Church
Sunday School lesson
BE FORGIVING
(Matthew 18:21-35)
"Judge not, and ye shall not be
judged: condemn not, and ye
shall not be condemned: forgive,
and ye shall be forgiven." (Luke
6:37)
The significance of forgiveness
is seen throughout the Bible;
both the old and New Testa
ments. God's people are sup
posed to be the most forgiving
people on earth. Without a doubt
they are, yet there is room for
improvement. I was reading
something recently where a per
son said that he had forgiven an
other transgression, but he would
never forget it.
I wondered, as I read the
statement, if the person had fully
forgiven the offender under those
circumstances. A forgiving spirit
is not a human trait, and it is
most difficult to do. A forgiving
spirit takes on divine qualities.
Jehovah God, speaking through
the prophet Jeremiah, told the
people of Judah and Israel that
He would make a new covenant
with them.
The new covenant would be put
in their inward parts, written in
their hearts. Then God said,
"For I will forgive their iniquity,
and I will remember their sin no
more." (Jeremiah 31:31-34).
When God forgives people their
transgressions, -He blots it from
His mind, never to be remem
bered again. Jesus stressed for
giveness in the model prayer
100th BIRTHDAY
W.H. Lane of 601 Pennsylvania Avenue was honored with a
celebration on Dec. 15, 1985 on the occasion of his 100th birth
day. The reception was given by his children at the home of his
daughter, Mrs. Lizzie Boyce.
Senior Center schedule
The Senior Center calendar for
the remainder of January is as
follows: Jan. 23; Bible study
class 1:30-3:30; District 1-B
meeting at Knobbs Creek Recre
ation Center, 2:00 p.m. Jan. 24;
blood pressures checked for
free; 9-12:00 and 2-5:00 p.m. Jan.
27; crochet, 1-4:00; Jan. 28;
Early Bird Breakfast Club at
Hertford Cafe 8:00 a.m. Bible
study, 1:30-3:30; Jan. 29; bread
baking; 9-12 noon; bingo, 2-4:00.
Jan. 30, Bible study; 1:30-3:30.
Photography
by Goofjo
I
I
Old Photographs
Copied and Restored
Wa also copy any ?izo
colt* or black and whit#
photograph.
TERRY CHAPPELL
& ASSOCIATES
CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT
HOW. MARKET STREET (IN PITT HARDWARE)
HERTFORD, N.C.
426-5531
OFFICE HOURS
Mon. - Fri. - 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Sat. 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
(and other hours by appointment)
Income Tax Returns
? Monthly Accounting
? Management Advisory Services
? All Other Types Of Tax Returns
? Auditing! Jv
? Computer Assistance
(We Make Copies)
which He taught His disciples to
pray, "Forgive us our debts, as
we forgive our debtors." (Mat
thew 6:12)
Again, He taught from the
cross when He prayed to the Fa
ther for forgiveness for His ene
mies, even those crucifying Him.
The act of forgiveness is not an
easy thing for us Christians? we
have to talk to ourselves a lot.
However, it becomes easier as
we practice it, and as we put it in
perspective to what God has done
for us through Christ Jesus. The
scripture for the lesson today
gives us through Christ Jesus.
The scripture for the lesson to
day gives us some strong teach
ing concerning God's expecta
tions from us.
A QUESTION ABOUT FOR
GIVENESS.
(Matthew 18:21-22)
The question which Peter
asked Jesus was this, "Lord, how
oft shall my brother sin against
me, and I forgive him? 'til seven
times?" (vs. 21) Jesus replied, "I
say not unto thee, until seven
times: but, until seventy times
seven." (vs. 22)
Jesus said, in effect, not seven
times but four hundred and
ninety times, a figure indicating
infinity. We humans like to set
boundaries and limits in our acts.
We like to say this far and no
more, or, this is what is expected
of me so I will do that much. The
question whlich Peter asked indi
cates that he wanted to get the
question of forgiveness in per
spective to quantity. With a
quantity figure we have a mea
sure by which to evaluate our
selves.
We may be able to say "that
man has told a mean lie about me
sue times and I have forgiven
him? one more lie and that's it."
Christ taught that forgiveness is
not a matter of figures, but of
compassion. Forgiveness has no
limitations.
A PARABLE ABOUT FOR
GIVENESS.
(Matthew 18:23-34) ,
Jesus turned to His usual form
of teaching, the parables, to com
plete His teaching on forgiveness
on this day. The parable likened
the Kingdom of Heaven to a cer
tain king who periodically
RECOGNIZING COLORS
People who hove difficulty recognizing colors are commonly said
to be color blind. Yet, the term color blind is very inaccurate. Only
very few people are so totally color blind that they see the world
as a black and white photograph. This very rare condition usually
accompanies other vision defects such as nystagmus (rapid eye os
cillations) and poor sight.
Generally, the problem is a color deficiency which makes certain
colors or certain shades hard to recognize. About one in twelve
men have some form of color deficiency, while only one women in
two hundred suffer from this disturbance. It is a genetic defect,
always affects both eyes, and does not change appreciably during
a lifetime.
Although there is no "cure" for the problem, there is some inter
esting work being done in helping the individual compensate for
his or her deficiency.
Dr. A.F. Downum
103 W. Eden St.
Edenton, N.C.
Phone: 482-8444
checked his servants' accounts,
or records, to be sure that every
thing was in order. One of his ser
vants was brought to him that
owed him a huge sum and was
unable to pay it.
This servant fell down before
the king and begged him to have
patience until the servant was
able to pay.
MR TOW MRMMIMM
The Federal Trod*
Commission passed now
regulations concerning
funoral proctke on April
30, 1964. Among these
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and outer burial centokwi
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If you hove questions
concerning these regula
tion! or anything else we
may help you wtth, feel
tree to coll or come by.
We are here to serve
you.
Respectfully,
-C.sijze
&unni>ell
JFuneral
Borne, inc.
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Qualifications of a Good Pastor:
Could You Measure Up?
By Tom Suplee, Pastor
New Hope United Methodist Church
Woodland United Methodist Church
Have you ever heard the expressions, "walk a mile in my shoes,"
or "put the shoe on the other foot"? Sure you have! I wonder how
many laypersons would be willing to change places with their min
ister. Most laypersons fail to recognize that a pastor, in spite of his
divine call and wonderful spiritual qualifications, is nevertheless a
person, a human being like everyone else, and for that reason cannot
possibly conform to the perfect pattern most cut out for him/her.
When a new minister is called or appointed he's/she's expected to
have almost superhuman qualifications: must be a good speaker, a
deep Bible student, a spirited evangelist, a compassionate pastor,
have the wisdom of Solomon, have a pleasing personality and good
looks, an ocute businessperson, be an effective and efficient adminis
trator and must be creative and original! And the list goes on. Pity
the poor preacher who fails to live up to all of these requirements.
Some time ago I came across an article entitled "Qualifications of a
Good Paster," in a booklet by Richard DeHaan, he further under
scores the unreasonable demands often placed upon God's Servants.
It reads as follows: "a good pastor must have; the daring of a lion,
the widsom of an owl, the harmlessness of a dove, the industry of a
beaver, the gentleness of a sheep, the versatility of a chameleon, the
vision of an eagle, the hide of a rhinoceros, the perspective of a gi
raffe, the endurance of a camel, the bounce of a kangaroo, the stom
ach of a horse, the disposition of an angel, the loyality of an apostle,
the faithfulness of a prophet, the tenderness of a shepherd, the fer
vercy of an evangelist, the devotion of a mother, and yet he/she
would not please everyone!"
So layperson remember, your pastor cannot do or be all things to
all persons! Thank God, He uses the weakest (not physical) of per
sons to serve so that He might be glorified through them. (I Cor. 1:26
29) So don't be surprised or shocked when you discover your pastor
does not live up to your expectations or possess all the qualifications
you think he should have. For no servant possesses all the spiritual
gifts ... that's why your pastor needs you not to critize but to work (
in partnership for the good of the kingdom.
I wonder how many laypersons after reading this article and con
sidering their own qualifications and expectations, not to mention the
biblical qualifications of I Timothy 3, or Titus 1 would be willing to
walk a mile in the preacher's shoes and really get out on the firing
line?
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