Catechism for Week 4

Catechism 2014

Questions for Lord’s Day #4

January 26, 2014

Children

Q.9. Who is God?       

A. God is a Spirit, and does not have a body like men.

Q.10. Where is God? 

A. God is everywhere.

Q.11. Can you see God?       

A. No. I cannot see God, but he always sees me.

Adults

Q. 9. Is God unjust to Mankind by requiring of him in the Law that which he is not able to perform?

A. No, For God had made Man such a one as (l) he might perform it: but Man, by the urging of the (m) Devil and his own stubbornness deprived himself and all his posterity of those Divine Graces.

(l) John 3.5. Ephesians 4.24.

(m) Luke 10.30

Q. 10. Does God leave this stubbornness and falling away of Man unpunished?

A. No. But God is angry in most dreadful (n) manner, as well for the sinful condition in which we are born, as also for those which we ourselves commit, and in most just Judgment punishes them with present and everlasting Punishments as he pronounced: “‘Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them. (o)”

(n) Rom. 5.12.

(o) Deut. 27.26. Gal. 3.10.

Q. 11. Is God not merciful?

A.  Yes, Truly He is (p) merciful, but he is also (q) just. Therefore his Justice requires that which is committed against the divine Majesty of God, should also be repaid with extreme, that is, everlasting Punishment both in Body and Soul.

(p) Exod. 34.6. Psalm 5.4, 5, 6.

(q) Exod. 20.5. 2 Corinthians 6.14.

Fighter Verse:

1 Thessalonians 5:14-17

14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing…                                     

Fighter Verse for Week 4: 1 Thessalonians 5:14-17

And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing...

1 Thessalonians 5:14-17

Winter Weather Policy 2012

Brothers and Sisters in Christ -

With the Weather Channel predicting snow this Sunday, I think it is wise to clarify our policy in terms of winter weather.

In general, it will not be our policy to cancel our main service at 10:30. We have a contract with a snow removal company who will clear and salt the parking lot in time for service, so the church will be accessible.

Sunday school, which depends on a greater number of volunteers to function, may be cancelled, since our volunteers may be unable to make it. The decision to cancel Sunday school (or the main service, in the case of truly horrific weather conditions) will be made by 7:00 AM on Sunday morning. As in the case of Irene and several winter storms of the past, advance speculation served little or no purpose, the resulting storm proved relatively minor, and the main roads to church have been clear and drivable.

Cancellations or revisions to the schedule will be communicated via WOLC 102.5 FM, WBOC ch 16, and WMDT ch 47. If you are unable to listen to or watch the listed stations, please contact an elder: Chris Vlaming, Scott Reckeweg, Mark Swope, Jerry Bier or Keith Myer. Our contact info is listed in the bulletin each week.  Feel free to text me. I might not be able to provide an answer, but I’ll let you know if we decide to cancel. Additionally, we'll post the cancellation on the blog at the church website, our Facebook page, and on Twitter. You can find my tweets (sigh) at http://twitter.com/pastakeith.

Use caution when making a decision to travel in snow. I live on major roads, and so the weather will have to be horrible to prevent me from attending, but if conditions keep you from traveling, then please take caution and stay home.

Thanks for taking the time to read this... looking forward to worshiping with you this coming Sunday!

In Him,

Pastor Keith

Fighter Verse for 1/29 and 2/5 - Proverbs 3:5-6

Proverbs 3:5-6

Fighter Verse for 1/12 and 1/19: Psalm 119:9, 11

Theme: Guard Your Heart with God’s Word
Verse: Psalm 119:9-11

 9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
   By guarding it according to your word.
10 With my whole heart I seek you;
   let me not wander from your commandments!
11 I have stored up your word in my heart,
   that I might not sin against you.

Honoring the Son of the King in 2012

As I mentioned this morning in the message from Psalm 2, (and highlighted in our Fighter Verse from Psalm 1:1-2) one of the ways in which we can honor the Lord and grow in service to Him is to have a time, a place, and plan for prayer and reading God's Word.

Here is a post from Justin Taylor's blog with a list of bible reading plans, and here is the plan I'm going to be using this year.

Also, just this morning I saw this post on systems for prayer, which you might find useful if you struggle to organize your prayer requests or order your prayer life.

Let me urge you strongly to consider integrating some of these ideas into your life in 2012, for His glory and your joy.

Keith

The Shield of Faith (Ephesians 6:16)

In connection with the message this morning about lifting the Shield of Faith and moving it to the point of attack, here are the forty (thirty-nine, actually) identity truths for defense in the Christian Life.

The file is here.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2880531/fortyThings.pdf

Church Services cancelled on 08-28-11

Veterans Day and Romans 13:7

It is good to honor those to whom honor is due.

Paul instructs us in Romans that is is good and right to obey the government (when those commands do not conflict with the commands of God), to honor our governing officials because they are the appointed agents of God in our lives to enforce laws and dispense justice.

Paul articulates a principle in Romans 13:7 that extends far beyond respecting government officials or obeying laws. He commands the giving of honor to all who deserve it. Romans 13:7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

As Christians, we should be first and foremost to obey when our nations laws do not conflict with the law of God. We should pay our bills on time and pay our taxes. (We should also vote for representatives who will lower those taxes if we feel they are too high!)

The final two commands in this passage command respect to those who deserve it, and honor those who deserve it as well. We might not like war or guns, we might not agree with whether the Vietnam or Korean War were just or necessary... but we should never make the mistake of disrespecting someone who has put their own life at risk in the service of our nation. We should honor those who have lost their lives in conflict and combat, and honor those who have put themselves in second place so that their people might enjoy freedom.

So take joy in honoring those to whom honor is owed. I am proud to say 'thank you' to all who have served the great nation in which we are blessed to live. I am honored by your service and enriched to know you! Thank you for the freedom to speak God's Word without restraint, to raise my children as I believe I ought, to worship God in the manner I am convicted He has revealed Himself, and to delight in the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness.

Freedom rings in our nation because you refused to let anyone silence the beautiful sound of liberty.

May you know in truth the honor and gratitude we wish upon you on your day!

Things to Consider as You Approach Worship this Sunday (and Every Sunday!)

Before the Service

• Read the passage in advance - Our text this week is 2 Thess 1:11-12.
• Pray for the gathering
• Arrive Early
• Greet newcomers (act like you are the host)
• Think strategically about who you should sit with

During the Service

• Sing with gusto (even if you can’t sing)
• Help with logistics (if there’s a problem, help fix it)
• Don’t be distracted
• Listen carefully
• Be aware of your facial expressions (you may affect others and discourage preachers)

After the Service

• Connect newcomers with others
• Get newcomers information
• Start a conversation about the sermon
• Ask someone how they became a Christian
• Stay late

Source: www.9Marks.org

Thanks to my buddy Duane for Posting!

Fighting Against Unbelief - Version 0.5 & Errata

Here's the link to the E-Resource I've created to help us fight unbelief.

Your input is valued. I want to emphasize my deep indebtedness to both Dan Fuller and John Piper on this resource. I plan on developing it further in the future, but the work may seem very similar to theirs at this point in time. Credit and honor is due to them for their pioneering work.

Also - yesterday in the message I think I mentioned that Saul was removed from his throne because he refused to wait for Samuel to come and make the sacrifice at Gilgal. I think my words were accurate, but I realized in my Bible reading this morning that I might have combined two accounts - one in 1 Samuel 13:8-14 and one in 1 Chronicles 10:13-14. Sorry for any confusion.

May God guide and encourage as you chip away at Unbelief,

Keith

Fighting Unbelief E-Book

Did Christ Really Rise from the Dead? [Resource]

Did Christ Really Rise from the Dead?

It's an important question... perhaps the most important one you could ever ask.

As mentioned in the sermon today, here's a booklet from RBC that answers this question in great detail. You can go directly to the PDF file by clicking here.

There's a brilliant line of reasoning from Chuck Colson on pages 27-29.

Enjoy! Fight for your faith!

Keith

"Did Christ Really Rise from the Dead?" Booklet

On the Physical Death and Suffering of Jesus Christ [Article]

I mentioned this article in my sermon this morning. If you're interested in reading more about the physical trials of Our Lord Jesus, this is the first and most extensive treatment I've ever read.

It's very graphic, but written from a medical perspective.

I encourage you to read it, but keep in mind that John's emphasis is not on the Physical suffering of Jesus, but on the importance of what His death accomplishes... satisfying the righteous demands of God and securing grace towards all who would trust in His death.

Link to the article:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2880531/deathjesus.pdf

John 19:30 [Fighter Verse]

John 19:30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

2 Timothy 2:2 [Fighter Verse]

2 Timothy 2:2 "and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also."

Elders, Treasurer, Church Clerk

It's time to add officers.

Please use the nomination form in the bulletin to recommend potential officers to the Elders. As mentioned in the business meeting on May 2, 2010, please speak to any candidate for any office (especially Elder) before you nominate them. All candidates should be willing before they are approached by the Board of Elders.

As mentioned, here is the document on elections, and the qualifications of Elders, in both Word and PDF format.

Thank you for your cooperation and participation!

Pastor Keith

First Catechism - For Baptists [Part Two]

I've written previously about the Presbyterian emphasis in the Sunday School material we use, particularly their approach to the issue of baptism in the catechism questions.

I found this interesting link to a set of revisions to the catechism, again from a Baptistic perspective. I commend the catechism to you as a time-tested way of communicating the essentials of our faith to your children and family. Writing the questions on 3x5 cards for review is a great way to quiz the whole family after dinner or some other time that works for you.

The Questions pertaining to the Ordinances:

Q. What two ordinances did Christ give to his church?

A. Baptism and the Lord's Supper.

Q. Why did Christ give these ordinances?

A. To show that his disciples belong to him, and to remind them of what he has done for them.

Q. What is baptism?

A. The dipping of believers into water, as a sign of their union with Christ in his death, burial

and resurrection.

Q. What is the purpose of baptism?

A. To show believers that God has cleansed them from their sins through Jesus Christ.

Q. Who are to be baptized?

A. Only those who repent of their sins, and believe in Christ for salvation.

Q. Should babies be baptized?

A. No; because the Bible neither commands it, nor gives any example of it.

1 Timothy 6:11-12 [Fighter Verse for 04/25/10]

1 Timothy 6:11 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Discipleship: A Book I'm Reading [Thursday Theology]

Is this your vision of a Healthy Church?

1 Timothy 4:12 [Wednesday Worship]

Another great scripture song from Seeds Family Worship!



I love the bouncing words!