I wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone?
What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?
What if we flipped through it several times a day?
What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?
What if we used it to received messages from the text?
What if we treated it like we couldn’t live without it?
What if we gave it to kids as gifts?
What if we used it in case of emergency?
This is something to make you go..hmm…where is my Bible?
Makes you stop and think “where are my priorities?”
Oh, and one more thing. Unlike our cell phone,
we don’t have to worry about our Bible
being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill.
And no dropped calls!

If you have never been to a Pentecostal church why not give us a try…you might just like it. Just like the boy in this story.

A Small Child Shall Lead Them by Marilyn Mackenzie

A friend once told me how her small son changed the way she prayed, how she worshipped, even how she thought about God. For years, I’ve been meaning to write the story down.

Cheryl and David had both been raised in churches where the worship services were always scripted. They attended churches where the Holy Spirit was never given full rein to lead or participate in the service. Hymns were always sung, and never praise choruses.

The couple was quite comfortable in worshipping this way. When they married, they sought churches like those in which they were raised. There were a few denominations where they knew the services would be formal and never last more than hour. Those were the churches they sought. Whichever of these denominations was closest to their home was the one they would attend.

Their only son, Jonathan, had only known the teachings and worship services of these Christian churches. He’d never attended a service where worshippers raised their hands or clapped. He’d never even seen such things on Christian cable TV shows.

The prayers Jonathan learned to pray before each meal, and those he recited each night before going to bed, were always the same. At mealtime, Jonathan learned to pray, “Thank you for the food we eat….“ As he knelt at his bedside, Jonathan always prayed, “Now I lay me down to sleep…“

One night, Jonathan was quite ill. His temperature continued to rise, and his parents couldn’t seem to get it down. Cheryl spoke with the pediatrician by phone and recalled each of the things she and David had done for their child to help reduce his temperature. They had given him over-the-counter medications. They had bathed him in lukewarm water. They had wiped his brow and his wrists with a cold cloth. The doctor instructed them to continue their efforts, then admonished them to take Jonathan to the emergency room if his temperature increased.

As Cheryl tucked Jonathan back into his bed, he suggested that they should ask Jesus to heal him. It was the only thing they hadn’t done together, although Cheryl had offered many silent prayers as she sat with her son.

She knelt beside her son’s bed, bowed her head, closed her eyes and began to pray. As she did, Cheryl realized that the bed was moving. She wondered at the stirring, since Jonathan had been so weak that he’d hardly been moving for the past hour.

As she slowly opened her eyes, Cheryl was surprised to see her son standing in the middle of his bed with his arms reaching skyward. She strained to hear his whisperings and realized that he was whispering, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus…“ Over and over again, Jonathan whispered the name. His small form reached upwards, and there was a smile on his face that reached from ear to ear.

As he settled back under the covers, the smile still appeared weakly on his small face. He assured his mother that Jesus would make him better and fell quickly to sleep. Cheryl watched, as her son’s breathing became more regular, more normal. She placed her hand upon his forehead and realized that the fever was gone. Cheryl slowly left her son’s room, whispering, “thank you, Jesus” as she entered her own room.

The next morning, it was as if Jonathan had never been sick at all. He was back to the active, happy, three-year-old he had been the day before. His strength had returned, as had the rosy color in his cheeks, the color of an active child, and not the color of a feverish one.

Cheryl sat beside her son, feeling his forehead to reassure herself that he was indeed no longer sick, that his temperature was gone.

She asked, nonchalantly, “Where did you learn to pray standing like that? I’ve never seen you pray standing up with your arms raised.“

Jonathan looked as his mother, quizzically. Seeing that she seemed to expect an answer, he told his mom about the story he’d heard just the Sunday before at Sunday school. He said, “Mom, my teacher told me about a woman who was healed. She had faith and was healed. She knew if she touched the hem of Jesus’ garment that Jesus would heal her.“

Cheryl chuckled to herself, thinking that Jonathan couldn’t possibly know what the words he’d just shared really meant. She questioned him, and discovered that he had asked his teacher what the words “hem” and “garment” meant. He explained in the words of a three-year-old that Jesus wore what looked like a dress. That was his garment. And he explained that “hem” was the bottom of Jesus’ “dress.“

Pressing him for more information, Cheryl asked how Jonathan knew to raise his hands skyward.

Patiently, Jonathan explained, “Jesus lives in Heaven with God, somewhere in the sky.“

He looked up and smiled as he spoke. He explained, “I was reaching for the hem of Jesus’ garment. I knew if I could just touch His clothes, that he could be healed just like the lady in the Bible.“

Cheryl shook her head as she left her son’s room. She was always surprised at the simplicity of her son’s explanation about the things around him. Still, she talked with her husband about Jonathan’s prayer and the resulting, immediate, it seemed, healing he received. Her son’s simple belief that Jesus would heal him, and the way he whispered “Jesus” were thoughts that bounced around her head for days.

The next Sunday, this young family attended a different church. The parents walked cautiously into a church where worshippers regularly shouted, “Amen” and where they raised their hands. They listened to praise music and Scripture choruses and watched as the congregation members clapped their hands. Some had tears of joy running down their cheeks.

Cheryl and David weren’t sure that they’d be comfortable in a church so different than the ones they usually attended. But as they looked down upon their small son, they realized how comfortable he felt in this environment, and they vowed to stay and learn more. They wanted their son to have a relationship with Jesus, the one who healed him.

Jonathan looked at his parents with bright, twinkling eyes. “Jesus is in the house!“ he said, assuring them. And they realized that Jonathan was right. Jesus was, indeed, in the house.

Summary of the Adult Sunday School Lesson for Feb. 18th, 2007

Our God is the Holy Spirit who inspires His ministers, fills believers, empowers prophets, and restrains Satan. One day He will raise the believers from the dead and catch away the living to be with him.

John 16-7-14
Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. 8And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. 12I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 13Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 14He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

Acts 1:2, 5, 8 16
until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen,
for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
“Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus;

Acts 2:1-4
When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Jesus the only permanent human embodiment of God, stated: “God is a Spirit…“(John 4:24). While there are other spirits at work in our world, it is comforting to note the three attributes of God that distinguish Him from all others. He is omnipotent; He is omnipresent; and He is omniscient.

After a person comprehends the simplicity of the solitary Spirit of God, it becomes easy from him to realize that the Holy Ghost is that Spirit. Every New Testament verse of Scripture uses the Greek word pneuma when referencing the word spirit or ghost. Therefore, such phrases as “the Holy Spirit,“ “the Holy Ghost,“ or “the Spirit of God” all refer to the same Spirit. Indeed, the Spirit of God that moved on the face of the waters in Creation in the same Spirit that came upon believers on the Day of Pentecost. Furthermore, this same Spirit dwells within the hearts of believers today.

1. The Pattern in the Old Testament
a. Anointing Was for Specific Works
b. The Spirit Came upon Them

2. The Promise Given
a. The Promise from the Prophets
b. The Promise from the Christ

3. The Promise Fulfilled
a. This is That
b. New Birth Experience

4. The Abiding Power
a. A Well of Living Water
b. Greater Works
c. Empowered for Witness

The Book of Acts documents the initial fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies as the Holy Ghost descended upon believers on the Day of Pentecost. Later, the same book records the outpouring of the Holy Ghost on the Samaritans and on the Gentiles. (See Acts 8:14-17; 10:44-48). Modern history records the latter-day outpouring of the Spirit in Topeka, Kansas (1901), in Houston, Texas (1905), and in Los Angles, California (1906). Documentation further demonstrates that the Holy Spirit continues to indwell lives today, giving believers the same power experienced by the early church.

Jesus Christ gave the modern day church the same power and abilities He gave to the early church. This gift of Holy Ghost power is for every person who repents today.

They were there for breakfast, and they were there to cheer New York Jets running back Curtis Martin. And it was Martin who received the Athletes in Action Bart Starr Award Saturday morning, but the hundreds who gathered in fourth-floor ballroom at the Marriott Renaissance in Detroit, Mich., on the morning before Super Bowl XL were clearly touched by the featured speaker.

That speaker was Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy.

Two hours into the breakfast, emcee Brent Jones introduced Dungy, who was welcomed with a lengthy standing ovation. Dungy thanked the crowd, shared an anecdote about Martin, then told the crowd he was going to speak for about 15 minutes.

“It’s great to be here,“ Dungy told the crowd, then adding with a laugh,  “I just wish I wasn’t here in this capacity so many times of being just that close to being in the game and just being an invited speaker.

“My goal is to have our team here one day and have a couple of tables with all of our guys here. Because we have a special group of young men, a great group of Christian guys. It’d be wonderful to have them here so you could see their hearts and what they’re all about.

“It hasn’t quite happened yet, but we’re still hoping one day it will.“

He told them he was going to talk about lessons he had learned from his three sons. The crowd fell silent. Then Dungy spoke.

And although this was a breakfast - and although at many such events speakers speak over the clinking of glasses and murmurs from semi-interested listeners - for most of the 15 minutes the room was silent except for Dungy’s voice.

He spoke of his middle son, Eric, who he said shares his competitiveness and who is focused on sports “to where it’s almost a problem.“ He spoke of his youngest son, Jordan, who has a rare congenital condition which causes him not to feel pain.

“He feels things, but he doesn’t get the sensation of pain,“ Dungy said. The lessons learned from Jordan, Tony Dungy said, are many.

“That sounds like it’s good at the beginning, but I promise you it’s not,“ Dungy said. “We’ve learned a lot about pain in the last five years we’ve had Jordan. We’ve learned some hurts are really necessary for kids.

Pain is necessary for kids to find out the difference between what’s good and what’s harmful.“

Jordan, Dungy said, loves cookies.

“Cookies are good,“ Dungy said, “but in Jordan’s mind, if they’re good out on the plate, they’re even better in the oven. He will go right in the oven when my wife’s not looking, reach in, take the rack out, take the pan out, burn his hands and eat the cookies and burn his tongue and never feel it. He doesn’t know that’s bad for him.“

Jordan, Dungy said, “has no fear of anything, so we constantly have to watch him.“

The lesson learned, Dungy said, is simple.

“You get the question all the time, ‘Why does the Lord allow pain in your life? Why do bad things happen to good people? If God is a God of love,  why does he allow these hurtful things to happen?‘’‘ Dungy said.

“We’ve learned that a lot of times because of that pain, that little temporary pain, you learn what’s harmful. You learn to fear the right things.

“Pain sometimes lets us know we have a condition that needs to be healed.  Pain inside sometimes lets us know that spiritually we’re not quite right and we need to be healed and that God will send that healing agent right to the spot.

“Sometimes, pain is the only way that will turn us as kids back to the Father.“

Finally, he spoke of James.

James Dungy, Tony Dungy’s oldest son, died three days before Christmas. As he did while delivering James’ eulogy in December, Dungy on Saturday spoke of him eloquently and steadily, speaking of lessons learned and of the positives taken from experience.

“It was tough, and it was very, very painful, but as painful as it was,  there were some good things that came out of it,“ Dungy said.

Dungy spoke at the funeral of regretting not hugging James the last time he saw him, on Thanksgiving of last year. “I met a guy the next day after the funeral,“ Dungy said. “He said, ‘I was there. I heard you talking. I took off work today. I called my son. I told him I was taking him to the movies. We’re going to spend some time and go to dinner.‘ That was a real,  real blessing to me.“

Dungy said he has gotten many letters since James’ death relaying similar messages.

“People heard what I said and said, ‘Hey, you brought me a little closer to my son,‘ or, ‘You brought me a little closer to my daughter,‘’‘ Dungy said. “That is a tremendous blessing.“

Dungy also said some of James’ organs were donated through donors programs.

“We got a letter back two weeks ago that two people had received his corneas, and now they can see,‘’ Dungy said. “That’s been a tremendous blessing.“

Dungy also said he received a letter from a girl from the family’s church in Tampa. She had known James for many years, Dungy said. She went to the funeral because she knew James.

“When I saw what happened at funeral, and your family and the celebration and how it was handled, that was the first time I realized there had to be a God,“ Dungy said the girl wrote. “I accepted Christ into my life and my life’s been different since that day.“

Added Dungy, “That was an awesome blessing, so all of those things kind of made me realize what God’s love is all about.“

Dungy also said he was asked often how he was able to return to the Colts so quickly after James’ death. James died on December 22, and Dungy returned to the team one week later. Dungy said the answer was simple.

“People asked me, ‘How did you recover so quickly?“‘‘ Dungy said. “I’m not totally recovered. I don’t know that I ever will be. It’s still very, very painful, but I was able to come back because of something one of my good Christian friends said to me after the funeral.

“He said, ‘You know James accepted Christ into his heart, so you know he’s in heaven, right?‘ I said, ‘Right, I know that.‘ He said, ‘So, with all you know about heaven, if you had the power to bring him back now, would you?‘ When I thought about it, I said, ‘No, I wouldn’t. I would not want him back with what I know about heaven.‘

“That’s what helped me through the grieving process. Because of Christ’s spirit in me, I had that confidence that James is there, at peace with the Lord, and I have the peace of mind in the midst of something that’s very,  very painful.

“That’s my prayer today, that everyone in this room would know the same thing.“

Summary of Sunday School Lesson for February 7, 2007

Only the sinless blood of Jesus could atone for the sins of humanity and reconcile the Creator with His creation.

Hebrews 9:6-15, 22
Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God. 7But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:
8The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing: 9Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience; 10Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation. 11But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; 12Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. 13For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
15And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

Nothing can for sin atone, nothing but the blood of Jesus. The words of this great hymn proclaim the profound truth that only the precious sinless blood of Jesus Christ can bring a person into right standing before God. Neither a lifetime of good works through unfeigned sincerity, nor an unblemished reputation that gains the esteem and regard of pious people could ever make us righteous in God’s sight. all of these things fall miserably and hopelessly short. However, while our very best could ever obtain the forgiveness and mercy of the Lord, the grace of God has Made it available.

1. Basis for atonement
-God’s Love was the Motive
- Mankind’s Predicament was the Objective
- Christ’s Blood was the Means

2. Divine Involvement in the Atonement
- Jesus Christ, Our Perfect Sacrifice
- Jesus Christ, Our Reconciliation
- Jesus Christ, Every Person’s Atonement

3. Our Response to the Atonement
- Faith in god
- God’s Goodness
- Genuine Repentance
- Baptism in Water

Jesus has become the final sacrifice for our sins. God followed the precedent that He established in Scripture - that blood must be involved. He did not leave us to devise our own means of salvation, but He become involved in redemption through the Incarnation.

Our response should begin with faith and continue with obedience to the gospel, truly appropriating the power of the Atonement.

A prayer board is available in the Sunday School Dept. for your child to post pictures of those in their lives in need of prayer. This gives them an opportunity to bring needs before the Lord. Please provide pictures as requested by your children for their prayer board.

(summary of Sunday School Lesson for Jan 21, 2007)

The Old Testament laws concerning purification were an outward symbol of what must happen spiritually to us today. We are responsible for cleansing ourselves from every habit and attitude that would hinder the purpose of God in our lives.

James 4:4-10
Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. 5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? 6But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. 7Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. 9Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. 10Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

Morally, our world is a sludge pit. The most popular recording artists and movie stars are often the ones who employ the most lewd and filthy lifestyles. Unless the child of God faithfully practices a daily regimen of “detoxifying,“ cleansing, and purification, he or she will inevitably become contaminated and filthy with the sins of the world. The results will be manifested eventually in backsliding and spiritual death.

Fortunately for all of us, God has always led the way in providing His people with powerful cleansing agents. From the days of mankind’s first sin in the Garden of Eden, God has provided a means and method for the cleansing and forgiveness of sins. When God first shed the blood of an animal to provide skins to clothe the nakedness of Adam and Eve, He was setting a precedent for cleansing and forgiveness of sin. Truly, god still favorably responds to the person who desires spiritual cleansing and forgiveness.

1. Physical Purification Under Law
-Washing
—Utensils, clothing, Vessels
—Human Body (Leprosy, Contaminations)
—Sacrifices
-Sprinkling

2. Spiritual Purification under Grace
-Purifying the Flesh
—Fleshly Appetite
—Repentance
—Baptism
-Purifying the Soul and Spirit
—Obeying the Truth
—Through Faith
—Through Fasting and Repentance
—Purifying the Spirit
-Continual Purification
—By the Word of God
—Through an Ongoing Repentant Spirit
—Through Submission to the Holy Spirit

When we realize our filthiness and submit to God for His cleansing, we find Him waiting to purify us from our sins. Jesus Christ is ready, willing, and able to cleanse us through His death, burial, and resurrection. Indeed, His blood applied to our repentant souls through baptism in His name will purge us unto good works. No longer will we be the same filthy sinner, but the sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ will wash us from our degraded lifestyle. We are indeed thankful for the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ!

(summary of Sunday School Lesson for Jan 14, 2007)

Jesus Christ, who was God in human flesh, took upon Himself the sins of the world, and as a substitute He endured the full penalty of God’s law against sin. As the representative and substitute, He satisfied every claim of divine justice against all mankind.

Isaiah 53:1-12
Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? 2For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. 8He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. 9And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 11He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. 12Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Jesus Christ, our substitute and sinless sacrifice, took responsibility for our sins and received the just punishment we deserved.
1. The Principle of Substitution
-Adam’s First Coat
-Israel’s Scapegoat
-Barabbas’s Only Hope

2. The Person of Substitution
-Jesus was a Man
-Jesus was Identified with Mankind
-Jesus was Separate from Mankind

3. The Process of Substitution
-Jesus Became Sin for Us
-Jesus Offered One Sacrifice
-Jesus Received Our Punishment

4. The Personalization of Substitution
-The Need
-The Response
-The Result

Every person that has ever been born since Adam disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden has come into the world with a curse of sin upon him. Since the Bible teaches that the soul that sins will die and receive just punishment, every person has the death sentence upon him.

Indeed, no one could ever do enough to work his way out of this verdict of condemnation. Our only hope was that a perfect, sinless substitute would come and take our place. God Himself fulfilled that need when He took on a human body and became the perfect substitute for sin. Thereby, He released us from the decree of death so we could begin a new life.

To avail ourselves of His sacrificial atonement for sins, we must believe the gospel, confess our sins in genuine repentance, and submit to water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. Then He will fill us with the Holy Ghost and initiate the new life in him that His sacrifice provides.