Good Morning and welcome to our special day with Jerry Rushford! If you are our guest, we are particularly honored that you would come share this day with us! Jerry is the Director of Church Relations at Pepperdine University in Malibu California. He directs the annual lectureship program in which 5,000 plus folks attend, as well as many other activities. In May Jerry takes people around the world on a hymns tour and is the author of “Christians on the Oregon Trail” WE welcome you Jerry to our part of God’s family today!
There is a quote that says in part, “No one lives or dies to himself” We are all part of one another’s lives, but even more we are part of the lives of those who came before us and after us!
Isn’t it amazing that people who lived over one hundred years ago effects our lives today in Pateros and in the Pateros community. That people who came to this part of Washington after a long hard journey knew for sure that they needed God in order to survive? Before electricity, and the control of the river by the Dams, and the water usage to be able to grow fruit trees in mass, the needed God! Sometimes I think that today as people who live in “modern” times’ people think ,or they don’t think, they don’t need God because after all we can control heat or cold, feast or famine to some degree.
I wonder what our fore-fathers and mothers would think of us? Certainly they were not perfect, nor were they without sin. They were not mere innocent human beings. I would wager that they were every bit as human as we are. They fought with their wives and husbands and with each other. I think there were some who cheated other people. My guess is that there were some drunks and other social struggles. YET they were people who knew two truest! Number one, if they were to survive they needed God and His help. Number two, they needed each other as a Christian or church family!
There is something different about being in an extended family because you choose to be and they choose to have you! A church family still allows you to be an individual because God allows you to be an individual. In a church family people choose to surrender at times their individuality to be what God wants the church family to be. A loving, caring group that tries to follow what God wants instead of what they want. When they do that a wonderful blessing occurs, other people start caring about one another as if they were a good physical, born into family. Life whether in the 1890’s or 2007 is hard! Each time period has its trial and struggles, because we are human and humans will always struggle! The good news is, we don’t have to go through those struggles alone! We can humble our hearts and therefore our lives before God and He will bless us! We can humble ourselves before God and He will bless us with other family who is not perfect, but forgiven and because they are forgiven also team up with us to be family! God calls that in the Bible, His Church or Kingdom!
What will our lives and history say to those who come one hundred years after us? Will our history proclaim that we were as smart as our fore fathers in that we needed each other as a spiritual family, and we needed God! Whoever reads this, I would like to try to love you with God’s love! Dave Dowlen
Saturday, March 31, 2007
One Church
Next Sunday is our Sunday with Jerry Rushford! We are inviting folks from our community to join us! Be sure to notice our visitors and greet them. It is amazing to me the connection this church has with this community. It is equally amazing that the people who braved the trip across what we call the United Sates decided one of the first things they needed was to meet as a church! Maybe if we had to suffer the struggles they went through, we as a community, might have a different view of needing God. Be sure to invite your friends personally. We will need to make sure we have some extra food, while I am not worried abut it, I thought I would remind us!
The following week as you know is Easter Sunday! Easter Sunday is the Sunday that most folks who normally do not go to church, GO TO A CHURCH! We are simply going to
have our regular worship assembly but in the process have our Elders pray for the little children. We are going to stretch our assembly out a little, so notice on that Sunday only
we are going to start at 10:30! So come at 10:00 bring some break feast stuff and we will enjoy each others company and be here to welcome our guests.
I appreciate that Erica and Becky want to do a Jewish Sadar. We are doing this for our community as well as anybody in the congregation would like to see what a Passover feast was like. We are doing it as another outreach to get people in our building for us to meet. The Passover feast was for the Jews not something that Christians are commanded to observe. One of the most interesting facts in the Bible about the Passover feast is that it was there that Jesus instituted a new command for His followers, therefore us also. In John 13 Jesus said, Love one
Another! As I have loved you, so MUST you love one another!” (v35) Take it as another opportunity to reach out to your friends. I know it will be a busy two weeks, but make time for the opportunities to share with our friends and neighbors!
If I told you the Bible says there is only one church, would you be offended? Would you think that I said we are the only church that is right? The Bible says there is only one true church or kingdom, any other is of Satan. Remember from Matthew 12 that Jesus taught us that we are either for Him or Satan. As I understand it, we at Pateros are trying to be part of that worldwide One Church. Our sign says it; we who meet at this building are simply trying to follow Christ as part of His church pure and simple, nothing more, nothing less! Today’s lesson also speaks to that point. The term church has become applied to man’s thinking if you ask me. We use it in many ways, but if you apply it the terms as in scripture, it is always singular! It is always used interchangebly with The Kingdom! There is only one Church or Kingdom of God, and our right response is to be part of that Church or Kingdom! Whoever reads this, I am trying to love you with God’s love! Dave
The following week as you know is Easter Sunday! Easter Sunday is the Sunday that most folks who normally do not go to church, GO TO A CHURCH! We are simply going to
have our regular worship assembly but in the process have our Elders pray for the little children. We are going to stretch our assembly out a little, so notice on that Sunday only
we are going to start at 10:30! So come at 10:00 bring some break feast stuff and we will enjoy each others company and be here to welcome our guests.
I appreciate that Erica and Becky want to do a Jewish Sadar. We are doing this for our community as well as anybody in the congregation would like to see what a Passover feast was like. We are doing it as another outreach to get people in our building for us to meet. The Passover feast was for the Jews not something that Christians are commanded to observe. One of the most interesting facts in the Bible about the Passover feast is that it was there that Jesus instituted a new command for His followers, therefore us also. In John 13 Jesus said, Love one
Another! As I have loved you, so MUST you love one another!” (v35) Take it as another opportunity to reach out to your friends. I know it will be a busy two weeks, but make time for the opportunities to share with our friends and neighbors!
If I told you the Bible says there is only one church, would you be offended? Would you think that I said we are the only church that is right? The Bible says there is only one true church or kingdom, any other is of Satan. Remember from Matthew 12 that Jesus taught us that we are either for Him or Satan. As I understand it, we at Pateros are trying to be part of that worldwide One Church. Our sign says it; we who meet at this building are simply trying to follow Christ as part of His church pure and simple, nothing more, nothing less! Today’s lesson also speaks to that point. The term church has become applied to man’s thinking if you ask me. We use it in many ways, but if you apply it the terms as in scripture, it is always singular! It is always used interchangebly with The Kingdom! There is only one Church or Kingdom of God, and our right response is to be part of that Church or Kingdom! Whoever reads this, I am trying to love you with God’s love! Dave
Add's for a church
I picked up one of those advertising papers this week and saw an ad for a church. I found it very interesting in the light that I have talked with two other area ministers (non-church of Christ) and heard them both say that there are a lot of churches in the area where the ministers do not believe the Bible to be the inspirited word of God. That homosexuals can be in ministry. Homosexuality is sin according to the Bible! I am going to reproduce the ad first and then do a second time as I would want it to appear for us
Name of church in Ad
. Elder rule * Fundamental * Independent
Six Day Literal Creation * Pre-Millennial
A church where preaching God’s word is paramount
And worship is not worshiped.
A Church where truth is the basis of our unity –
Not where truth is sacrificed to have unity
A church that brings families together through
Biblical principles
Address Time of meeting
Phone E-mail
Pateros church of Christ
Elder Guided* Non-Denominational* Independent
Bible Believing * People Loving trying to Love like Jesus
A church where God’s word is preached & taught-
assembled worship is enjoyable –Worship is a seven-
day a week action in how we live our lives!
A church where the truth of God’s word is the most-
Valuable gift we have. We do not sacrifice God’s word-
For unity. God’s word as truth is where our unity begins.
A. church where families can find a church home together-
Based on Jesus as the son of God!
Beech & Independent in Pateros Sunday services at 10:00
509-923-2662 Mcchrist1@yahoo.com
While I think I know what the first ad is trying to say, I like the second better. While assembled times of worship should be enjoyable and point to share with each other, it is also pointed to God to pleased, honored, given respect as we humble ourselves toward Him as a part of His Kingdom, true worship is everyday trying to
Be obedient to Jesus in all we say and do and the actions of living! Unity comes because we believe that Jesus is the Son of God and He died for our sins so, we try to practice what He says to do! There seems to be some
Churches (congregations) that don’t believe in Jesus as The Son of God! Be sure to tell your friends that we do!
Dave
Name of church in Ad
. Elder rule * Fundamental * Independent
Six Day Literal Creation * Pre-Millennial
A church where preaching God’s word is paramount
And worship is not worshiped.
A Church where truth is the basis of our unity –
Not where truth is sacrificed to have unity
A church that brings families together through
Biblical principles
Address Time of meeting
Phone E-mail
Pateros church of Christ
Elder Guided* Non-Denominational* Independent
Bible Believing * People Loving trying to Love like Jesus
A church where God’s word is preached & taught-
assembled worship is enjoyable –Worship is a seven-
day a week action in how we live our lives!
A church where the truth of God’s word is the most-
Valuable gift we have. We do not sacrifice God’s word-
For unity. God’s word as truth is where our unity begins.
A. church where families can find a church home together-
Based on Jesus as the son of God!
Beech & Independent in Pateros Sunday services at 10:00
509-923-2662 Mcchrist1@yahoo.com
While I think I know what the first ad is trying to say, I like the second better. While assembled times of worship should be enjoyable and point to share with each other, it is also pointed to God to pleased, honored, given respect as we humble ourselves toward Him as a part of His Kingdom, true worship is everyday trying to
Be obedient to Jesus in all we say and do and the actions of living! Unity comes because we believe that Jesus is the Son of God and He died for our sins so, we try to practice what He says to do! There seems to be some
Churches (congregations) that don’t believe in Jesus as The Son of God! Be sure to tell your friends that we do!
Dave
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