Who Was The
Happiest?
by Don Ginkel 
There seems to be a funeral-like atmosphere
in some churches at offering time. "Goodbye ten dollar bill. I'll
never see you again. You are gone forever!" It's so bad that some
preachers will rarely preach a sermon on Christian giving. But the
joy of giving is written on many pages of the Bible.
2
Corinthians 9:7, "Each man should give what he has decided in his
heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves
the cheerful giver."
Years ago, when Christmas was
coming and money was scarce, our family drew names. Each person
received five dollars to buy a gift. One of my sons drew my name.
Late on Christmas Eve he was all smiles and wiggles as he brought me
the gift. I opened the box, and it was a tie, a tie of many
interesting colors. "Do you like it, Dad?" he asked. I answered,
"Oh, yes, it's beautiful!" "THAT'S GREAT," he said. Notice how
happy that son was with "his gift" to Dad. Get this - the son bought
his dad a gift with dad's money, and the son was glad. When telling
this story I sometimes ask, "Who do you think was the happiest, my
son or I?" Everyone says, "Your son." Not so. I had even more joy
seeing the joy he had in presenting me with this gift. [Complete Article]
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by Kent Hunter
Pastor
Johnson was emphatic - almost boasting - as he talked about
money issues with his neighboring pastors: "I don't know what
anybody gives in my church. I've never once looked at the giving
records. My job is to minister to these people. I care about them
and show them love no matter what they give." Is Pastor Johnson
a good pastor? Yes, in his commitment to care about and love his
members. But does he really, totally, care and love his members? Not
really! He is derelict in his duty and has some mixed up theology.
First, it is Greek
theology that separates the sacred from the secular. In the Bible,
everything is sacred, even money. Second, If you
really care about discipleship growth of your members that includes
their financial giving. Third, there are more
verses in the New Testament about money than prayer. Why? Because
money reflects our spiritual state. It was Jesus who said, "For
where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew
6:21, NIV). Fourth, if your church considers it
important for spiritually growing members to attend church, read the
Bible, or pray, then a lifestyle of giving goes with it. Growth in
that giving is part of growing as a Christian. [Complete Article]
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The Gospel of John
is brimming over with
the life and love of Jesus Christ for each of us. It's
dramatically powerful. The three hour film, The Gospel of
John, is a word-for-word presentation of the Gospel. It brings
the Gospel vividly to life and is sorely needed by all of
us today. It's on DVD and can be purchased for only
$19.95. Why not buy it today? Then enjoy. Be refreshed. Loan or give
it to a friend. To purchase, go to the Eternal Pictures website. A second alternative is to view it in 10 minute
segments as posted on YouTube - We like
the purchase option.
Proven advice when facing financial
difficulties
Do the best you can to minimize your
losses. Keep your credit card debt low. Save instead of spend and,
when needed, turn to trusted counsel.
"Today's crisis in the financial system
should not be a threat to the long-term
health and vitality of our economic system. There is a cause for
concern, but not justification for panic. Rather than hit the panic
button, spend that energy thinking about how Christians should
glorify God in our economic lives. We should watch the developments
and debates in Washington and New York with interest, but we should
investigate our own hearts with even greater urgency." by Al
Mohler, Christianity Today, September 29,
2008
Email message to the
pastor
"Dear Pastor: Please say in your sermon
that Peter Peterson has been a good boy all week. I am Peter
Peterson. Sincerely, Pete."
A few days ago a friend of
Church Press
shared how she and her siblings had
just gathered around their mother's sick bed at her home in Kansas.
The mother was 93 years old and semi-conscious. Her grown children,
all Christians, sang hymns of praise to the Lord. Two days later she
died. When the children were young, the mother made it a habit to
have the children gather around the piano as she led them in singing
to the Lord. How true the saying: "What goes around comes around."
Jim was in trouble
He forgot his wedding anniversary. His wife
was really angry. She told him, "Tomorrow morning I expect to find a
gift in the driveway that goes from 0 to 200 in 6 seconds AND IT
BETTER BE THERE!!" The next morning Jim got up early and left
for work. When his wife woke up, she looked out the window and sure
enough, there was a box gift-wrapped in the middle of the driveway.
Confused, the wife put on her robe and ran out to the driveway and
brought the box back in the house. She opened it and found a brand
new bathroom scale. Jim has been missing since Friday.
Your Children's Ministry
Questions
How satisfied are you with your
children's ministry curriculum for Sunday school, worship, and midweek?
- Very Satisfied
- Somewhat Satisfied
- Somewhat Dissatisfied
- Very Dissatisfied
Call us at 888-772-8878 or email us
and ask for a free CD which has sample lessons and a DVD on two
programs - Kingdom Quest and Kids Church. We
invite you to do it now. It can have a huge impact on your
children's ministry.
"Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West"
is a shocking
documentary, a 60 minute peek into the minds of radical
Islamists. If you haven't seen it, we encourage you to do so.
Using actual footage from Arabic TV, it documents the goals and
methods of these people. It's interesting to see how the liberal
media is attacking this DVD as "an anti-Muslim film," which it is
not. We believe that the parallels between the Nazi movement prior
to and during World War II and the radical Islamists of today
is amazing. It was said then and should be said today:
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for
good men to do nothing." Let's not just "do nothing."
View the trailer here. You can also purchase the DVD for $14.95
- in which case, loan it to a friend after you've seen it.
Again, let's not just "do nothing."
We have three excellent studies on Islam:
A 26 lesson course entitled, The Qur'an and the Bible A
Comparison by Rev. Rick Richter (LCMS) for $12.95 .
Fast Facts on On Islam, page paper back -
$10.99. And Islam: Qur'an vs. Holy Scripture, a
reproducible Bible study on CD - $27.95. Pastors who lead a
study on Islam usually purchase all three of the above. You can do
this now by clicking here.
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by Bob
Tasler
When I was a small boy,
I was for a time afraid of the dark, probably because I had
such an active imagination. Now and then at night my Dad would tell
me to go turn off the pump or check on the chickens or some such
thing, and since it was already dark I'd have to walk 100-200 feet
across a dark and foreboding farm yard. We had a yard light on a
fairly high pole, but it cast big shadows all over. And who knows
what dangers lurked in those shadows?
One particular moonless summer night I was
headed out to the barn to retrieve something and paused when I
stepped into the big shadow behind our granary. I knew Dad had
parked some machinery near there and didn't want to run into it and
break a leg. Then I realized something was there in the shadows and
I couldn't see! I waited for a moment for my eyes to adjust and just
at that moment something cold and slimy touched my hand...
[Complete Article]
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Church Growth Books That Make A
Difference
The Seed-Planting Church by Dr. Waldo
Werning (LCMS). While traditional, institutional churches try to
renew themselves with visionary leaders who mold the church in
programmatic or organizational ways, this book focuses on the
organic, natural body of Christ to achieve a growing, healthy
church. Dr. Kent Hunter writes: "Powerfully practical... will
change your church from a bureaucracy to a movement that God has
called Christianity to be... I have already begun using this
material in my work with churches." (130 pages, #303
$12.00) Order your copy today.
12 Pillars of a Healthy Church by Dr.
Waldo Werning. Werning doesn't just explain the Scriptures; he has a
worktext approach. Just as pillars hold up a building, these twelve
pillars will hold up the church and allow it to grow. Dr. Larry
Gilbert: "In this book Dr. Werning has not only given us
the advantage of his years of knowledge and experience, but has
addressed the key areas that cannot be ignored by anyone wishing to
build a church that ministers to itself and its
community." ( 168 pages, #304 $12.00) Order it today.
Additonal church growth books: Why Men
Hate Going To Church by David Murrow (248
pages, #301 $14.99). 44 Ways to Increase Church
Attendance by Lyle Schaller (128 pages #300
$16.00). Is it time to order all four books? Many churches do
just that.
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For Your Worship Service:
Confession With Praise
(3 verses from "Holy, Holy" by Jimmy
Owens)
I believe in God, the Father
Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.
Sing: Gracious Father, gracious Father, We're so blest
to be Your children Gracious Father, And we lift our heads before
You As a token of our love, Gracious Father, gracious Father.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was
conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered
under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He
descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He
ascended into heaven and sits on the right hand of God, the Father
Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the
dead.
Sing: Precious Jesus, precious Jesus. We're so glad
that You've redeemed us, precious Jesus; And we lift our hands
before You As a token of our love, Precious Jesus, precious
Jesus.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian
Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the
resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
Sing: Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit, Come and fill our
hearts anew, Holy Spirit; And we lift our voice before You As a
token of our love, Holy Spirit, Holy
Spirit.
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Understanding How People Change:
How to Help People in Contemplation
by Craig Loving
Pastors who counsel will encounter people who
complain about a personal or relational problem, yet at the same
time, believe someone else is responsible for the
solution.
"Reverend, I'm not sure why I need to be
here; I'm not the one with the problem," he drawled, rolling his
eyes toward his wife. She replied, "Isn't that interesting. I was
just thinking the same thing."
Pastors who use a
confrontational style of counseling (ordering, warning, judging,
shaming, etc.) are less likely to see positive change than those who
use a motivational style. By using an EE, SS, RR, and DD stance (see article in August 2008 Newsletter), pastors
can trust the Holy Spirit to open people's minds to begin
reexamining their own role in creating and maintaining their
distress.
You were rather surprised when Max and Maxine
called back for a second session. "Reverend, I've thought about some
of the things we talked about," Max said. "And I'm beginning to
wonder if I might be part of the problem." "I realized that I
haven't been doing anything to solve our problems either," Maxine
added. "This is great!" you thought. "Now we're getting somewhere."
[Complete
Article]
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Christian
Financial Advisor Dave Ramsey (Q & A, excerpts from Christianity Today,
September 26, 2008) 
What do you think of the bailout?
I think it's a disaster. It's the largest government department
ever formed in the history of man, and they are doing it in five
days, and they are doing it on a spirit of fear.
Will the economic crises affect how Christians will
vote?
It translates into which person they think will go to
Washington and give them the economy that they want. As a believer,
I think that's a mistake. I think we're taught that God is to be our
source. We've really got to stop looking to Washington to fix our
problems. It obviously doesn't have the ability to do that. People
who are successful are not not successful because of the
President.
What will the crises do to people's
lifestyle?
Hopefully some of this will scare people straight. Some of the
consumption level will go down, some of the debt will go down, and
people will save money. God's ways of handling money work: in the
house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil (Proverbs
21:20). Having cash on hand is a good thing, always having some
money. Get out of debt; the borrower is a slave to the lender. These
are things that worked 1,000 years ago, they worked 20 years ago,
and they worked 20 minutes ago. They will work for the next 20
years.
Note: We highly recommend a special 13 week program to
help people get debt free. It's called Dave Ramsey's
Financial Peace University. You can go to their website.You can also call a Christian brother
- Bruce Coleman, 1-887-378-2667, extension 143. He'll be very
helpful. |
The
Beginning of the Worship
Service by Rick Warren
from The Purpose Driven Church, pp. 262-263
Offer a public welcome that relaxes people. The first
words should set the tone of the service. Each week one of our
pastors will say something like, "Welcome to Sunday at Saddleback!
We're glad you're here. If you're here for the first time, we want
you to sit back, relax, and enjoy the service we've planned for
you."
Let people know they can expect to enjoy the
service. Tell them that they won't have to say anything and nobody's
going to embarrass them. Offer a disclaimer about the offering: "If
you're visiting with us, please understand that you are not expected
to participate in the offering. This is only for those who are part
of our church family. As our guest we want you to get something out
of this service. We don't expect you to give."
Begin
and end each service with people greeting each other. We are told
five times in the New Testament to greet one another and show
affection. So at the beginning and the end of each service we tell
everyone to turn around and shake hands with three or four
people.
Over the years, this simple tradition has
created a warm sense of camaraderie and family between people who
don't even know each other. Sometimes I have people say something to
each other at the end of the service like, "It was nice sitting by
you today." For some people this small act of friendliness is the
only affirmation they get all week.
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Praise and thanks and adoration,
Son of God, to You we
give,
For You chose to serve
creation,
Died that Adam's heirs might
live.
Dear Lord Jesus, guide my
way;
Faithful let me day by
day
Follow where Your steps are
leading,
Find adventure, joys
exceeding!
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