The Earnest Christian

Transcription

1 July 2012 The Earnest Christian T h e N e w s l e t t e r o f W i n o n a L a k e F r e e M e t h o d i s t c h u r c h THE EXPANSION OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN During our American Independence Day celebrations we often play patriotic songs such as America, the Beautiful. The shared last line of stanzas 1 and 4 is, "And crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea." The lyrics are from Katharine Lee Bates' poem which was inspired by a cross-country trip by train and the expansive view of the great plains region of our country that she experienced atop Pikes Peak in Colorado in By that time, the United States of America included 44 states and indeed stretched from the Atlantic coast in the east to the Pacific coast in the west "from sea to shining sea." Many Americans believed that the expansion of their nation westward until it included all of the land south of Canada, north of Mexico, and between the two great oceans had been the country's Manifest Destiny. In other words, God (or, Providence) had determined that the ideals of republican democracy, equality, and individual freedom should spread across the continent, and even around the world. Since most of these so-called American ideals were based in biblical principles, it became easy for many Americans (citizens of the United States of America) to begin thinking of their country and the kingdom of heaven as virtually one and the same thing. Unfortunately, however, the efforts to expand the borders and influence of the U.S. often included warfare against native peoples as well as the countries of Spain, Mexico, Great Britain and others a strategy that Jesus would hardly endorse. In addition, greed was often a primary motivating factor for those who sought to enlarge their holdings whether for farming, ranching, mining, or some other purpose in commerce. By contrast, Jesus taught that the expansion of the kingdom of heaven would not happen by forcing people to accept it at sword, spear, or gunpoint, but by the preaching of the Good News of the Kingdom and the transformation of individual hearts by the Holy Spirit as people believed the message and were saved. The parables of the mustard seed and the leaven in Matthew 13:31-33 speak of the growth of the kingdom of heaven from two perspectives. In the parable of the mustard seed, the kingdom begins as something very tiny and grows into something much larger. Something seemingly insignificant grows into something with great significance. In the parable of the leaven, the growth of the kingdom is illustrated by the properties of yeast as it expands its influence throughout a lump of dough, quietly, but steadily progressing until it has affected the whole thing. Jesus has called us as his disciples to participate in expanding or advancing the kingdom of heaven in our world by serving as salt and light two agents that bring change to their surroundings. Salt enhances flavor, making food more palatable. Light dispels darkness, enabling people to see things as they truly are. So Christians should "leave a pleasant taste in the mouths" of people they encounter and leave the impression of a pleasing aroma with those who do not yet know Jesus. Like the leaven in the lump of dough, the loving and holy lives of followers of Jesus should permeate and influence their community and the lives of people around them so that the message of the Good News of the Kingdom can spread more readily and result in more people coming to faith in Christ Jesus. As followers of Jesus Christ, our purpose in life should not be to promote or expand our own little "kingdom," but to serve the kingdom of our God and of his Christ. As we saw in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), instead of living for the things of this world, we should be storing up for ourselves treasure in heaven by seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. By doing so we will be able to help others come into the kingdom through faith in Christ and by that God will be glorified! We love you and we are glad to serve in Christ's kingdom with you, Pastor Roland and Elaine Kramer

2 P a g e 2 10/40 Window, What s That? The 10/40 Window is a rectangular area between 10 degrees North and 40 degrees North latitude, encompassing North Africa, The Middle East and Asia: a total of 69 countries. This area contains four of the world s dominant religious blocks. The majority of the followers of Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and the Non-religious live within the 10/40 window. An estimated 4.53 billion people live in this area. There are approximately 8,687 distinct people groups. While the area constitutes 1/3 of the earth s total land area, almost 2/3 s of the world s population live here. The 10/40 window is known as The Resistant Belt, to the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is fascinating since this is the area where the events in the Bible took place. Some of the largest unreached people s groups in the world live in the 10/40 window and the area has the majority of the world s unevangelized countries. Unevangelized are people who have a minimal knowledge of the gospel, but have no valid opportunity to respond to the gospel. It is also home to the majority of the world s poor. Of the poorest of the poor 8 out of 10 live in the 10/40 window. There is a remarkable overlap between the poorest countries of the world and those that are least evangelized. A megacity is a city with a population of more than one million people. Cairo has about 24 million. The top 50 least evangelized megacities of the world are all within the 10/40 window. There is much work to be done in this region of the world. Pray for this region. Ask God to call these people to Himself. Ask God to send missionaries and pray for those missionaries who are currently serving there. by Pastor Bonnie Church Please pray for those on the Youth Missions trip in Nashville, Tennessee the first week in July. Pray that the teens and adults come home with willing hearts, to want to continue to serve others in His Name. Pray for their safety as they work on homes and in their travels.

3 C h r i s t i a n E d u c a t i o n Summer Zone This summer we are investing in relationships. On Wednesday, July 18 we will be discussing in creative ways how God made each of us special, and He loves us very much. Wait, that s how Veggie Tales Bob and Larry sign off from their videos, but God did make each of us unique. Come find out why it matters! If you would like to invest in the lives of children, see Pastor Rick about joining our summer team. We have 2 more All Church Family Events this summer. Deep River Water Park On Wednesday, July 11 we ll traverse to Deep River Water Park in Merrillville, IN. Slides, rides, waves and tubin await for $15.95 per person for our group of 15 or more. This is an all-day trip. A parent or guardian must accompany children for this trip. Tin Caps Baseball Game We re going to finish our summer with a trip to the ol ball game. On Tuesday, August 7, it s the Fort Wayne Tin Caps versus the Bowling Green Hot Rods. We ll reserve seats for $7.50/person and stay to watch the Fireworks after the game. This is for 4 th grade and above, unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. Growing Deeper Bible Studies Dose of Reality Bible Quiz Practice Sundays 9:15-10:15am Sundays 6-7:30pm Wednesdays 4:45pm This Summer s Teaching Theme Lettuce Lettuce? Yeah, lettuce, as in, let us pray. I realize it is a bit of a stretch, but ask the retired pastors. I imagine they know some Bible and lettuce jokes. This summer, we ll be diving deeply into the end part of Hebrews 10, where there are several commands starting with, Let us. Summer Trips Pray for the youth group as they have two big trips back to back and happening right now. The last week of June our quizzers are travelling to Seattle, WA for Quiz Nationals. The first week of July, 10 from our group are headed to Nashville, TN to help rebuild a community. More details on both of these trips will be in the August Earnest Christian. Dose of Reality We don t meet every Sunday night in July, but when we do, it s sure to be a must-attend affair. July 15 Rick & Mary Helen Gensch will host. July 22 Jon & Ann Harman will host. Need information? You can receive weekly updates and announcements by subscribing to the Virtual Reality. Simply Rick to sign up or join our Facebook group (Look for The Reality). You can also view our website ( and check out the youth ministry page for all the latest.

4 Ricks Dimwit It s no secret to my church family that I own and drive a scooter. The fact is, since I can t see myself while I am on the scooter, I envision myself looking pretty fly while I ride. But that all changed recently. As I was riding along, scooter-style, to get some allergy medicine I passed another guy on a scooter going the opposite way. The fact that I was shopping for allergy meds should have been my first clue regarding my illusion to cool. As we approached, he pointed his fist towards the ground and in my direction. The following are the thoughts I had in the next few seconds. Is that fist for me? Is that the universal sign for scooter drivers to show our support for one another? I thought that was the sign Harley Davidson riders used for one another. Why isn t he wearing a helmet? Doesn t he know that s dangerous? Should I respond with a downward-pointed fist of my own? What if people see me? Will they assume I m reaching for cool like a kid helplessly reaching for cookies on the top shelf, though hopelessly out of reach? Worse yet, what if I swerve while trying to flash the scooter-sign? At least I have a helmet. As he passed, I settled on one of those guy-nods that are universal for hello and what s up. And as the moment passed, I realized I was too embarrassed to use the sign. Maybe it was because I thought a Harley owner might see me use their sign and come rough me up. Maybe it was because I realized I was driving a scooter to go get my allergy meds. Then I realized that my decision on the scooter is like many other decisions you and I make every day. This one may not have had a moral right or wrong, but many of them do. Will I tell the truth or tell a little white lie? Will I help a person in need when I have the opportunity? Will I admit my love for Jesus no matter who else is around? Life comes at each one us fast, oftentimes faster than a 50cc scooter. Will you be ready to make the right decision? *Can t get enough of Rick s wit? Follow him here - Library News With the arrival of summer, there will hopefully be a little more leisure time to enjoy reading some entertaining and helpful books from your WLFMC library. Encourage your children to look over the new additions to the many selections that are available for all ages. The Magic Tree house series has been very popular and another recent addition is some selections from The Boxcar Children series that offers intriguing adventures of some young children. Check them out to find out what kinds of situations they get themselves into and eventually out of! More DVDs are being added, also, to fill those spare moments with wholesome entertainment suitable for children, adults, and the entire family. If you need to have some worthwhile reading while traveling or relaxing on vacation, check out the biography section for challenging accounts of the lives of those who share the ups and downs of life, with helpful suggestions for their readers. Happy reading! Library Hours Sunday Mornings Before and after Morning Worship Monday Friday 8:00 a.m. 4:15 p.m.

5 July 2012 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 8 Sunday Evening Bible Study, 6:00 p.m. in Room 5. All church picnic at Winona Lake Park After morning worship. 15 Sunday Evening Bible Study, 6:00 p.m. in Room 5. Dose of Reality at 6:00 p.m. at the Gensch s. 22 Sunday Evening Bible Study, 6:00 p.m. in Room 5. Dose of Reality at 6:00 p.m. at the Harman s. 29 Sunday Evening Bible Study, 6:00 p.m. in Room Independence Day The office will be closed. No Evening Activities Deep River Water Park All Church family Event Wednesday Night Prayer service at 6:30 p.m. 18 Wednesday Night Prayer service at 6:30 p.m Wednesday Night Prayer service at 6:30 p.m

6 FACEBOOK~ love it or hate it? I say that I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook. I love the fact that you can keep up with people you normally wouldn t hear from very often such as family and friends that live far away. I hate the fact that sometimes this is how I find out a person is either in the hospital or has passed away. The up side is that I do find these things out at all. Yes, I am hesitant to be thrust into this tech age. I am old fashioned and love getting hand written notes and letters in my mailbox. But I have decided that maybe, just maybe, Facebook can be a plus for communicating when something happens within this church family. Especially when the only time someone has time to share such things is in the wee hours of the morning. Here is my proposal to you. Okay, actually it was Pastor Rick s (tech geek of the church office) idea. What if the church family members who are active on Facebook would friend the WLFMC Facebook page and post any/all prayer concerns there? I will be checking it daily and passing them on as you direct. Is it something you want to send as a message and only have the staff pray about at a staff meeting? Or is it something you would like on the prayer chain? So help me to learn to love more about Facebook. Lynette Merkler WLFMC- Administrative Assistant