Newspapers / The Perquimans weekly. / July 16, 1987, edition 1 / Page 5
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Church news ? ? ? ? Milium linn -?nirr-riTrrw-'T--*"-- "?'"""^-"'^WW-W-fr^nWiW^rnTftinilTriiWiluiUrtlMJM^ God provides a new way to righteousness for his people Sunday school lesson A NEW WAY TO RIGHTEOUS (Read from your Bible Romans chapter 7) "My brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God." (Romans 7:4) Our lessons currently are in the summer quarter of studies under the theme, "The Righteousness of God," -la thirteen lesson series taken from ' Paul's letter to the church at Rome. James Van Buren, a noted commen , tarian for the International Sunday . - School Lessons, introduced to day's study with these comments. (Quote) "Paul says that when we come out of r Jhe baptismal water we rise to walk in "newness of life." In verse 6 of to day's text be says we have been de livered from the law so we now serve God in "newness of spirit." In fact we serve under a new "cov enant." Really, since we have be come new creations in Christ, "all things are new." We no longer trying to earn God's acceptance based on our observance of a detailed legal code, but rejoice in a new life of for giveness made possible by the com ing, dying and raising of the Son of God. As sons, we are joint heirs with Christ of all the great and precious promises of our heavenly Father." (Unquote.) A NEW RELATIONSHIP (Romans 7:4-4) When we read and study the book Church news : Revival set *?. * The Rev. Frank Fortesque from Washington, NC, will be the visiting minister at a revival meeting to be held at Bethany United Methodist Church, Rt. 1, Belvidere. Services will begin each evening at 8:00 p.m. on Sunday night July 2&? July 29th. Special music is planned for each service. Mr. Fortesque is a former pastor of the Chowan Charge and Bethany. The public is invited to attend. Bay Branch schedule *? Bay Branch A.M.E. Zion Church begins Sunday School at 10:00 a.m. with Mr. Horace Hurdle, assistant ? ? superintendent, in charge. At 3:00 p.m. the Senior Usher - 1 Board will hold its anniversary. The Rev. David White and the people of Mt. Carmel Baptist Church will worship with them. Dinner will be served. The public is cordially invited to at tend. >: First Baptist schedule First Baptist Church Sunday School begins at 9:45 a.m. with Su perintendent Gibb in charge. Morn ing worship starts at 11:00 a.m. Pas tor London will preach from the subject "Passing Religious Beliefs to Your Children" Ruth 1:16-17. The se nior will sing. Fellowship to meet The Perquimans County Fellowship Union will be held at New Bethel Baptist Church and the Rec. Gilbert Spence, and Leigh Temple A.M.E. Zion Church is in charge of the worship at 7:00 p.m. The Rev. J.H. London is president. Choir to perform The J.H. London Crusaders will celebrate their first anniversary Sun day afternoon at 2:30 p.m. at the First Baptist Church. Special guest will be the New Shi loh Baptist Church Young Adult Choir. Mrs. Estella Felton will be the MC of the program. All choirs and groups are invited to attend. Training union to meet The Sunday School and Baptist Training Union of the Roanoke Mis sionary Baptist Association will hold its Seventy-First Annual Session July 22nd and 23rd at Cornerstone Mis sionary Baptist Church, Elizabeth City, N.C. All churches are asked to please send delegates. Bible school scheduled Snug Harbor Community Church will hold Vacation Bible School Au gust 3rd thru 7th from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Classes will be for K-12th grades. For informaiton call 426-7757. Worship services held Sundays at 9:00 a.m. Sunday School for all ages at 10:15 a.m. All are welcome. The praying mantis Mantises often are touted as a bi ological control against garden in sect pests, say experts at the N.C. Bo tanical Garden at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The original mantises came into this country by accident in 1899 on nursery stock from Europe. Although 4 inches or longer, the insects' green or brown color hid their bodies and their silent waiting went unobserved by inspection centers. The species of the mantis family most seen in North Carolina is man tis religiosa or praying mantis. The name comes from the way the in sect's legs appear to bend in suppli cation. These legs, which are covered with spines, can shoot out at great speed to capture prey and eat it alive. It waits for its victim to approach within pouncing distance. The pray ing mantis will eat any insect that comes its way. Large mantises have been seen eating lizards and small birds. The female and male are ex tremely different. The male has to sneak up behind her to mate, and if she spots him first, she may turn on him and eat him alive. When the fe male mantis is ready to lay her 80-100 eggs, she deposits the custer on a small branch and covers them with a frothy secreation that dries to a con sistency of styrofoam, which is warm and durable enough to protect the eggs through the winter. They are fully grown by late summer or early fall. Cards of Thanks Your thoughts, prayers, cards, and flowers, visits and calls during my re cent illness will never be forgotten. I am grateful for all expressions of in terest in my recovery. May God bless each of you, dear friends. R. L. Stevenson We would like to thank all of you for the cards, flowers, food, visits and your prayers during the illness and death of our mother, Mattie H. Berry. Dan and Edgar Berry I would like to express to my loved ones and friends my sincere thanks for all of the lovely cards, visits, flow ers and food you sent while I was a patient at Leigh-Memorial Hospital and since I have been at home. Especially the many prayers offered in my behalf. Thank yoy one and all. Evelyn Harrell of Romans it seems, at first glance, that the apostle is spending an inordi nate amount time on the subject of law versus grace. With further con sideration, however, a perspective view begins to emerge and we see Paul's intent. First, the church at Rome consisted principally of Jewish Christians. Paul had not been to Rome and had not, so far as we know, met these fellow Christians. These Jews probably became Ch ristians as a result of the day of Pen tecost when they had come back home to Palestine to observe the Pas sover and Pentecost celebration. Re turning to Rome they had established a church. Their religious background had been Judiasm, and strict obser vance of the Mosiac law. Orginally . God had given them ten command ments Following the command ments they were given laws govern ing their inter-personal relationship, holy days' observances, sacrifices, hygiene, diet, worship, etc. During the succeeding centuries the Rabbis and lawyers had increased and ex panded those basic codes into multi plied hundreds of detailed laws. The law became cumbersome and nearly impossible to keep. Yet, Jews who converted from Judiasm to Ch ristianity, almost invariable, brought with them the practices of Jusiasm; it was a "do"religion. With Christ's coming, it was a new day. The keep ing of the law for the Christian was over. God had established a new cov enant with the people. This covenant was of grace and love, and it included Gentiles, as well as Jews. Paul's in tent was to clarify God's require ments under the covenant of grace, and to counter the Jewish Christians' confusion. (Romans 7:13-14) A TENSE STUGGLE (Romans 7:13-23) When we Christians begin a new life in Christ Jesus we have every in tention of leaving sin behind, only to find the temptation to sin is ever pre sent. The wise old apostle must have realized this for he turned his atten tion to the conflict which goes on in most Christians' lives. He paused, however, in verses 13-14 to compli ment the law for it showed what sin is. He moves then to the struggle. In each Christian there are two na Pictured above members of Stallings Furneral Home's T-ball team battle members of Jimmy's Barbecue's team. tures, the physical and the spiritual. The Scriptures refer to the physical nature variously as carnal, the flesh, human, etc. It is this nature which wars against the spiritual part of us. That's the bad news. So intense is this struggle sometimes that it led Paul to declare that "when I would do goou, evil is present with me." (Verse 21) We Christians can live victorious lives, however, through the help of the Holy Spirit which lives within us. Through His help, we cannot be tempted beyond that which we are able to bear. That's the good news. (Lesson Based On The International Sunday School Lessons) I I Dear friends. Proof of or citizenship is sometimes, hard to pro duce. If you nVed such proof but have none of the usual documents, you can ask the U.S. Census Bureau for help. Using names and addresses of your parents, they will search past census data to see if you were shown as liv ing with your parents and if details of /our date and place of birth were recorded. The service costs *12. Write for the application form to U.S. Census Bureau, Dept. of Commerce, Pittsburgh, KS 66762. Respectfully, TEARS OF THE SON by Randall Gibson Ministerial Intern New Hope ? Woodland United Methodist Charge "Jesus wept" (John 1 1 :35), although the shortest verse in the Bible, it is one of the most powerful contained therein. These two words exem plify the gospel and paint an accurate picture of god. But why did Jesus weep? His tears were not meant for his friend Lazarus particularly: Jesus knew He was going to raise (not resurrect! ) him from the dead, (vs 4 & 1 1 ) No, Jesus shed tears because of the hopelessness that reigned in the hearts of his friends Mary and Martha and the neighbors that joined them in mourning: "If you had been here, Lord, my brother would not have died! " (vs 21 ; see also vs 32b): "But some of them said, 'He gave sight to the blind man, didn't he? Could he not have kept Lazarus from dying?" (vs 37) Of course Jesus could have prevented Lazarus' death, and many of those present knew it! In fact, they knew that He did not even have to be present but only speak the word and Lazarus would not have died. Surely many had heard of the cose of the Roman officer's servant (Mt. 8:5-13) and of the case of the Phonecian woman's demon possessed daughter. (Mr 7:24-30) But Jesus made no attempt to prevent Lazarus' death and even purposely delayed his coming. Finally, however, Jesus did come and, upon his arrival, Martha con fessed: "But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask Him for." (vs 22) Martha's confession had a hollowness to it. It lacked the faith that is the substance of things hoped for. It was no more than a wild empty hope, a fantasy ? Lazarus was already dead! What could Jesus do? He was too late! And "Jesus wept." Jesus, God Incarnate, shed tears for an emotion ally and spiritually destitute humanity. It is not a picture of an angry God who takes pleasure in punishing sinners, it is not a picture of a twisted perverse God who delights in bringing disease, in killing, or in inflicting sundry varieties of suffering upon poeple. It is a picture of a God of love, mercy, and compassion who weeps for and with humanity, who empathizes with their pain. It is Jesus, the Son of God, who is with us always in the midst of our circumstances, whatever they may be. God the Father did grant Jesus' request. He restored Lazarus' life, an act which caused many to believe on his name, (vs 45) But, after the shock and the excitement surrounding the miracle subsided, is it not likely that the people thought: "He could have prevented Lazarus' death and suffering it caused! Why did He wait so long? Why did He let Lazarus die?" We can readily identify with both the people and their thoughts as often, in our prayers, we petition God for many things expecting Him to gramt our requests in our way and in our time. But god's ways are rot our ways. His understanding is not our understanding, His timeta ble is not ours. But Jesus was not late!; Was not Lazarus' life being spared the people's prayer, the desire of their hearts? Their prayers were answered God's way and in God's time. "Jesus wept," a short but powerful verse, paints a word picture of a God who sheds tears for humanity, who weeps with humanity, who is present in our circumstances, and who acts without ever being late. "Leave all your worries with him, because he cares for you. . .Be patient and wait for the Lord to act." (I Peter 5:7; Ps 37:7a) (All scripture quotations taken from the Good News Bible, Today's English Version.) EXXON PRODUCTS HERTFORD, N.C. FOR INFORMATION TO RUN ON THIS PAGE, CONTACT
July 16, 1987, edition 1
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