Carter Baptist
Happy birthday and God bless Gus Kimble and Shepherd Shores.
May God continue to bless James and Marcie Reed-Davis as they celebrate another year of marriage.
Pastor Mat Lawrence titled the post “Jesus and His High Standards for His Followers.” The standards Jesus set for his followers and for us today are high with clearly defined responsibilities. The two Jewish sects that opposed Jesus were the Pharisees, who held to the letter of the Mosaic Law by also adding their own additional standards: and the Deceived who denied the existence of angels, demons, Heaven , Hell and God’s involvement with mankind. Both groups clearly denied the grace of God and his son, Jesus, who was sent to redeem the world. This is why John the Baptist called them when he was baptizing believers in the Jordan – Matthew 3:7. These two groups were united in their quest to destroy Jesus.
Jesus gave clear instructions to his disciples in a world where they will be rejected.
Matthew 16:20-25: “Then he commanded his disciples not to tell anyone that he was Jesus the Christ. From that time Jesus began to show his disciples how he was to go to Jerusalem, suffer greatly from the elders, chief priests and scribes, be killed and be resurrected on the third day. Then Peter took it, and began to take it back, saying, Let this not befall you, Lord! It won’t happen to you. But he turned around and said to Peter: Go behind me, Satan! you offend me; for you do not relish the things that are of God, but those that are of men. Then Jesus said to his disciples: If anyone wants to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. For whoever loses his life for me will find it.
Jesus first told his disciples to say no to self, for self-desires would divert God’s attention.
Romans 7:18: “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwells nothing good, for the will is present to me; but how to do what is good, I can’t find it.
Second, take up their cross.
Galatians 5:11: “And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? Then the offense of the cross ceases.
Third, say yes to Jesus and follow him. .
Romans 1:16: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes.”
Be prayerful, willing, and ready to witness to the opportunities that arise when you wholeheartedly follow Jesus.
Marta Van
First Apostolic
On Sunday morning, October 9, services began with prayers and songs of praise as the sweet presence of the Lord was felt among us.
“The Tabernacle – A Type of Salvation,” was taken from Hebrews 9:21-22, 1-15 and Acts 2:38. The tabernacle in the wilderness had only one door, only one door to the court. Likewise, there is only one way to enter the New Testament Church. Jesus is the door of salvation. Anyone who tries to enter by any other way is like a thief and a robber. There is only one Lord, one faith and one baptism. There is no alternative.
Anyone who is to enter into, or even see, the kingdom of God must be born again of water and the Spirit, as was preached on the day of Pentecost by the Apostle Peter. When the men asked him what they should do after realizing they had crucified the Lord of glory, he said, “Repent and be baptized, each one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for remission. sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Ghost”.
The tabernacle is a type of New Testament salvation, as well as a type of Christ. The tabernacle represents his body; in the table of showbread, he is our daily bread.
He is the ark, or the word of life, and the law of God. He is the candlestick or the light of the world; incense, or fragrant flavor. The sacrifice offered by the priests represents his sacrifice at Calvary. As a New Testament type of salvation, the tabernacle housed the law of God, who was the schoolmaster to bring us to Christ. Although the testament or will of Jesus Christ was recorded in the four gospels, it was not a force until the death of the testator, Jesus Christ.
After his death, the plan of salvation was revealed to the world on the day of Pentecost. We are no longer under the law of Moses, but we are filled with the Holy Spirit and adopted into the great family of God.
In the tabernacle, the first thing inside the door was the altar. Without repentance or death to sin, we can go no further with God. When we truly die to the world, we can live joyfully for God by living a clean and pure life. The basin represents baptism in the name of Jesus. The priest had to purify himself before he could offer the sacrifice in the Holy of Holies. Only the high priest could go behind the veil once a year to do this.
Jesus Christ changed all of that for us. The sacrifice of his flesh, or veil, was made to purchase our redemption. When he died, the veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom. His death ushered in a new covenant, and now we can boldly approach the throne of grace. Jesus, our high priest, is the one who can be touched by the feelings of our infirmities. What a privilege to bring everything to God in prayer.
Revival begins October 23 with Brother Aubrey Yoder. Do not hesitate to visit us at any time: Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. We are located two miles south of Speedy’s on Welling Road. For more information, call 918-457-9498.
Nancy Walker
First Baptist
How to talk about Halloween to our children?
It is a common party and most children want to participate. Stores are overflowing with sweets, costumes and decorations, and schools are often saturated with holiday celebrations. There are invitations to Halloween parties, horror movies on TV and soon trick-or-treaters lining the streets. Some elements are contrary to the things of God and can even be classified as demonic or occult, and many Christians avoid it altogether.
Children are exposed to it, whether we like it or not. Healthy and open conversations with your children are important. Children can handle controversy very well if given the opportunity. This is the perfect time for parents to teach their children to decipher right from wrong and teach them how to navigate the gray areas.
Tell them what your position is and why. Knowing why you believe the way you do is important. Let them know that some of their friends might not celebrate this holiday. If you’re pro-Halloween, be ready to help them find out why and be ready to answer any questions they might ask. If you’re anti-Halloween, help them understand the possible dangers and what you believe God has to say about different aspects of Halloween. Let them know that Halloween will be all around them and some of their friends will be celebrating.
Help them tell the good from the bad. If you fall into the gray area of Halloween, one that embraces the fun and excitement of the holiday without taking over the darker elements that tend to come with it. Teaching them to dress up as an animal or their favorite cartoon character is fun and harmless. It’s also good to explain your views on witches, vampires, monsters, or any sort of violent costume.
Teach your children about safety. There are increased dangers for children during these holidays, so it is imperative that you only let them make candy in homes where you know the people well and always inspect the candy. It’s very sad but some want to harm or exploit children, and danger lurks on Halloween.
Above all, teach your children to honor God. Regardless of where you stand on Halloween, we should always honor and glorify the Lord. Our children watch and learn from us. They form their own convictions and beliefs from ours, just like we did when we were children. Be aware, be safe and above all keep your children looking to Jesus. Talk to your children and educate them, and never underestimate what they can understand and process. Just talking to them and the conversation you have together will bring you closer.
Trunk-N-Treat will take place on Monday evening, October 31, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
For Sunday services, classic worship begins at 8:30 a.m. with Sunday school and small groups following at 9:45 a.m. and ends with modern worship at 11 a.m.
Terri Fite
Peggs Community Center
Sunday School, October 9, opened with prayer led by Brother Mike Parish with 42 people in attendance.
The devotion was Psalm 36 and the first song, “No, Not One”. There were 55 people present for worship.
Happy birthday Chesie. Get well, prayers for Dave Davis, Elizabeth James and their families. There was a mention of possible COVID-19, but at that time it was not certain; everyone like really sick. Our prayers and condolences go out to Pam Joice for the loss of several family members over the past two weeks or so, and to Brother Phil Buford, his wife and family for the loss of the mother of Mrs Buford.
Reports of a very successful ice cream party at the community center have been passed on. Apparently it was such a hit, repeats were requested.
We are still collecting veteran items until the end of this month. The names of the Angel Tree will be released shortly thereafter.
Brother Rex took his Sunday, October 9 message from Mark 4:26-29 and talked about seeds, growth and harvest. We are the seeds that were sown, and as we grow, the fruits we bear depend on the quality of the seed. As we mature we are called to sow even more seeds, and as the seed from which we come from our harvest depends on the seeds we have sown.
Good seeds – good and living messages – sown yield a good harvest and add to those chosen to continue the process. Bad seeds only cause discontent, unrest, resentment, and failure to receive the good news of the gospel.
Our words and deeds show what kind of seed has been sown in our hearts and what we have done with the task given to us. Letting ourselves forget to keep our tongues down once in a while can absolutely destroy any good we have done.
Jesus is the greatest seed ever sown on earth and his growth, teaching, preaching, love of people and sacrifice opened the field for others to grow and prosper, sowing more fields for the master. One day, perhaps very soon, will come the day of harvest. Only those with “good fruit” will be kept – all others will be left behind. Pay attention to what you say and do. People look at us and process our actions.
Do you shine or twinkle? If you speak the conversation, be sure to follow the walk.
Kay Cordray
