The Churchtown Weekly Thursday, September 26, 2024
Learn-Grow-Become-GO!
Shout it in the assembly.
Shout it to the world. (Psalm 40)
14What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Certainly not! 15For He says to Moses:
“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
16So then, it does not depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. 17For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18Therefore God has mercy on whom He wants to have mercy, and He hardens whom He wants to harden.
19One of you will say to me, “Then why does God still find fault? For who can resist His will?” 20But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to Him who formed it, “Why did You make me like this?” 21Does not the potter have the right to make from the same lump of clay one vessel for special occasions and another for common use?
Romans 9:14-21 (BSB)
8But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: 9that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved.
11It is just as the Scripture says: “Anyone who believes in Him will never be put to shame.” 12For there is no difference between Jew and Greek: The same Lord is Lord of all, and gives richly to all who call on Him, 13for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
14How then can they call on the One in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach? 15And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
Romans 10:8-15 (BSB)
These are the tow primary New Testament scriptures that I used to demonstrate the point that God is indeed sovereign over you and your will. BUT I also made the point that such sovereignty may not mean what you think it means.
Humans like to create for themselves neat and tidy idea systems into which they can fit God and what they think about God. Regarding the issue of God’s sovereignty over YOU, this leads to either a simplistic view that all is predestined and there is but an illusion of free will for the individual – and that a person can literally do NOTHING to be saved – no profession, no repentance, nothing. It has all been determined by God since before the foundations of the earth were laid.
OR
Human beings in their arrogance lean totally to the opposite side and come to view the Lord as the ultimate “power source” for us, according to our free will, to wield as we so choose. We see this “theology” very evident in the modern Christian church as millions of people are mistakenly taught that the power of our holy God, Yahweh, is theirs to do with as they wish. We literally COMMAND God to “break off” this addiction or “deliver” us from demons or pour blessing from heaven down upon us.
As our friend Bill would say – this is POPPYCOCK!
The fact is, as is demonstrated very clearly by the two chosen bible passages that come one right after the other, is that it is NOT and either / or answer when asked, “Is God sovereign over you and your will?” It is a both / and response.
Let me use an analogy that I hope will bring this down to Earth.
You are a good parent of a 3-year-old toddler. You want only the best for your child, and you are very loving, very kind, yet have very clearly defined boundaries for the child.
For all intents and purposes, you are sovereign over that toddler, and this leads to a very layered relationship.
There are times that you are simply in control and tell the child what do to and make them do it. Perhaps you do this to promote personal growth (however unwillingly), perhaps you do this to keep them safe; or perhaps you do this because in the long run it will be a benefit to the entire family.
There are times when the child is left to their own devices to make their own choices. You may be working in the kitchen, and they are in the next room playing. Certainly, you monitor. You are always listening and ready to intervene, but you don’t have to!
Thirdly, there are times when your toddler SEEKS YOU. They come to you intentionally for your love, your guidance, or your protection. You are always there when they seek you, and you never deny them.
You see, when raising a toddler, the truth regarding your power over them and your responsibility for them is multi-faceted. In other words, all three things are true at the same time!
This is the way it is with God’s sovereignty over His human image-bearers. Three examples from scripture…
Direct intervention (God is the cause) Jeremiah 30:1-3 (BSB) “1This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 2“This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Write in a book all the words that I have spoken to you. 3For behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will restore from captivity My people Israel and Judah, declares the LORD. I will restore them to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they will possess it.’”
Leaving us to our own choices Romans 1:21-25 (BSB) “21For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts. 22Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools, 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
24Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity for the dishonoring of their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is forever worthy of praise! Amen.”
Humans seeking God the way He desires us to is exemplified by this very simple command of Jesus, “17From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” Matthew 4:17 (BSB)
Repent is perhaps the most important VERB a human will ever do. Those who repent, who believe, and who call upon the name of the Lord, will be saved. And according to our Savior, of those who are saved, they “… will be hated by everyone because of My name, but the one who perseveres (another verb!) to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 10:22 (BSB)
Sunday is another Fifth Sunday Celebration! Steph and I have some great music planned for you that hopefully will guide your eyes, hearts and minds to our Savior Jesus Christ.
We are also going to experience God’s word and my preaching in a different way. SEVERAL people have offered to share scriptures on Sunday. I put all of the names in a hat and drew three.
Josh Lockey
Wanda Oller
Cheryl Shughart
Thank you. They will be sharing the scriptures they have only with Ryan. I will hear them for the first time Sunday morning – right before I preach them.
Let me share with you the charities to which we will be donating after the 29th. (thank you, Audrey, for keeping this all so organized and tied so directly to scripture)
Fifth Sunday September 29, 2024
Selflessservice is a military volunteer organization devoted to supporting & assisting active military & first responders, as well their immediate families during times of activation/deployment. They provide relief and reinforcement to these families via no to low-cost provisions of services designed to serve their families.
Matt. 23:11-12 The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
Monroe Fire Co. #25 provides the community of Monroe Twp with fire suppression, rescue and water. They are staffed by volunteers from the community.
Philippians 2:3-4 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interest of others.
Cumberland Goodwill Emergency Medical Service provides the greater Carlisle area with efficient and effective emergency medical services. They are a Basic and Advanced Life Support service. Their runs are mostly Mobile Intensive Care Units. They have one emergency tech and one paramedic on board.
Matthew 20:26-28. Jesus tells us “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave-just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
Puppies Behind Bars trains incarcerated individuals to raise service dogs for wounded war veterans, 1st responders, police enforcement and explosive detection canines for law enforcement.
Titus 2:11-12 The grace of God teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.
Remember these words,
Soli Deo Gloria! (alone, God receives Glory!)
May God bless you and keep you and
WE WILL SEE YOU IN CHURCH!
BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!
Would you like to learn more about the life of Jesus through studying The Chosen TV series? We’ll be working through season 4 for 9 weeks, starting in early October. Talk to Jeff to get connected!
ANOTHER BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!
The newly formed Young Adult Ministry, “Pairs and Spares” will be having an outdoor gathering Friday evening the 27th
Word on the street is that, among a variety of other great foods, there will be pulled pork sliders and Churchtown mac&cheese! 😊
The women will gather on the 30th for dinner and a walk in the park – and the men will gather again Wednesday October 2 for cornhole and James chapter 2!
You can now subscribe and listen to the
“Churchtown Podcast Network!”
Available on both Apple Podcasts and Spotify, just search “Turning on the Lights!” and “Churchtown Church of God Sermons” – subscribe and then leave a rating and a review! More folks will see it!
*Audio and video are always posted on our YouTube channel @churchtownchurch (there are 1,100 videos there)
Spread the word about the community NARTHEX! It is really taking shape, and folks are making many donations. We must get the word out!
Church Calendar
Fifth Sunday Celebration THIS Sunday the 29th!
Brian, Kelly, and the dogs on vacation October 4 through October 8th
First Friday Movie October 4. 7pm
Council Prayer Tuesday October 8. 6:30pm
Service of the ordinances Sunday, October 13
Randy Simpson inside THURSDAY October 17. 6pm
Congregational prayer Wednesday October 23. 7pm
SERVE Saturday October 26
Trunk or Treat Thursday October 31 6-8pm
SERVE Saturday November 2.
Hayride – Sunday November 3. 4pm
SERVICE OF THE ORDINANCE DATES:
October 13th
November 27th – Thanksgiving Eve.
Remember, the single biggest reason given for why someone attends church for the first time is that a friend asked them!
As always, we continue in prayer for Churchtown, for our community, for the church universal, and for the lost everywhere.
God is good. God provides. Keep your eyes up and on the cross people.
Be well and do good, my friends. And, as always, Keep Looking Up! The lord comes!
REMEMBER THAT!
Opportunities!
We are always seeking individuals to be trained in technology. We would like to develop TEAMS that could rotate weekends.
There is always the opportunity to provide music – join up with the New Song Singers and / or talk to me about a special prelude or piece.
Gather-Grow-Become-Go
Churchtown Church of God
Sunday September 22, 2024
Welcome to Churchtown!
We are glad you are here!
Guitar Prelude – Sanctuary- guitar
80, “I Love You, Lord” – piano
Because He Lives – guitar
Opening Word – Wanda
31, “Great Is the Lord”
Back in the Word – Josh
“Shine Jesus Shine” – guitar
Our Time in the Word – Sheryl
Special Music, “How Great Thou Art” – Steph
Our Time of Prayer
“The Lord’s Prayer”
As a “little” church, we are always asking the question, “What CAN we do?” Well, we can start by caring for the spiritual, emotional, and physical needs of each other.We CAN serve the next person God places before us.
We CAN invite that person to church!
We CAN be intentional about going to church and strengthening ourselves and the body.
We CAN serve our community and show who Christ is to those who do not know Him.
We CAN PRAY, PRAY, PRAY – and we can REMAIN FATIHFUL!
I Love Being Your Pastor and Your Friend,
Brian
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