A Teaching Moment. The state's authority

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1 Page 1 of 7 TSRC Purpose: To make disciples of Jesus Christ. TSRC Mission: To make disciples of Jesus Christ by knowing Him and serving Him in joyful obedience through the fulfilling of His Great Commandment and Great Commission and by planting churches that do the same. February 5, 2011 The state's authority A Teaching Moment I confess that I find it extremely impressive that Paul writes of both the 'authority' and the 'ministry' of the state; that three times he affirms the state's authority to be God's authority; and that three times he describes the state and its ministers as God's ministers, using two words (*diakonos* and *leitourgos*) which elsewhere he applied to his own ministry as apostle and evangelist, and even to the ministry of Christ.(1) I do not think there is any way of wriggling out of this, for example by interpreting the paragraph as a grudging acquiescence in the realities of political power. No. In spite of the defects of Roman government, with which he was personally familiar, Paul emphatically declared its authority and ministry to be God's. It is the divine origin of the state's authority which makes Christian submission to it a matter of 'conscience' (Rom. 13:5). Nevertheless, the fact that the state's authority had been delegated by God, and is therefore not intrinsic but derived, means that is must never be absolutized. Worship is due to God alone, and to his Christ, who is the Lord of all rule and authority (Eph. 1:21-22) and 'the ruler of the kings of the earth' (Rev. 1:5; cf. 19:16). The state must be respected as a divine institution; but to give it our blind, unqualified allegiance would be idolatry. The early Christians refused to call Caesar 'lord'' that title belonged to Jesus alone. (1) For *diakonos* applied to Christ see Rom. 15:8, and to Paul 2 Cor. 6:4. For *leitourgos* applied to Christ see Heb. 8:2, and to Paul Rom. 15:16. --From "The Cross of Christ" (Leicester and Downers Grove: IVP, 1986), p

2 Page 2 of 7 The Season is: EPIPHANY Sun., Feb 6: Is.58:1-12; Psalm 112:1-10; I Cor. 2:1-16; Matt. 5:13-20 Wed., Feb 9 (Evening Prayer): Is. 59:15b-21; Psalm 81; 2 Tim. 1:15-2:13; Mark 9:42-50 Birthdays Anniversaries- Jan 4 Jason Zellers Jan 15 Frank and Polly Schaffner 19 Maggie Taylor 31 Mary Thoresen Feb 2 Carol Adkins Feb 7 Audrey Chickness Feb 19 Dave and Sherry Zellers 12 Jack Zellers 15 Anna McCullough 17 Dave Thoresen 28 Andy Doan

3 Page 3 of 7 Adult Christian Education Sundays 9:00 a.m. Adult Christian Education (Meet the Apostles) FEBRUARY 6 John and Marilee Wells will conclude their two-part presentation on their annual mission trips to Brazil. We will meet in the sanctuary for this presentation FEBRUARY 13 MARCH 6 We will be looking at all of the apostles mentioned in the New Testament, using Biblical and Legendary Sources such as the New Testament, and the works of Eusebius, Hippolytus, Irenaeus, and Flavius Josephus. All of us are familiar with the fact that there were twelve original apostles. The names Peter, John, James, Doubting Thomas, Judas Iscariot, etc. come readily to mind. However, many of us would be hard-pressed to name all twelve. Even more difficult would be naming the other people (excepting Paul) in the New Testament that have the word apostle associated with them. Join us as we look more closely at the lives and ministries of these most remarkable Christians.

4 Page 4 of 7 MARCH 13 APRIL 10 (The Sundays in Lent this year) Deacon Joe will be leading a course of study from Focus on the Family entitled The Path to the Cross, which consists of five Faith Lessons. Teacher and historian Ray Vander Laan brings together history, culture, and geography to illuminate the Scriptures. In this five lesson DVD, filmed on location throughout Israel, he takes the story of the Bible full circle reminding us of the Exodus and culminating with Jesus death and resurrection. March 13 March 20 March 27 April 3 April 10 The Way of the Essenes The Way of John the Baptist Into the Desert to be Tested The Last Passover The Fifth Cup Our Way of Hope God s story culminates with the intense devotion of His people in this 11 th volume of the Faith Lessons series. Discover how their passionate faith prepares the way for Jesus and His ultimate act of obedience and sacrifice at the cross. Then, be challenged in your own life to live as they did by every word that comes from the mouth of God. The Mustard Seed Project, raising money for the Sonrise School children, has received $2,116 to date. Anyone wanting to contribute to the $2,024 still needed, please make your check payable to The Solid Rock Church and put Sonrise Children on the memo line.

5 Page 5 of 7 Stella Jayne Taylor Stella was born January 31 st to Stephen and Maggie Taylor. Carol Ellis newest grandchild weighed in at a whopping 8 lbs. 14 oz and was 21.5 inches long. Stella, we are so happy to have you join us here at TSRC. And our heartiest congratulations to Maggie and Stephen. What a Cutie! If you re new to our church or to the Anglican faith and have questions, or if you would like to become a member of our parish, Fr. Andy will be holding Confirmation classes beginning Feb. 13, 9:00 a.m. Please call to register for the classes.

6 Page 6 of 7 HEALING SERVICE Rev. Keith Barron, who led healing services at Christ the King Churdh in Ocala for six months in 2008, will be with us on Wednesday, March 16 th. Rev. Barron comes to us through the recommendation of our Network Leader, Rev. Don Curran. Please let everyone you know about this special service. Invite those you know of who would benefit from physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual healing. We are very excited to see what God will do during this service. Fr. Andy will be gone to Winter Conference from Feb 8 through Feb 13. Deacon Joe will be in the office, and our Senior Warden, John Finkbiner, will be available. Gather Now! Remember the last Sunday of each month is Outreach Sunday. We will be collecting canned goods and other non-perishable food items, baby clothing and formula, as well as adult jackets, sweaters, blankets, and sleeping bags. These items will be collected year round and distributed as needed to The Mission, The Pregnancy Center, and Street Angels. LAST SUNDAY of EACH MONTH

7 Page 7 of 7 A little girl was sitting on her grandfather's lap as he read her a bedtime story. >From time to time, she would take her eyes off the book and reach up to touch his wrinkled cheek. She was alternately stroking her own cheek, then his again. Finally she spoke up, "Grandpa, did God make you?" "Yes, sweetheart," he answered, "God made me a long time ago." "Oh," she paused, "Grandpa, did God make me too?" "Yes, indeed, honey," he said, "God made you just a little while ago." Feeling their respective faces again, she observed, "God's getting better at it, isn't he?" Til Next Week,