Bartimaeus Baptist Temple

Blessings to you, loved ones.  Here’s your weekly update.

I’m so blessed by all of you!  Things have changed and they’ll keep changing, but you have remained faithful.  That means more to me than I can say.  It gives me hope that we are ready for whatever God is going to do next.  It is often on the other side of the fire that the blessings come.

This heat does make it hard for some, including my beloved Linda.  So once again she did what she could and provided her lesson for us by recording.  We were blessed to here her personal application of the sanctification process.  I enjoyed sharing with you from 2 Peter as he gives us a quick start guide to the Christian life.

Now I have a question for you.  When you look at others, do you see what God sees?  This is an important question, especially in a church like ours.  You may have seen the commercials on TV for the drug to treat psoriasis.  They echo the poignant cry of so many with conditions that cause people to treat them differently.  The people say, “See me!”

Even those of us who deal with disability can fall into the same tendency to see others who we think are worse off than we as objects of pity.  We don’t look past the obvious.  But Jesus did.  He healed many people, but even among those He healed, he recognized that healing was not their greatest need.

We’re going to look at one of these accounts from Luke 5:17-26.  It’s the same story we find in Mark 2:1-12.  Jesus has become known for His power to heal, and he’s preaching to a packed house, literally!  When four very determined friends of a paralyzed man could not get anywhere near Jesus, they took extraordinary measures.  They got up on the roof and broke through to let the man down in front of Jesus.

Of all the responses Jesus might have made to this brash action, they probably were not expecting the one they got at first.  He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.”  There’s a lot going on here and we’ll try to explore all of it, but what I want you to notice here is that Jesus first addressed the more serious problem.  Only then did he heal the man’s condition.

At Bartimaeus Baptist Temple, we’re on a mission to minister both to and through people affected by disability.  I believe God gave us that mission, but we can never forget the greater mission given to all of God’s people.  We are to become disciples and make more!  The biggest need humanity has regardless of physical condition is Jesus.  Before we submit ourselves to God and become new creations in Christ Jesus, our biggest problem is sin.  It dooms us to eternal separation from God, and there is nothing more tragic than that.  Our mission is to bring the lost to Jesus and to help them on their way with Him.  Our special calling is to those who face a few extra challenges in life, but the objective remains the same.  Let us see what God sees in each other and in all of those around us.

Do pray for each other and keep in touch throughout the week.  We’re all family, and you never know what a kind word and a little love might do for someone.  I got a text earlier today from Priscilla asking for prayer for Violet, apparently a cousin of Cathy, who fell today and was taken to ICU with bleeding in the brain.  We pray for comfort and for healing.  Remember Debra as she copes with multiple health challenges.

It was a delight to see Tim and the rest of the family  back with us last Sunday.  Keep praying for his recovery.  I’m still expecting the day when he’ll be standing up in front of the church giving God the glory for what He has done for him.

I can’t wait to see you on Sunday!

Love y’all,

Larry

Blessings to you, loved ones.  Here’s this week’s update.

I want you to know how encouraged I was by the number of people who came last Sunday.  You are a blessing just by showing up.  We’re going through a tough time, but God is with us. We will come through stronger than before.

Since our van is still being serviced, we were missing some of the folks we usually pick up.  I got to see John and Kelvin this week and they are both eager for the day when they can join us again.  Special thanks to Austin, a new student from the Agape program at Dallas Theological Seminary who has joined us for the summer, for his help in making those visits.  He and his family were there on Sunday.  If you didn’t get a chance to meet them be sure and make them feel welcome this week.  They may not be able to come every Sunday due to other obligations but we’re glad to have them when they can.

We commemorated The Lord’s Supper last Sunday as well.  We’ll be doing that every two months from now on instead of just once per quarter.  It was an appropriate way to celebrate the ultimate freedom that we have because of what He did for us.  Priscilla taught us on trust and obedience from the account of Abraham and Isaac, and I shared with you lessons on holy living from 1 Thessalonians, Chapter 4.  So now my hope is that you will come back.  🙂

Now I have a question for you.  Are you being used?  That phrase, when applied to human relationships , does not evoke positive associations.  We do not like being used, and we avoid the people we consider to be users.  I think it is safe to say that all of us have felt used in that way at some point in our lives.

But there is one person that we as followers of Jesus do want to use us.  We pray for it.  We sing songs about it.  It is a high honor when God chooses to use us.  And He will do so.  Ephesians 2:10 tells us that we are created to walk in the good works that he prepared beforehand for us.  As the two verses before make clear, the works themselves don’t save us, but they are part of the purpose for which we are created.

There is someone else who wants to use us, and too often we allow him to do so.  This Sunday, I want to share with you some ways we can make ourselves available for God to use and deny Satan the opportunity to use us for his evil purposes.  I hope you’ll come.

Keep Ruth in your prayers.  She has more test coming up next week to try to determine why she passes out.  Pray for Lisa as he faces radiation treatments for the cancer.  Pray also for those she has been caring for.  We have a great number of needs in our little congregation, but we have a God who is able to supply all of our needs.  Let’s pray for each other and be a part of God’s answer to those prayers.

Love y’all!

Larry

Blessings to you, loved ones.  Here’s this week’s update.

I was encouraged to see everyone who came to church last Sunday.  It was especially heartening to see all the Terrell family with us, including Tim!  I’m still expecting a day when he’ll stand up in front of us again and proclaim the great things God has done for him.  We had a couple of folks who had to go home before we even got started though.  Keep Lisa in your prayers.  Ms. Fox also went home not feeling well before I got there.

We had our traditional Father’s day presentations thanks to Cathy.  Linda and I shared teaching from the same passage of scripture without even realizing we were going to do that.  I always take that as a sign that God is guiding our preparation.

This week, I want you to know your place.  Did your hackles go up?  Usually when we hear that phrase it leaves a negative impression.  It has been used to demean those that some consider inferior or of lower station than themselves.  But what does it mean when God says it?  He wants you to know that your place is with Him.  You have a place in His kingdom, His mission, his family, and his very home.  Starting from John 14:1-3, walk with me through God’s word as we let God put us in our place.

I want to apologize for any confusion I may have caused last week.  I noticed as I reviewed parts of my message in our podcast that I kept saying John instead of 1st John in references to our text.  This week it really is the Gospel of John.  🙂

Be a blessing this week as you have been blessed!  See you Sunday.

Larry

Blessings to you, beloved family and friends of BBT.  Here’s your weekly update.

Last Sunday, we held a memorial service for Pastor David.  We have never had so many people in that little building.  It was a joy to see how many turned out to honor his memory.  We are very sorry that some of you had to sit in the fellowship hall and had trouble hearing, especially with the sound system issues we had.  The recording quality is not much of an improvement, but you should be able to hear what was said by listening to our podcast.  I also regret that I didn’t get the time to speak with many of you, as my wife and I were focused on getting out to catch our DART paratransit ride.  I hope you’ll come back and join us sometime for our regular services.  I know Pastor David would be thrilled if you did.

This week we’ll return you to your regularly scheduled programming.  We’ll have the Sunday School, and I will bring the message.  Sunday before last, I shared with you from the story of Nehemiah.  The city of Jerusalem was destroyed, but Nehemiah had the confidence to come in and lead the rebuilding of the city.  He knew he had the authority of the king, and the authority of the King of kings.  We have that authority too, and with His blessing we will restore that which has been lost.

Now I want to encourage you from a different perspective.  We’ll read from Mark 12:41-44.  This is the story of the poor widow who gave all that she had into the temple treasury.  Jesus said that she gave more than all of the rich people who were giving at the same time.  She had almost nothing, but she gave it all, and it was priceless to God.

This is not a message about money, though money certainly figures into it.  This is a message about giving whatever little you have to the service of the Lord, and the value He places on that gift.  We don’t have much, but when we give it willingly, we delight our Lord and open the way for His blessing.

Do remmeber the Whitmore family in your prayers.  Now is the time when your love and support can be most helpful.  The flurry of activity is coming to an end.  Everyone is going back to life as they know it, but that life has changed for this family.  When you think of one of them, take a moment for a quick call or a brief note of encouragement.

Keep the Terrell family in your prayeres as well.  It was good to see that Tim was able to make it to the memorial service.  He continues to improve and I fully expect to one day hear him giving glory to god for an amazing recovery.

Remember Lisa as she prepares to have surgery to remove the cancer.  Pray for those who depend on her as well.  We serve the creator of the universe who loves and cares for us.  We pray for a miracle.

There are many other ongoing concerns that you can find by visiting our prayer request page.  Pray for each other and be God’s ansewr to prayer this week!

See you Sunday!

Larry

Blessings to you, beloved friends and family.

When I wrote to you earlier in the week, I was not certain whether we would be having services this week after Pastor David’s unexpected departure for Heaven.  I’m glad to report that services will be held.  I’m sure that is what he would want us to do.  The next Sunday, June 3, will be a memorial service for him.  We’ll be starting a little earlier at 2:00 that day.

This Sunday will be a regular service and I want to share some hope.  It would not be unreasonable to wonder how we go forward from here.  It takes a certain number of people to do what we do.  Just getting people to church becomes a greater challenge as fewer of us are able to help.  Many who are still able are less able than they used to be with various health problems.  We need a miracle.  Maybe a few of them.

Well we serve a miracle worker!  I’m in a small men’s Bible study group that has been in the book of Nehemiah the last few weeks.  In our discussion this morning, I believe I sensed the Holy Spirit showing me what we need to hear during this trying time.

The book opens with Nehemiah getting news that the city of Jerusalem was in ruins.  It had been destroyed decades before by the Babylonians.  Nehemiah was grieved by this knowledge and immediately began to pray to God.  His prayer was heard, and he would soon be on his way with authority and support from the king of Persia to rebuild the city.  We’ll read from Nehemiah 2:17-18. as he shares his vision with the people and they bet to work.  God kept the promise He made to His people that after their exile from the land they would be brought back.

This year, Bartimaeus Baptist Temple will celebrate sixty years of ministry.  We’re a bit smaller than we used to be.  It won’t be the same without Pastor David there, but we have not lost the mission!  We have the king’s authority.  He’s the King of kings and Lord of lords!  More than sixty years ago He gave David’s father Don Whitmore a vision that there needed to be a church that would meet the needs of people with disabilities.  Pastor David carried that vision forward, and it has not changed.  With the certainty that comes from knowing that our task is given us by no less than the creator of the universe, we will rebuild, and we will come back stronger than ever!  If all of us will work together like the people of Jerusalem building that wall, we will see the power of God!

Please come and join us.  We’ll miss him.  We’ll grieve that we won’t see him again for a while, but we’ll also rejoice in the Lord who gives us that hope that we will see him again, along with all of those who have gone before.  Let’s fill the place up and make this a service that would make him smile.