday. We re thankful for help from Junior, the Dannenberg s African grandson, who does a great job of leading songs and games, and sometimes the lesson as well.

7 people from two different churches participating. We have been teaching the course twice a week for two hour sessions. This is something totally new for them, but we feel it s progressing well. For almost all Sunday Schools we have seen, which are few and far between, they have a class for only the children if enough show up. They will start out with a few songs and possibly read a short lesson, and then the main focus is on learning to recite a verse. That all sounds great., but, the reality is that the majority of teaching does not explain anything regarding the meaning of the verse or how it should or can be applied to their lives. The focus of our course is to help the teachers learn to search the Word for themselves and develop Bible story lessons, teaching chronologically through the Scriptures to help their students better understand the story of the Bible as a whole. People generally know a few Bible stories, but have no idea about their sequence in the Word and how they build one upon another to reveal how God has worked in the hearts of men over time. We re trying to encourage them to teach with enthusiasm and use culturally familiar illustrations drawings/paintings that gifted people in their churches can make, objects that are common to them, and illustrative stories that apply to their lives. We, too, are learning a lot in this first course which will help us focus on areas that require more attention for future sessions. Please keep praying for this ongoing process! PRAYER REQUESTS For successful gains through the ECODIM course (contraction for Ecole Dimanche, or Sunday School). For the upcoming trip to Sibut for 1-3 days for the CEBI church association s General Assembly meetings beginning on the 24th. Because of SELEKA or ANTI- BALAKA rebels on the roads (depending on the area) demanding money from travelers, many pastors may not be able to afford the trip which could prevent the meeting from having a quorum for votes. For scheduling in the states, to be able to visit all of the churches and individuals on our support team. For the multitudes in many parts of the country who are suffering from a very low supply of water due to a poor rainy season and a continuing dry season. Many wells are running dry, so it is very difficult for those that need to carry water for a significant distance. We have heard of families whose children leave at 2:00 a.m. to go fetch water, not returning home until about 5:00 a.m., and then have to go to school! We are Baptist Mid-Missions missionaries to the Central African Republic. Our mailing address is: Baptist Mid-Missions BP 900 Bangui Central African Republic Intense study going on during the Sunday School training. We broke them into small groups and assigned each group a portion of scripture to study and create a Bible story lesson to teach. Afterward, they practiced presenting the story in front of each other, and a little later on before a group of kids from near the church.

8 March Birthdays & Anniversaries 3/2 Francis Richardson 3/2 Emily Van Zummeren 3/4 Cajun Pauley 3/6 Cherie Walker 3/7 Jim Bartelt 3/8 Mark Barnhouse 3/8 Ben Konie 3/11 Kandi Frieden 3/14 Olivia Andresen 3/14 Shane Eskridge 3/21 Tammy Mizner 3/21 Dan & Kim Wallerstedt 3/21 Joseph Wallerstedt 3/22 Eric & Dody Kelly 3/26 Brian & Britt Hagens 3/26 Margaret Puckett 3/29 Cordell Rourke 3/30 Alex & Chelsey Duncan Mark Your Calendar 3/5 8 AM - Women with a Purpose Group; in the Chapel 3/5 10 AM - Bagel Making Class 3/14 4 PM - Junior High & High School Youth Group 3/ AM - Blood Drive 3/19 8 AM - Women with a Purpose Group; in the Activity Room 3/19 3 PM - Galesburg Rescue Mission 3/27 9 AM - Resurrection Breakfast; No Sunday School 3/30 7 PM - New Session of Bible Studies Begin CBF Financial Report - January Monthly Year To Date Total Income $ 17, $ 17, Total Expenses $ 13, $ 13, Net Operating Income $ 3, $ 3, SE 3rd Street Aledo, IL Phone: office@cbfaledo.org