November 2013 The Trumpet The trumpet shall sound and we shall be changed (I Corinthians 15:52) 1 Volume 7, Issue 11 Pastor s Pen The Apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians from a prison cell. In the sixth chapter he asks for prayer "that utterance may be given me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak". (Ephesians 6:19-20) Paul considered himself Christ's ambassador. He also considered every believer an ambassador of Jesus. It raises the question: What is an ambassador? Simply put, he is an authorized representative of a sovereign. He speaks not in his own name but on behalf of the ruler whose deputy he is, and his whole duty and responsibility is to interpret that ruler's mind faithfully to those to whom he is sent. That means we are to speak the gospel message only. Nothing added; nothing subtracted. In a politically correct society the tendency is to promote the love of God but sidestep the vengeance of God. Preach about heaven but not hell. Promote tolerance and acceptance but avoid justice and judgment. Dr. Caner of says, Political correctness leads to biblical corruptness. Considering the current state of the local church, there appears to be much truth to that statement. Paul knew when he called himself an ambassador that he was proclaiming the gospel facts and promises. He knew he was urging sinners to receive the reconciliation effected at Calvary. He knew he was declaring Christ's message to the Inside This Edition Pastor s Pen page 1 Help Needed page 2 Putting on Full Armor of God page 3 Calendar page 5 Music Ministry Report page 6 Birthdays and Anniversaries page 7 world. Nothing added; nothing subtracted. To the folks at Miletus Paul wrote, For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. (Acts 20:27) If we are going to impact our circles of influence, workplaces, neighborhoods, and communities, we must realize and fulfill our role as ambassadors for Christ. That means sharing the gospel everywhere we go. Nothing added; nothing subtracted. Let us never forget, in word and deed we are representing the Lord
Let s remain faithful to the terms of his commission; saying neither less nor more than we have been given to say. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ... II Corinthians 5:20 In His Grip, Pastor Jim Gregory 2 Help Needed Do you have a creative bent? Even if you don't, would you be willing to learn some decorating skills? If so, we have a few upcoming activities that need your help! 1. Thanksgiving dinner decorations, to be put up on November 23rd for the banquet that evening. 2. Christmas decorating from the ground up. There are many things to be done, some including creativity and some just plain old grunt work! We'll design early, get everything done between Nov. 18 and Nov. 30, then have it all in place for services on December 1. 3. Lottie Moon Dinner decorating for Dec. 1. Do you have memorabilia or knick knacks from a foreign country? We're going to decorate each table around a different country's theme. Take over a table! 4. We need a decorating diva! We have plenty of supplies, so a person who is a decorator and/or organizer at heart could have a fabulous time! Would you like to become the main go-to person in charge of decorations? If so, speak up! You could train for a while and then take over with our blessings and appreciation! If you're interested in helping in any of the areas listed above, please contact Michele Ring at 587-8026 or michelerng@gmail.com. God's Richest Blessings, Michele Ring Operation Christmas Child We need your help to make Operation Christmas Child a success! Many of the partially filled boxes for Operation Christmas Child have yet to be taken by people in our congregation. Won't you pick up one this week and return it, filled, by Sunday, November 17th? These boxes travel to poverty-stricken areas around the world, where pastors and churches lovingly distribute them, along with the Gospel message. It is one of the amazing ministries sponsored by Samaritan's Purse. More information is available in your box, and at samaritanspurse.org.
3 Putting on the Full Armor of God The Beginning of the Reformation This time of year most Americans celebrate Halloween, a night devoted to the celebration of the demonic. But there was another event that took place on October 31st that Christians should be celebrating instead. On October 31, 1517 Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg Germany. This action precipitated the most important event in Christian history since the end of the New Testament era, the Reformation. It was certainly not Luther's intention to foment revolution. His action was merely a way to invite theological dispute over an issue that troubled him. Nailing theses to the church door was a standard way of doing this in the sixteenth century. The theses were not meant for the general public since they were written in Latin. But the theses were copied, translated into German and published. In just a few weeks they were all over Germany and the subject of dispute throughout the nation. The theses to us do not seem to be of any great importance. They were not about justification by faith alone and they did not question the authority of the Roman church, the two subjects which would be at the heart of the Reformation. Instead they were complaints about the abuse of indulgences. Indulgences were relief from time in Purgatory. The concept of Purgatory developed over a period of many centuries. Originally, they were available only for those who were still alive. But in 1477 Pope Sixtus IV declared that indulgences were available to souls already in Purgatory. There were (and still are) two kinds of indulgences, plenary and partial indulgences. Plenary is a word that simply means full. We talk about the plenary inspiration of the Scripture, every word from Genesis 1:1 through Revelation 22:21, each word and no word more than any other word. The words of Christ in red are no more holy and righteous than any other word the Holy Spirit inspired - otherwise we deny the trinity. A plenary indulgence was granted by the Pope (and could only be granted by the Pope) for a given sin or group of sins and you would be given full remission for the time you would have spent in Purgatory for that sin or sins. And a partial indulgence was just that, a partial remission of time spent in Purgatory. While only the Pope could grant a plenary indulgence a bishop could give up to forty days and the parish priest considerably less than that. The theory behind it was that according to the Roman Church there was an excess storehouse of merit built up from three sources - the
life and death of Jesus Christ, the life of Mary and the lives of the saints. The church was authorized to draw on this storehouse of merits to grant relief from time spent in Purgatory. Technically, in a certain sense, indulgences were not sold. Money or service to the church was offered in gratitude for having been given the indulgence. But on a practical basis indulgences were sold all the time. Remember the people were generally illiterate and did not understand the fine nuances of Roman Catholic doctrine. Luther's complaint was not against indulgences per se, but to the abuse of the practice. To understand his objections we need to look at some history. Since the time of the emperor Constantine there had been a church on the site of the current St. Peters. But by the late 15th century it had fallen into disrepair. An attempt was made at repair but was soon abandoned. The new St. Peters was begun in 1506 and completed in 1626. As you can imagine this took a tremendous amount of money. Monks were sent out to raise the funds needed to build the new building. And the primary way of doing so was through the sale of indulgences, mostly to poor people. When you see that beautiful building remember it was built with money from poor people paying to get their dead family members out of Purgatory. Pope Leo X had authorized a monk named Johann Tetzel to sell indulgences throughout Germany. The archbishop of Mainz and Magdeburg (bishoprics adjacent to Luther's location) was a man named Albrecht. Albrecht originally had one bishopric but wanted a second. While the church normally did not give a man a second bishopric it was willing to do so for a large donation made to one of the Pope's charities. So, Albrecht borrowed money to purchase the second bishopric. In order to get the money needed to repay the loans Albrecht allowed Tetzel to sell indulgences in his bishoprics - for a cut of the proceeds of course. Tetzel famous expression was "As soon as the coin in the coffer clings a soul from Purgatory springs." Tetzel's blatant selling of indulgence infuriated Luther who raised the protest which quickly led to the Reformation. If in history there was ever a case of one thing leading to another this was it. Luther's understanding of the faith rapidly grew in the next few years. Soon the Reformation spread to Switzerland and England igniting a fire that freed believers from the shackles of the Roman church. May we ever thank God for that Reformation and refuse to participate in our culture s evil practices. Bob Neubauer 4
Ministry Opportunities at FSBC 5 November Calendar 3 Daylight Savings Time Ends - Fall Back One (1) Hour No Pot Luck 10 Handout 2014 Proposed Budget 11 Veteran s Day - Offices Closed 13 Nominating Committee Meeting (7:30 p.m.) 14 Winter Jam Concert (4:00 p.m.) 17 Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Dedication Sunday 18 Deacon Family Ministry Meeting (7:00 p.m.) 23 Thanksgiving Dinner (6:30 p.m.) 24 Lord s Supper (11:00 a.m.) Q & A 2014 Budget (5:30 p.m.) 26 Sunday School Teachers Meeting (6:30 p.m.) 27 MDO Thanksgiving Feast (11:30 a.m.) 28 Thanksgiving Day (Offices Closed) Where Do Moms Connect Have you ever noticed that we, as a society, have less inter-generational contact and support? In times past a young mother usually lived close to her own mother, and perhaps her grandmother, as well. Women canned fruit and vegetables together, laughing and talking as they "glowed" in their sweltering kitchens. My grandmother told me that her favorite time each day was sitting in the parlor at night, laboring over her hated embroidery work for her hope chest. Although she hated embroidery, she loved the talk that was exchanged freely between she, her sisters, and her mother as they did their piecework. Today we often live across the country from our mothers, especially in a military town. Well, in "Where Moms Connect" we're being intentional in our desire to foster relationships between mothers in various age groups. The theme for this year is "Encouragement." Beginning on Nov. 7th, from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., we'll begin our moms' group. We want a large group of women to come to our kick-off. Come see if this group would be a fit for you! Come to be encouraged, or perhaps to encourage others, on the marvelous journey we call motherhood! Remember, that is Thursday morning, Nov. 7th. Sign up on the bulletin board in the education wing hallway across from the ALIVE classroom. Questions? See Sarah Gregory or Michele Ring.
Music Ministry Report: I am thoroughly enjoying the worship course that I m taking by extension through Golden Gate Seminary. Thanks again to the church for voting to recommend me as a student. My understanding of what worship is and encompasses has certainly been somewhat incomplete. I am learning much and thought I would share some of what I m learning about worship with the church body in a series of articles. Instructing the congregation in worship was actually one of the jobs of the Levitcal priests in the Old Testament. We are studying three books, chosen from a myriad of those available. We have completed our reading and discussion of the first two books, one of which was about Old Testament worship and the other about New Testament Worship. They speak to the history, development and various elements of worship. The third book, which we re still studying, is more of a "how to" book; but speaks to the spiritual life of the worship leader, his relationships and tasks. In this first article I ll simply speak about the definition of worship. Isaiah 43:7 says that the Lord originally created man and woman to worship and commune with Him. But what is worship? The following quotes come from the book Enter His Courts with Praise by Andrew Hill. Tozer said that worship is the moral imperative of human beings. Webster s dictionary defines worship as revere, pay homage, idolize, adore, esteem worthy. Andrew Hill maintains that defining worship proves difficult because it is both an attitude and an act. He further states that worship is both a concept as well as a relationship. Evelyn Underhill defines worship as the response of the creature to the Eternal. John Huxtable understood worship as a dialogue between God and His people. Leslie Flynn regards worship as adoring contemplation of God. Robert Rayburn s definition follows. Worship is the activity of the new life of a believer in which, recognizing the fullness of the Godhead as it is revealed in the person of Jesus Christ and His mighty redemptive acts, he seeks by the power of the Holy Spirit to render to the living God the glory, honor, and submission which are His due. Schaper defines worship as the expression of a relationship in which God the Father reveals Himself and His love in Christ and by His Holy Spirit administers grace, to which we respond in faith, gratitude, and obedience. I found these definitions worth some consideration and even meditation. Certainly our relationships affect our worship. Jesus said to go make things right with a brother before bringing an offering to God the Father. Matthew 5:23-24 - He also said one couldn t truly say he loves God if he couldn t love his brother. I John 4:20 - My prayer is that the Lord will speak to you as He has to me as you consider these things. May He further enlighten us and work in our lives that we will be truer worshippers, worshipping Him in spirit and in truth. John 4:23 John Ring 6
7 Joke of the Month (Comedy) Corner Oh No, More Puns 1. To write with a broken pencil is pointless. 2. When fish are in schools they sometimes take debate. 3. A thief who stole a calendar got twelve months. 4. When the smog lifts in Los Angeles, U.C.L.A. 5. The professor discovered that her theory of earthquakes was on shaky ground. 6. The batteries were given out free of charge. 7. A will is a dead giveaway. November Birthdays and Anniversaries 1 Rachel Barnes 16 Pam Culp 4 Gail Hancock 17 Destiny Gibson 9 Cookie Lyerla 18 Megan Bal 15 Pete Berry 23 Jessica Welsh 16 Bill Pursell 25 Layne Roberts 6 Ben & Stephanie Hoffman 9 Daniel & Mistee Kelly If you do not see your name here and would like to: please contact the church office at 587-3828 and let us know your birthday and/or anniversary.