Faith News: Jan. 29, 2019 | Faith - Tahlequah Daily Press

Barber Baptist

"Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? Who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the Lord?" (Psalm 14:4).

Happy birthday and God bless Shauna Fountain and Cassie Calloway. May God continue to bless Danny and Shauna Fountain as they celebrate another year of marriage.

Guest preacher John Rozell entitled the morning message "The most important question." Things are crazy these days. How has it happened? With things going the way they are, our most vulnerable are at risk in this nation. Have a lot of questions? Do we say or wish, as John did in Revelation 22:20b, "Even so, come Lord Jesus."

The most important question that everyone must answer is, what are we going to do with Jesus?

"Pilate saith unto them, 'What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ?'" (Mathew 27:22a).

Jesus demands a response. Not responding is not an option, it is answering, no. Today there is a lot of information without transformation or application in our churches. The options are heaven or hell, that's it. Trust in Jesus.

"I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live" (Deuteronomy 30:19).

Our job is to share the message that Jesus alone saves. "For whosoever will call on the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13).

Trust the Lord for our everyday. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5).

Talk to Jesus. "Pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7).

Acknowledge Jesus. "Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?' Then said I, 'Here am I; send me'" (Isaiah 6:8).

Think about him. "Who is it that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us" (Romans 8:34).

Find your gift and work for him. "And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him." (Colossians 3:17).

Share your wealth, give your time, (Malachi 3:10), be his ambassador. Take him with you everywhere you go.

Tell others about Jesus. (Mathew 28:18-20).

Pray to have those hard conversations.

Marta Vann

CCF

Welcome to Community Christian Fellowship, a non-denominational, Bible-preaching and teaching church of God. The church is on State Highway 82 South at Keys. Prayer service is tonight is at 6 p.m. and, as always, come as you are. The Lord will be glad to see you and we will too.

Regular services include: Sunday school, 10 a.m.; worship service, 11 a.m.; and Sunday and Wednesday night worship service, 6 p.m.

"And they come to Jerusalem; and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves" (Mark 11:15).

When Jesus comes into our lives (our temples, according to 1 Corinthians 3:16), don't expect him to do any less than he did in the verse above he cleans house. He doesn't leave us the way he finds us.

Many Christians are of the opinion that Christianity is just mere religious duty, church attendance, singing in the choir, giving offerings, reading their Bible, and so on. How wrong they are; when Jesus cleaned out the temple he also set things back in order. He restored it to its original purpose and re-established its priority. "My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer."

When Christ comes into our lives, he puts them back in order. He restores us to our original purpose for which he created us and helps us to reestablish his priorities in our lives as well. "Thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." Up to that point before he does, it is not about him, but about us. We were living for self and doing what was right and pleasing in our own eyes.

When Jesus got finished cleaning the temple that day, I can promise you it did not look the same. There was a definite "transformation" that took place. The moneychangers were gone, the merchant tables were no longer set up, the place was quieter, worship was heard again, prayer and holiness was restored.

As I said earlier, "He doesn't leave us the way he finds us." He brings the gift of salvation and eternal life to us and from that moment on he desires to bring about a "transformation" process in our lives. He doesn't leave us the same way and he doesn't leave us looking the same way. Instead, the goal is that we look like his original intention for us. "Let us make man in our image" (Genesis 1:26).

"And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly" (1 Corinthians 15:49).

The goal is that we look like him. Jesus doesn't come into our lives and leave us the same way; he brings transformation.

Jenny Dameron

Peggs Community Church

Morning services for this last Sunday of January 2019 began in prayer led by Brother Mike Parish with 81 in attendance. The devotional was read from Matthew 5:17-30, and the first song was "Just a Little Talk with Jesus."

Happy birthday this week to Hadrian Dean, Vickie Beaver, and Joyce Bailey. Get well prayers and wishes go out for Lee Cobb, Natasha Crittenden, and Ronnie Reeves. Our love, prayers, and sympathy are extended to the Smith family on their recent loss.

The Valentine banquet is just a couple of weeks away. It's set for Feb. 9 at 6 p.m. If you haven't signed the probable attending list for meal counts, you need to get that done so the order can go in to the caterers on time.

There is also a fellowship supper and singing on Friday, March 8. Supper will begin around 6:30 p.m., with the singing to follow at 7:30.

Brother Rex took his message from 1 Samuel 15:1-14 this morning; the account of King Saul taking his armies to Amalek on God's orders. God had judged the Amalekites some years earlier for a particularly nasty ambush on the Israelites. God decreed the entire population, adults, children, babes, and all the stock, sheep, goats, cattle, and the like to be killed.

The Israelite army was to leave nothing, yes, nothing alive in that city.

Saul and his armies attacked. Only they didn't do exactly what God said to do. They captured the Amalekite king, and took the very best of the goods, sheep, oxen, and the like. Everything else was destroyed. When Samuel approached Saul after the battle, he was greeted warmly, and the king bragged on their recent, great victory. Now Samuel knew of the conditions of total destruction and so he asked of Saul "What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?"

Brother Rex went on to describe the difference between a good shepherd and a bad one. Sheep are at their best with a keeper they trust to lead them to good pasture, and defend them from danger. As they graze and move, they softly bleat to each other in communication. If they sense danger or find themselves in a bad situation, the bleat turns to a near-scream, the meaning of which is clear: "there is something really, really wrong!"

Referring to Jesus as the "good shepherd," which Jesus himself said he was, Brother Rex brought out todays' church as the flock that was being displaced and attacked and asked the question "Where in the bleating of the sheep?" We pray for each other, within our own churches, for our friends or families, and sometimes, we pray because of a particularly bad situation in the news. But who prays for the babies killed each day, some 3,000 of them? Who prays for and tries to assist the elderly, the homeless, the lonely? When did the church stop protesting, loudly, at the wrong in our nation? Where, then, is that screaming bleating of the sheep? We're letting Satan win by our silence.

Kay Cordray

Tahlequah First Baptist

A mother tells of how her children always knew that there was a safe place they could go if circumstances fell apart. Her arms. This place was more than just a comforting hug or comforting words. It was a place where they could feel her heartbeat, a heart that was feeling the same things they did. They could always come to her and bring whatever they couldn't bear to this place and there was an instant connection.

When her daughter crawled into her arms at 3 a.m. one morning, she knew that trouble had found her. A boy had crushed her heart. A boy that she never thought would do that and would handle her heart gently. She was crushed because of it. Her heart hurt deeply. Her mother could see it was for the best, but she still hurt for her daughter. Her little girl who couldn't sleep, so she came to her room and slipped into bed with her so she could hear that familiar heartbeat, the one she had known since before she was born.

Her mother held her in the early morning hours and brushed her long, brown hair from her eyes and kissed her tear-soaked face. She whispered "I love you" to her and her daughter knew she was safe. In her mother's arms she was safe from the cruel, wild, heartbreaking world. The next morning, her daughter showed her a text from the boyfriend. That is what had caused her anguish the night before. His words were from an immature heart and were tangled with sources of his own hurt. He wasn't a bad person, he was just young and sometimes when we are young we can't handle situations the right way. The mother completely understood that, but her daughter did not. She took his words like daggers in her heart and cried.

She handed her mother the phone and asked her to help reply to him. They sat in the middle of eggs and toast and talked together, thought together, and replied to the text together.

Together is a good word. Together is what we need when our world falls apart. Feeling alone can make us vulnerable to making bad decisions and being in hard places can make us want to default to our feelings instead of using wisdom as our guide. It is not a good time to make decisions, especially when we're alone. When you pause before you make decisions when you are in these places is smart. It is smart when we take extra time when life takes on circumstances that are hard, to think and make wise decisions.

When the world is cruel and harsh, go to your safe place, the Bible. Let its words guide you and show you the way, like a light on a dark path. Also, go to someone who you know is wise. Go to someone who you know lives a good, Christ-filled life and you know by their deeds and the humility they have in their heart, that they are wise. Let wise people help you. Listen to their wisdom when you feel a little shaky with your own. They can give us a better view of our situation and will make things a little clearer.

Sunday services are: Early worship, 8:15 a.m.; Sunday school, 9:30 a.m.; late worship, 10:45 a.m.; and Sunday school fellowship night, 5-9 p.m. Discipleship classes will be at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 30.

Terri Fite

Unitarian Universalist

We've opened ourselves up to be compassionate. We've allowed ourselves to give and show gratitude. Continuing our journey to joy, we concentrate on simplicity. Celebrating simplicity had nothing to do with depriving ourselves of things. We do not need to deprive ourselves or "go without." Rather, we actually "go within."

This means that we search our inner self for the gentler, less complicated experiences that bring us fulfillment. I know a few folks that are teaching me and giving me examples of satisfying simplicity. One friend, instead of a lavish party with gifts that just end up being more stuff for her to keep track of, is asking her friends and their families to join her and her family on a group hike. She is asking that we all celebrate nature and each other. Another friend has been saving her vegetable scraps in the freezer. She will take the quiet time to put all these items together to create a hearty, healing broth that she will then go on to use to make comforting soups for her loved ones. And yet another friend is blessing his home by culling it of unused and unloved items, to create a more harmonious home. He is not planning to replace things, he intends to have more creative space.

In all three of these examples, the simpler choices bring greater rewards; less has become more. These friends are giving time and space, sharing healing, and elevating ordinary experiences into uplifting gifts. What are some ways we can simplify things in our every day journey? How will we lighten our load of excessive or extravagant burdens? As we guide each other toward the joy we all deserve, one sure step is simple. We close our eyes and simply breathe, and find ourselves in this moment. May this moment be extravagant in its gift of clarity and simplicity.

UUCT welcomes you to the month of love. This Sunday, our Brian Raborn will be in the pulpit. The 10 a.m. forum meets for lively discussion in our library. We encourage everyone to bring can of soup for the CARE Food Pantry.

At UUCT, we offer the opportunity to "love radically, serve gratefully, and wonder daily." Find out more on Facebook, "Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Tahlequah, 104 N. College Ave." or request a calendar of our monthly activities.

May you be blessed and know that you are a blessing.

Traci Clark

Cookson United Methodist

Rev. Kyle Clark and the congregation invite every one to worship with them. The church is located on the corner of Highway 82 south and Cookson Bend Road. Sunday worship times begin at 10 am. It was very nice to see several new smiling faces last Sunday. Guests are always welcome. Small group classes begin at 8:45. The youth in grades 6-12 are invited to join the Aftershock Ministry Group on Sundays at 6 p.m.

Next week, the sermon message will be about the letter James wrote to the early church. Feel free to read the five short chapters ahead of time.

Last Sunday, Pastor Kyle's message was titled "Today." The Scripture reading was Luke 4:14-21. Jesus announce good news to the poor. Everyone has squirmed some time or another when they hear "God has spoken to me or a word from God." Yet, on Sundays, people settle back and prepare themselves for a sermon. Luke explains it was like that in the synagogue in Nazareth when Jesus began his preaching debut.

Jesus began in verse 18: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me. He has sent me to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to liberate the oppressed, and to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

Most people reading the paper, watching the news are really wanting the confirmation that the world is pretty much the same as it was before. People don't really like change. Some people have been conditioned to settle for a sermon rather than expect a word from God. They just want to hear about God.

Pastor Kyle refuses to believe that you gather each Sunday just to hear a sermon. He believes that you want and expect to experience the presence of the Lord and to hear a word from God. Life is challenging and following Jesus is hard. It is good to be interrupted, and a word from God disrupts things. You want to be moved, challenged, transformed and changed because a word from God does those things. A word from God is sharper than a two-edged sword cutting away from your complacency. A word from God is news, real and good news. News like this changes things and demands transformation.

Jesus preaches, then his words sink in. Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled just as you heard it. Today, Jesus is telling them that things have changed. Things will be forever different. Jesus words are a word from God. They are a word from God and they are proclaimed today. Jesus enacts them. The people knew that they could fight it or follow it, but they could not simply ignore it. The lives of all who hear God's words will be transformed forever. Today, the word of God comes alive and draws near to you in your hearing his word - today and everyday.

United Methodist Women have changed their meeting date to the first Monday of every month at 6 p.m.

Cindy Ballew

God's Mountain Church

Rev. Carl Clark opened the Jan. 27 services with prayer. Kristi Ward and Nicolas Clark sang "Confidence" and "One Thousand Reasons." We had 23 wee ones and seven teenagers today. They adjourned to their classes taught by Sandra Clark with the little ones, and Kristi Ward teaching the teens. Heidi Hamby was in charge of the nursery this week.

Nicolas Clark taught the adult class on "The role of the man in the home." He taught from the Scriptures found in Genesis 22:5-14. The obedience of Isaac to his father Abraham is a great example of Jesus and his heavenly Father. Issac went obediently to the altar with Abraham, his father. He could have resisted his father's command to lay on the altar and become a living sacrifice. He trusted his father all the way and God saw the obedience in Abraham to sacrifice his son. He withheld his hand from slaying his son and God himself provided a sacrifice.

We know Jesus, too, willingly went to the cross and become the sacrificial offering for all mankind. He prayed "not my will but thine be done." He is the ultimate sacrifice for us. He paid a debt he did not owe and we owed a debt we could not pay.

The teens and wee ones returned to the sanctuary. Congregational singing followed: "An Old Account was Settled," "Victory in Jesus" and "Just a Little Talk with Jesus." Prayer requests were taken followed with a season of prayer.

The Booster Band sang "The Wise Man Built His House Upon the Rock," "The B-I-B-L-E," "Jesus Loves Me" and "Come into My Heart."

Celebrating birthdays this month were: Joe Horney, Tammy Perry, Paige Shirrel, Lula Thompson, Zylee Ward, Frannie Milspaugh and Frankie Tyer. The congregation sang "Happy Birthday" to all the January Births.

Kristi Ward and Nicolas Clark opened worship service with "Peace in the Valley," "Amazing Grace" and "Clean." Pastor Clark delivered the message from Luke 18:13: "And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift us so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner."

God does not look upon the high and lofty, but those who are humble with a contrite spirit. We serve a God that has always ministered unto the poor and needy. As Jesus fulfilled his ministry on earth, he was among those who were meek and lowly. The gospel is good news. Jesus brought hope to the hopeless, healing to the dying. The devil comes to steal, kill and destroy, but Jesus came that we might have life and that more abundantly.

Services closed with an altar call and prayer for those responding. Services was dismissed with universal prayer. Attendance was 65.

Bible study this Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. Everyone is welcome.

Lula Thompson