Bro. David's Weekly Word
Weekly Word from Bro. David
March 10, 2016
From The Pastor's Heart:
We have been looking at what to do when you are mistreated from James 5. As we continue under our heading: CHRISTIANITY IN SHOELEATHER James gives us three timeless truths that will help us do right when wronged.
7 “Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. 8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door! 10 My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. 11 Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord--that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. 12 But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your “No” “No” lest you fall into judgment.” James 5.7-12
So here’s what is involved in doing right when wronged first we have seen that we must LOOK UPWARD AND BE CALM, next James tells us to LOOK INWARD AND BE CLEAN. Today Pastor James tells us to LOOK BACKWARDS AND BE CHALLENGED.
Vv.10-11, “My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. Indeed, we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord, that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.”
You think that you've been wronged; that you've been mistreated? Just take a look at backward and consider the mistreatment of the prophets! That will jolt you out of yourself pity!
We read in Hebrews 11.36-38, “Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth.”
They are our example, James says, of two things: “suffering” and here's that word again: “patience.” When I consider the prophets and the degree of their mistreatment ... I'm ashamed how I've allowed those insignificant wrongs and mistreatments to enrage me!
Now, they seemed significant at the time, but compared to the mistreatment of the prophets, (mockings, scourgings, imprisoned in chains, stoned, sawed in two, afflicted, tormented) the wrongs toward me were nothing.
Verse 10, “My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience.”
“Example” referred to letters in a copy book. A student would use books with tracing paper to learn how to correctly form letters. The letters provided a model in reproducing each letter until they would write the letters themselves.
James is saying to use the prophets' lives as a pattern to copy when it comes to “suffering and patience,” suffering affliction and long suffering. Don't miss the little phrase in verse 11 in reference to Job: “....the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord, that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.” “The end intended by the Lord.” You put it down: God is always working toward some end in our lives through different ways. He uses those times of mistreatment to deepen our faith and to chip away from our lives those things that do not look like Jesus. He is always working for our good! Say that with me: “God is always working for my good.” That is, if you know Him. And if you don't know Him, the next part of verse 11 is for you.
“... the Lord is very compassionate (kind, sympathetic) and merciful” (pity). Mercy is not getting what you deserve. When a guilty man stands before the judge and cries out for mercy he's asking the judge not to give him what he knows he deserves! Don't give me what I deserve, give me what I need, and what I need is God's mercy.
2 Corinthians 1.3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort.” And because I am a recipient of God's compassion and mercy and therefore I now know God's compassion and mercy what I believe about God is revealed in how I treat others.
When you've been wronged and mistreated, show them Jesus! Compassion and mercy: don't give them what they deserve, give them what they need!
Doing Right when you've been wronged involves:
1. LOOKING UPWARD AND BEING CALM.
2. LOOKING INWARD AND BEING CLEAN.
3. LOOKING BACKWARDS AND BEING CHALLENGED.
VBS is Coming:
You are an important part of teaching the love of God to young children, but we need to know who you are. Be sure to let Nicole know soon that you would like to be a part of this great mission effort right here at Aspen Park.
Upcoming Events at Aspen Park:
March 13 – Sunday School Visitation at 4:00 pm
March 13 – Adult 2 Sunday school class lunch
March 14–18 – Spring Break for school kids
March 20 – Bring a Friend Day at Aspen Park and Palm Sunday celebration
March 26 – Easter egg hunt at Indian Springs Apartment complex
March 27 – Easter celebration with Easter egg hunt to follow the morning Worship service.
April 3 – Adult 1 Sunday school class cookout
April 8 – 10 – Youth DNOW weekend.
April 17 – Aspen Park Community Festival
April 23 – Women’s ministry conference at the church
April 29–30 – Young men’s Bible study retreat
May 8 – Mothers Day
May 19 – 21 – Tentative dates for Branson trip
Arms Around Broken Arrow:
DID YOU KNOW?
Did you know that Arms Around BA started helping to meet the needs of the community on August 17, 2005?
Did you know Arms Around BA is funded by Baptist churches & several individuals from various places and churches?
Did you know there were 160 professions of faith at Arms Around BA in 2015?
Did you know our volunteer doctors provided a minimum of $76,459 in medical services including medications to 330 patients in 2015?
Did you know we provided food and personal care items with a value of $306,089 to 1,789 families containing 5,801 family members in 2015?
Did you know we provided Thanksgiving & Christmas baskets to 180 families with 618 family members with all the ingredients to feed a family of 6 with a value of $9,900 in 2015?
Did you know we provided infant care items with a value of $4,660 to 427 infants in 2015?
Did you know that we deliver food to TreeTops Apartments containing more than 200 senior low income residents each week, out of our abundance, from food we receive from Reasor’s & Einstein Bros. Bagels?
Did you know that the residents of TreeTops Apartments now expect that we will pray for them after food delivery each Wednesday? (Now that’s neat!)
Did you know that we deliver food to Indian Springs Apartments containing more than 1,200 low income persons twice each week, out of our abundance, from food we receive from Reasor’s & Einstein Bros. Bagels?
Did you know that we helped 42 families containing 92 family members with gasoline at a cost of $1,161 in 2015?
Did you know we helped 1,206 families with 4,171 family members with 18,224 pieces of clothing and 1,464 coats valued at more than $170,512 at a total cost of only $1,752 in 2015?
Did you know we helped 416 families with 1,427 family members with $22,345 for Utilities in 2015?
Did you know we furnished two or more nights’ Homeless Lodging to 31 families with 62 family members in 2015?
Did you know that we helped 79 families with 226 family members with Rent Assistance in 2015?
Did you know that we helped 28 families get a fresh start in life in 2015?
Did you know that we provided a total of $618,668 of services to the community at a cost of only $175,409? Our expense was multiplied by 353% in services provided in 2015?
Did you know we had donated goods with a value of more than $443,259 in 2015?
Did you know that we served 2,509 families in 2015?
Did you know these represented 7,917 family members? These are a lot of lives that we touched in 2015.
Did you know we help people with their physical needs, no matter which church they attend or whether they attend church?
Did you know that we have to turn away requests for utility help and homeless lodging each month due to a lack of funds?
Did you know that a monthly average of more than 100 Arms Around BA volunteers work more than 1200 hours each month?
Did you know that we started opening on Monday nights on October 13, 2014?
Did you know you can help financially, no matter which church you attend, by direct contributions to Arms Around BA?
Candy for Easter Eggs:
The children’s department and the Indian Springs Apartments ministry are in need of your donations of Easter candy so that they can fill the eggs that the children will hunt during our annual Easter Egg Hunt. Next time you are at the store, pick up several extra bags and bring them to the church by this Sunday, March the 13th.
Bring a Friend Sunday:
On March 20th we have an excellent opportunity to get out and visit our Sunday school members who have not been coming! We have Sunday school visitation continuing this Sunday night at 4 pm in the Multipurpose room. Please join us this week as we desire to reach folks for God's glory!
We also want everyone making phone calls and sending cards, text messages and such to folks who have not been here lately. If you have some lost friends that we can visit, please come and let us know. I am excited about what the Lord is doing here at APBC this spring and look forward to YOU getting involved! Our goal is 150 people in Bible study on March 20th! Have a blessed week as you serve the Lord!
In Christ,
Christopher Dale
Local Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Training Opportunity!
State Training Orientation for the Tulsa Metro Baptist Network Area--April 2, 2016
Place: New Beginnings Baptist Church, 4104 E 151st ST S, Bixby, OK 74008, 918-366-6700
Time: 8:00 am to 4:00 pm
Cost: $5 to new team members
Lunch provided. No Pre-registration. Just show up.
Men and women welcome
Must be age 18 and above
Training-orientation is open to any member of a Southern Baptist church who is at least 18 years of age. Attending training-orientation does not obligate you to serve, but is necessary before serving. Everyone is required to attend both Introduction to Southern Baptist Disaster Relief and Feeding Unit/Line Serving training-orientation. Disaster Relief ID badges are issued to those who complete training. Badges expire to ensure that EVERYONE attends training every three years.
Associational training-orientation covers Feeding, Chain Saw, Mud-out, and *Damage Assessment
State training-orientation covers associational training topics plus Child Care, Shower/Laundry Trailer, Medical and Water Purification (Next date: October 3 at Grace Place Baptist Church, 9300 S Anderson Road, Oklahoma City, 405-793-0707 / BGCO 405-942-3800 x4336)
*Assessment training-orientation is open to only those who have previously completed Mud-out and Chain Saw training-orientation.
More information on local training opportunities can be found at the BGCO Disaster Relief Training Website. Next Association training date is September 24, 2016, at First Baptist Church, Sapulpa.
Word for the Week:
“You are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” - 1 John 4:4
See you Sunday for worship and Bible study.
Glad to be your pastor,
Bro. David