Harter: Traveling with Paul, part 2 of 3
This sermon is the second of two messages delivered by Elder Gus Harter outlining the first of Paul’s three missionary journeys. In this message, Elder Harter takes note of how Paul presents the gospel message appropriately for each audience. For Jews, he links the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus to the prophecies of the Messiah in the law and the prophets. When speaking to Gentiles, Paul emphasized the resurrection, a miracle that commanded the attention of a people whose false deities had no power over death. Like Paul, the effective Christian evangelist will adapt the message to reach the audience.
See also part 1 and part 3 of this message.
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Harter: Traveling with Paul, part 1 of 3
Continuing a biographical study of the apostle Paul, Elder Gus Harter outlines the first of Paul’s three missionary journeys. Though he trusted God and clearly followed the leading of the Holy Spirit, Paul had a methodical approach to his ministry. When he entered a new area, he first visited the Jewish synagogue in the largest city, and worked outward from there to rural areas and an increasingly Gentile audience. Sometimes this worked well, but it often ended abruptly with controversy and risk to life and limb for Paul and his fellow travelers. Yet Paul never gave up, because his relationship with Christ and his sense of purpose sustained him through any obstacles the world put in his way.
See also part 2 and part 3 of this message.
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Sermons from Spring 2009 meeting now available
After long delay, all the sermons from Bethany’s spring meeting in March, 2009 are available. They are all identified with the spring 2009 tag. This meeting was the last one held in our sanctuary on Lawrenceville Highway. Visiting ministers were Elders David Pyles of Jackson, Mississippi; Vernis Stanaland of Tyler, Texas; and Lasserre Bradley, Jr. of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Harter: Godly Change
God is in the business of changing people who otherwise could not, or would not, be changed. To illustrate God’s power in the lives of His people, Elder Gus Harter pieces together a chronological biography of Saul of Tarsus, known to us today as Paul, apostle to the Gentiles. As a young man, Saul was at the center of orthodox Judaism: privileged by birth as a Roman citizen, educated as a guardian of Jewish law by the greatest scholar of his day, and evidently a rising star in the Jewish community at Jerusalem. Saul was foremost among persecutors of the early church. But when Saul encountered God, he changed. No man could have foretold the extent of that change, for in seven tumultuous years Saul fell from his place at the pinnacle of Jewish orthodoxy to become an exile from his kindred and people, bringing the gospel message to Gentiles far and wide outside Palestine. Let each of us pray for the type of change that comes from an encounter with God, and for the courage to go where the heart of God leads.
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Ben Mozingo: Perseverance and Preservation
Brother Ben Mozingo explains that because our Savior persevered against the attacks of Satan, and endured the wrath of God for the sake of His chosen people, all God’s children will be preserved no matter what blows they are dealt in this life. Using biblical models and contemporary references to the heroic comeback fight by Russel Crowe’s character in The Cinderella Man, Ben paints a stirring picture of our Savior vanquishing Satan and gaining the victory which we share now and forever.
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Harter: The Mind of Paul
Do circumstances discourage you? Do you find that some people consistently rob you of joy? Are you beset by worry to the extent that you can’t see the good for fear of the bad? The apostle Paul has a remedy. In the book of Philippians, Paul outlines a mindset that will establish and preserve your joy regardless of circumstances. Writing from prison, Paul does not promise the followers of Christ that joy will come from circumstances. Instead, Paul outlines a powerful way of thinking–a mindset–that focuses our attention on spiritual things. When our focus is on the things of Christ, and how we can serve Him, joy will come, and it will endure.
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8/16 Services at Friendship Christian School
Our services on Sunday, August 16, will not be held in the Johns Creek interim facility. We will be meeting instead at Friendship Christian School for morning and afternoon services, with lunch served. Please join us starting at 10:30 at:
Friendship Christian School
3160 Old Atlanta Road
Suwanee, GA 30024
(map it)
Friendship Christian School is on the campus of New Life Church, located just a couple of miles north of our future building site. We are evaluating the school as an alternate facility for use during construction. We will return to our facility at 11330 Lakefield Drive for services on Sunday, August 23.
Harter: Playing Second Fiddle: Barnabas and Paul
Elder Harter continues a study on the life of Paul by focusing on Barnabas. Barnabas was a man with great gifts and a position of influence in the early church, but he labored diligently to build up Paul’s ministry rather than his own. In Paul, Barnabas recognized a set of gifts and talents that were just right for the needs of the people he served. Rather than attempt to be all that Paul was, Barnabas encouraged and supported Paul–that is, he willingly played second fiddle. Elder Harter traces this partnership through the New Testament scriptures, and compares it with other scriptural examples of second fiddlers.
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Harter: Great Things He Must Suffer
The life of Paul inspires the disciple of Christ by example. Paul suffered greatly following his conversion to Christianity, and the Bible teaches that all the disciples of Christ can expect hardship in this life. The question we must answer, for ourselves and those around us, is this: how will we respond? Because of his close relationship with Jesus Christ, Paul could count his suffering all joy. We should likewise stay close to Christ so we can face suffering when it comes.
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