NEW OFFICE

Praise the Lord for my newly remodeled office! Thank you Mike and Bob for all of your help! Thanks Ellen for the picture. What a great birthday present!

Pastor Jerry

DIRECTION FOR LIFE

Thanks to Bob West, and his friend John Hess, Lewis and Clark Bible church has a new logo. The logo will be used on church letterhead, business cards, and other church literature. It was several months in the making and started with the desire to produce a logo that would be unique to our church and speak to our Biblical emphasis.

The logo features an open Bible as its foundation. This speaks to our commitment to God's inspired and inerrant Word in its authoritative role in directing us in all matters related to faith and practice. 2 Timothy 3:16, "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness."

The compass is in keeping with our identity as "Lewis and Clark" Bible Church. The explorers, Lewis and Clark, used a compass to guide them over rivers and across great mountain ranges to their final destination. The compass kept them headed in the right direction. Likewise, the Bible gives us "direction for life." Psalm 119:105, "Thy word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path." 2 Peter 1:19, "And so we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the days dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts."

The phrase "Direction for Life," situated above the logo, was Bob's idea. It speaks to the ability of God's word to provide direction to us. As someone has said the BIBLE contains "Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth." Every Gideon Bible includes in the preface a tribute to the Bible. This tribute says in part: "The Bible

contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler's map, the pilgrim's staff, the PILOT'S COMPASS, the soldier's sword, and the Christian's charter. Here paradise is restored, Heaven opened, and the gates of hell disclosed. CHRIST is its grand Subject, our good the design, and the glory of God its end."

The compass points to the east and the west and speaks to our God-given responsibility to share the truth with others. Jesus commissioned His Apostles to "be (His) witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth" (Acts 1:8). The church was commissioned to spread the gospel and every believer has his own "Jerusalem," in which to witness. But God privileges us to pray and to give to help others take the gospel message to even "the remotest part of the earth." The church is ever endeavoring to "hold forth the word of life" (Phil. 2:16) before the lost wherever they might live.

The logo is a useful tool, but the Biblical perspective on which it is based is more than that. That perspective instructs us and guides us in all matters. The question, "But what does the Bible say?", should guide us in all that we think, do, and say. The Bible reveals truth that is meant to be shared. Our logo applies this Biblical perspective to our identity in a compelling fashion.

Pastor Jerry

BOOK REVIEW: 30 YEARS A WATCHTOWER SLAVE

I just finished reading "30 Years a Watchtower Slave" by William J. Schnell. The book is the biographical account of Schnell's experience as a member of the Watchtower Society. It all began for him in the 1920s in Germany. He was a part of the first efforts to publish and distribute Watchtower Society materials. In the book he recounts some of the history of the cult. Particularly fascinating is how the leadership of the Watchtower Society used public gatherings and subsequent arrests for both publicity and to garner sympathy. It was also insightful to read of the seven steps used to indoctrinate new members into the society. One is led to sympathize with William in his plight as a member of the cult. 30 years after his indoctrination, he was finally delivered from his enslavement after he cried out to the Lord for help. Also key to his deliverance was a renewed attention to reading the Bible which God used to reveal to him the hypocrisy inherent in the cult. He subsequently went on to write his book. In the conclusion he addresses believers in how they should respond to visiting Jehovah Witnesses and Jehovah Witnesses in how they can be delivered from enslavement. The book is well worth reading...

Pastor Jerry

TAUGHT BY GOD

1 Thessalonians 4:9, "You yourselves are taught by God to love one another."

I suppose that over the years I have been taught by hundreds of teachers and have sat through countless lessons on a variety of subjects. Many of those lessons, especially those related to my past nuclear training, have long since lapsed into utter irrelevance. We have here in this passage a matter of instruction that transcends all others in virtue and importance.

It is taught by the best of teachers--God Himself. God is love (1 John 4:16). The Scriptures declare it to be so. But if we demand evidence we need look no further than the cross. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son" (John 3:16). "We know love by this, He laid down His life for us" (1 John 3:16). That He would send His Son to die for us--"while we were enemies" (Rom. 5:10)--is proof positive that He is a God of love and that His love transcends our experience and ability to comprehend (Eph. 3:19).

Oftentimes earthly teachers struggle to prepare lessons that nevertheless transcend their knowledge. God teaches according to the fulness of His nature and the perfection of His works. His classroom is our very lives as the Spirit of God applies the Word of God to our hearts in the context of our experience. The flesh pursues sinful and selfish choices that undermine our intimacy with God and our relationships with others. The Spirit raises us up to a higher plane of living, where God’s love--having been shed abroad in our hearts--is demonstrated in self-sacrificing ways .

No more important lesson is every learned on earth than this one. Higher institutions of learning espouse lofty subjects taught by eminent professors. These subjects work to prepare students for earthly ventures and profitable careers. God teaches us how to love one another. There is no higher virtue to be learned. Love is the "fulfillment of the law" (Rom. 13:10). It identifies the believer in Christ as one of God’s own children (1 John 4:7, "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God."). As the fruit of the Spirit, love comes first (Gal. 5:22). It is the greatest of virtues--"Now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love (1 Cor. 13:13). Spiritual maturity is ultimately measured not by how much we know, or how much we are willing to sacrifice, but by the measure of our Christlike love for others (1 Cor. 13:1-3).

Chaos in the classroom is commonplace in our day. We hear stories of students having no desire to learn. They talk in class, show disrespect towards their teachers, and get bad grades. The believer in Christ has the best of teachers and the grandest of subjects. How attentive are we to what is being taught? It is as we walk in the Spirit, and look to the inspired textbook, the Word of God, that we learn. The opportunities to put into practice the lessons we are taught are countless. God stands ready to teach us, let us be eager to learn.

Pastor Jerry

GOD WORKS IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS HIS WONDERS TO PERFORM

Mark 4:26-27, "And He was saying, "The Kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; and goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows--how, he himself does not know."

God works in mysterious ways His wonders to perform and this is especially true when it comes to the salvation of sinners. Apart from our efforts, and sometimes in spite of them, He works in the hearts of men to draw sinners to Himself.

My nephew Gabe died suddenly and tragically last December when he was struck by a car while crossing the highway. It was no secret that Gabe had led a troubled life. Drugs and alcohol had taken a toll on him. I was saddened by his death and saddened more by lack of any evidence that he had ever placed his trust in Jesus. The funeral was to happen last December, but my sister was ill at the time, so it was postponed until January. God had His own reasons for delaying the funeral service. The week before the funeral I received a call from my sister. She excitedly shared how she had found Gabe’s New Testament. It was an old Gideon’s New Testament that had been passed on to Gabe from the mother of his friend. He had read it back in 2008 and had indicated on the decision page that he had trusted in Christ for salvation. When it came time then for his funeral I was able to share the gospel message in the context of Gabe’s own affirmation of faith in Jesus Christ. A mother of a friend passed that New Testament on to Gabe. The seed was sown. "She went to bed at night" not knowing how "God who causes the growth" might use His Word. God works in mysterious ways His wonders to perform!

Vance is the "big-hearted" grandfather of one of the members of our church. He has had more than his share of trials in this past year--with the suicide of one of his grandsons and his own serious health problems. Vance’s grandson, Jason, has prayed for Vance for some time. In recent months, as Vance was diagnosed to have terminal cancer, the prayer efforts escalated. Some weeks ago Jason and I went to visit Vance to talk to him about his need to trust in Jesus for salvation. Vance is a humble guy and when the gospel message fell upon the soil of his Spirit-prepared heart, he responded by placing his faith in Christ. Yesterday I had the privilege of baptizing Vance (by sprinkling). That is something that he earnestly wanted to do. He is now on oxygen. His health is rapidly declining. But how precious is it that God has seen fit to save Vance from his sins and to grant to his family--and to us--that assurance as to Vance’s eternal destiny. God works in mysterious ways His wonders to perform!




God grants to us the privilege of sharing the gospel message with others--that is something we are do with boldness and clarity. But the matter of salvation is a mysterious work of the Holy Spirit of God--He convicts of sin, He draws sinners to Himself, He removes the blindness to the gospel message, He grants to them saving faith, He causes them to be born again, He causes the growth. He does these things on His own apart from our awareness or assistance. Praise God that He does--it is a work that is far beyond us! God works in mysterious ways His wonders to perform!

Pastor Jerry

GO TO WORSHIP, GO TO SERVE

Came across this great quote by William Barclay regarding our attitude towards worship...

"If we come in such a way the likelihood is that we will criticize the organist and the choir and find fault with the minister’s preaching. We will regard the whole service as a performance laid out for our special entertainment. We must come prepared to give; we must remember that worship is a corporate act, and that each of us can contribute something to it. If we ask, not, "What can I get out of this service?" but, "What can I contribute to this service?" we will in the end get far more out of it than if we simply came to take."

Pastor Jerry