Bartimaeus Baptist Temple

Blessings to you, family and friends. Here’s this weeks update.

We had a great time last Sunday.  Priscilla taught on how we should respond to failure and Pastor David delivered an impassioned message showing that each of us is a masterpiece that God has created to do His work.  If you missed it, know that we also missed you!  The podcasts are available but it’s better if you come!

This Sunday, I want to share with you from Exodus 3:13-15.  Our web site automatically hyperlinks the verse reference to ESV but you’ll understand it better if you read it here.Moses has been called by God to lead the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt, but he’s not to sure he should be the one.  He asks God who he should say told him to do this, and God responds in this passage, “I am that I am.”  In that time much more than today, names were given with meaning attached.  In a most simple yet most profound statement, God has described Himself.  He simply is.  He created all that is.  He establishes reality.  He is.  He can’t be explained.  He can’t be controlled.  He can’t be confined or defined by anyone but Himself.  This is the way He has chosen to be known throughout the ages.  He is “I AM!”  Yahweh is the English rendition of the Hebrew name.

I think we have lost something powerful by hiding His name in most of our translations, so I want to take some time to share with you what little I can fathom  of the glorious mystery that is I AM.  Come and join us!

Larry

Blessings to you, family and friends of Bartimaeus Baptist Temple.  Here’s this week’s update.

Out of an abundance of caution because of the extra problems people may encounter getting to church, to keep everyone safe, we decided to cancel services last Sunday under threat of icy conditions.  It proved a non-event, but we’d rather miss a Sunday than see someone get hurt.  I am sorry that I didn’t post any notice about it.  I hope no one showed up to an empty parking lot.  We’re looking forward to seeing you this Sunday.

When I get ready to prepare a message, One of the first things I do is ask God what He wants me to say.  Even if I am totally clueless like I was this week about what I might like to talk about, He always brings me something and before I know it I’m excited about the message.

I started thinking about the primaries coming up next month.  We’ve already been subjected to a barrage of political advertising telling us why the candidate is the best choice and what’s wrong with the opposition.  How do you know what to believe?

That question isn’t limited to politics.  We have so many denominations in part because every little detail of Christian theology has been magnified by some group or other into a pivotal issue that defines who is really Christian or at least faithful and who is not.

Please understand, I believe the truth is knowable and cannot be disputed once established, but I do not suppose that I or anyone else on this earth knows all of it.  Only God is that smart.  He defines what truth is.  We’ll always have disagreements, and probably one of us is right or maybe all of us are wrong. But Jesus did give us a way to help determine who is telling the truth.  It works on profits, preachers, and politicians too!

He said they will be known by their fruit.  Is what they say demonstrably true or false?  Do their words stir up strife or bring peace? Do they inspire good works?  When the spotlights are off, are they the same person?  What about our own lives?  Are we producing good fruit, no fruit, or rotten fruit?  By what measure do we judge it?  We will start reading in Matthew 7:15-20 and explore the scripture to answer these questions.

So many people have been sick the past few weeks.  Please keep them in your prayers.  Hopefully this week everyone is better and we can all get back together.  Please come and worship with us.

Larry

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

I can’t think of a better thing to have done on my birthday than to worship the Lord with all of you.  We did have several out sick, so keep them in your prayers.  Priscilla taught us how we should respond to the changes that life brings.  We should be ready to change ourselves as God teaches us.  Pastor David spoke of how we need to learn to listen to God and to each other.

Do you ever find some things in the Bible a little scary?  I do.  I think I can still remember the first time I read out of my braille King James New Testament, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matt. 5:48)  Jesus says a lot of things we find hard to do in that passage we call the sermon on the mount, but surely this is impossible!  If that’s the expectation, I need firemen’s gear ’cause I’m going where it’s hot!

Why would Jesus give us an impossible task?  How could anyone except Jesus Himself be perfect as the Father in Heaven is perfect?  When we come together, I’m going to give you some principles that will help as we reach for that perfection, but there’s only one way to get there.  Jesus Himself is that way.

I hope you’ll come.  It’ll be a perfect day if I get to see you there!

Larry

Blessings to you, friends and family.  Here’s what’s new.

it was good to see Debra back again and to have the pastor’s friends John and Nancy pay us another visit.  Priscilla led into her Sunday school lesson with one of her stories and taught us how to have patience when things are hard.  The pastor challenged us to be good neighbors with the story of the good Samaritan.  We were still missing a lot of people though.  Pray for John.  We don’t really know what the issue is, but I understand he had some kind of surgery.

I’ve been thinking lately about how best to encourage everyone as we all struggle with different challenges.  Sometimes we fight well.  At other times maybe we don’t.  Sometimes we just don’t know what to do.  I wonder if part of our problem is that we have an identity crisis.  We don’t really know who we are.  I’m speaking to us as individuals.  Sometimes we let others label us.  Sometimes we label ourselves.  We adopt things about us, true or not, as the whole of our identity.  But when we become God’s children, we take on a new identity.  We become a new creation!  Our concept of who we are dramatically affects our lives.  It informs the choices we make and the things we are willing to accept.  If we could really understand the new identity given to us as God’s children, joint heirs to the inheritance provided by the creator of the universe through what Jesus did for us, I think it would change a lot of things for us.  We’re going to start from 2 Corinthians 5:15-18 and start living as the saints we are, not the sinners we used to be.

See you there!