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Contributing Writers: Mike Mills, Spring Hill Church | Doug Fincher | Pastor Randy and Sue Smith | Mike Belgard | Tim Perkins
Faith
October 11, 2016 - Aaron, brother of Moses, was the High Priest of the Israelites during the time of the Exodus from Egypt. He was duly anointed and clothed and served as the Holy Representative of the people to God. Aaron served honorably and made intercession for the people as long as he lived, but he died and was replaced.
Our High Priest makes intercession for us but will never die.
"Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:14-16)
As the scripture says; our High Priest has passed through the heavens, He is the true Son of God and makes intercession for all believers today in heaven.
The Old Testament priests made substitute sacrifices of animals for the people and for themselves.
Jesus made a sacrifice of Himself, the Lamb of God, on the cross of Calvary, a sacrifice, which once made, paid for all sins, past, present and future.
We have a High Priest who knows us, each one. A High Priest who was tempted just as we are tempted. Satan tried his best to overcome Him in the wilderness and many ungodly people tried in vain to trick Him with words and many times even made false accusations against Him.
Through it all He remained free of sin, following the laws of God perfectly throughout His life on earth. Even when the Father laid the iniquity of all people on Him on the cross, he bore it patiently and submissively, following, perfectly His Father's commands.
The death of Jesus on the cross made the need for a priest to make intercession for man no longer necessary.
With His death, the veil of the inner sanctuary was torn from top to bottom, allowing each person to come boldly before the throne of God in prayer.
There we will all find God's mercy and grace to help us in times of need. We can come boldly, not fearing the Lord but calling on the One who can sympathize with our temptations and troubles, the Lord Jesus.
"Therefore holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus." (Hebrews 3:1)
We can cast all of our burdens on Jesus Christ for He cares for each of us. He alone is able to bear our griefs and carry our sorrows. If we only will confess our sins to Him, His blood will cleanse us from them.
If we are surrounded by temptations, He will make a way of escape for us, that we will be able to bear any grief and sorrow in His name.
May all glory and blessings be upon the Lord Jesus, our Savior, our Master and our Redeemer, amen...
October 10, 2016 - Sunday was the 21st Sunday after Pentecost. This Sunday was Gideons International Sunday at Paxton. In the past, Paxton Methodist had several members who were Gideons, and our congregation supports their efforts. Our guest speaker, Cliff Hickman, came from Henderson to join us for both Sunday School and church. Cliff shared moving testimonies about people who came across a Gideon Bible and also explained the work and goals of the Gideons International. Paxton Methodist budgets money each year for the Gideons. Fannie is involved and helps with the Pastors’ Appreciation Dinner and the Sunday morning breakfast for the Gideons.
We were in double digits, which is an exciting thing at Paxton. Cherie and Robert were up from Houston, visiting Cherie’s folks—Joy and Gene. It is always great to see them. I forgot that this was a long weekend (Columbus Day tomorrow) and they get to spend an extra day.
The Old Testament and Gospel Lesson for the 21st Sunday after Pentecost were about truly living. Jeremiah wrote a letter to the exiles telling them they needed not to dwell on the past but look to the future and live! They needed to plant gardens, marry off their children, and be good neighbors. It wasn’t exactly the message the exile community expected. It would be several generations before the exiles had the opportunity to return to Judah and Israel ; when the time came, most stayed in their new communities and country. The Luke Gospel was about the ten lepers that Jesus healed and focused not so much on the healing but that the fact that only one leper returned to thank Jesus.
Last week volunteers went to Green Acres for a singing. Pastor Matt from Tenaha and Timpson Methodist led the program, joined by Nora and Jo, Fannie, Victor Crawford, and Larry Terry. I had cataract surgery that day, so Sue (my driver) and I were out of pocket. Carolyn also had cataract surgery that same week, and I hope she is feeling as good as I am. This past Saturday was the “50 miles of treasures” from Stonewall to Joaquin. The Joaquin Senior Center had a big garage sale. The Center doesn’t have a garage, but they had every room in the Joaquin Community Center filled with slightly used (and some brand-new) treasures. All the proceeds go to the Senior Center and its nutrition programs.
In my weekly email to church members and others, I put information about how to donate to Methodist Relief, which is helping victims of Hurricane Matthew. Interested folks can donate to either the domestic or international responses. A good thing about Methodist Relief, or UMCOR, is that administrative costs are borne by churches in their yearly pledges, allowing ALL donations to go directly to disaster relief.
During October Paxton Methodist will be collecting peanut butter and jelly for Community Christian Services. On Tuesday, October 19th we will head to Holiday Nursing Center and on Thursday, October 27th we will head to Lakeside Village . Both of these ministries start at 2:00.
“Whoever you are, in whatever faith you were born, whatever creed you profess; if you come to this house to find God you are welcome here.” Paxton United Methodist Church is an inviting church that takes to heart the idea of “Open Doors, Open Hearts, Open Minds.” Sunday School starts at 9:30 and Worship begins at 10:00. Our email address is paxtonumc@yahoo.com. If you would like the weekly email newsletter about Paxton Methodist you can send me your email address to the Paxton email address and I will add you to the list. God’s Speed!
October 6, 2016 - Triumph the Church and Kingdom of God in Christ of Strong cordially invites the community to our Annual Fall Festival which will take place on October 30, 2016 from 6-8:30 p.m. At the church fellowship hall. The theme is “It’s a Hallelujah Party!!!”
The night will consist of fun-filled games and lots of good food. There will also be a costume contest, so come dressed up!!! Lots of prizes to give out so don’t miss out on a family-oriented, fun-filled, hallelujah blessed night!!! For more information, please contact Elder Faye Dell Allen at 936-368-2611 or 936-572-5810 or Sis. Sylvia Hubbard at 936-332-3103.
October 5, 2016 - The great wall of China was built by the ancient Chinese to protect them from their enemies to the north. It was built too high to climb over, too thick to break down, and too long to go around. It was the perfect security.
The only problem was that during the first hundred years of the walls existence, China was invaded three times. The problem was not the walls, but the integrity of the gate keepers. Each time, the gatekeepers were paid off by the enemy to let them through. The security of the country was more dependent on the integrity of the gatekeepers than on the strength of the wall.
Goodness as it relates to the fruit of the Spirit, means "moral integrity". When someone is filled with the Spirit one of their character traits is integrity. That is, doing what is right even when no one is watching. Standing by your morals when eveyone is telling you its 'Ok' not too. You see God is good, and His goodness is what ensures us that we can trust Him to keep the promises He has made to us. Because of His goodness toward us we know that we can stand with integrity. David said it best in Psalms 16:1-2 "Preserve me O God, for in you I put my trust. O my soul, you have said to the Lord, You are my Lord, My goodness is nothing apart from You."
When we tell our children to be good; or ask them if they were good, we are asking them to act as, or if, they have been acting with integrity. When we are filled with the Spirit, the fruit of goodness (integrity) is going to be evident in our lives. A person who has no integrity cannot be filled with the Holy Spirit. People can make mistakes and compromise their integrity. None of us are perfect. But we serve a God whose goodness endures forever and Romans 2: 3-4 tells us His goodness leads us to repentance. So no matter what you have done in the past, know that God loves you. So let His goodness lead you back to Him.
I'm just sayin'
Mike Belgard
September 28, 2016 - Young or old, rich or poor, red or yellow, black or white, no matter, it's faith and faith alone that lifts the soul to a more perfect relationship with God. That is perfectly explained by Paul in this Bible scripture.
"For you are all sons of God through faith in Jesus Christ. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." (Galatians 3:26-29)
Once a person accepts Jesus as Lord and Master, giving his/her life to the service of the Lord, that person then becomes changed. Removed from the penalty of sin, which we know as spiritual death.
Removed from this world and into citizenship in heaven, yes, I know we are still here, living in the evils of this world, but, removed from it nonetheless.
As God's children we can count on Him to deliver our daily needs, enough for our daily existence here while we wait on the greater gift to come, eternal life with Him.
As Jesus states in Matthew 24:35; "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words shall by no means pass away." Our true rewards will come, our time spent here is only temporary and not to even be considered. Our eye must remain on the inheritance to come.
Our days here should be spent in dealing justly with others, in showing mercy to those who are less fortunate than we are, and in walking humbly with our Lord; doing His will each day and not our own, setting an example of Christ-like-living for others to see.
Regardless of our status in this world, we all have the same privilege of going before His throne at any time, making petitions to Him through prayer. As His children we are blessed to be able to walk worthy of our profession of faith and our calling of service to Him.
If we are faithful and true to God, we are as the scripture says; "heirs according to the promise", meaning our inheritance in heaven is incorruptible, undefiled, and fades not away. It is reserved, in heaven, for us the instant we accept Christ Jesus as Lord and is kept for us by the power of God through faith.
Here, our bodies may be wracked with pain, we may be ridiculed and persecuted for our faith, no matter, each of us will have a new, perfect body and live in perfect harmony when we come into His presence, into His Kingdom. Our minds cannot comprehend today, the glory we will see in heaven.
To those who ridicule and persecute Christians today, I say; "repent and accept the free gift of eternal life before it's too late, come into the family of God before the door is closed, to be opened no more".
May the love of God bless you each day.
October 3, 2016 - Short Community Methodist Church will be hosting their Homecoming October 9th at 12:00 noon. Singing will start at 1:00pm, with the Shelby County Singers. Come by and enjoy some food and fellowship!
October 3, 2016 - “Encourage one another…build each other up…” I Thess. 5:11
While living in Amarillo, I shopped often at the local Wal-Mart Store. One of their employees, Becky, was the store’s most inhospitable clerk. I avoided her like the plague because I didn’t want her “doom and gloom” rubbing off on me.
I’d bought some fishing baits there one afternoon and …sure enough…wound up at Becky’s register again! I figured I’d get through the line as quickly as possible, but when I saw the bright purple scarf around her neck, I exclaimed, “My, what a beautiful scarf!” Her eyes flashed like lightening and she gasped, “Oh, thank you!” “My sister gave it to me for my birthday last week.” “This is the first time I’ve worn it.” From that day on, I always had Becky, the store’s friendliest clerk, check me out. This simple complement not only changed her attitude that day.
It improved mine, too.
October 3, 2016 - Sunday was the 20th Sunday after Pentecost and the first Sunday in October. At Paxton we celebrated communion using the liturgy called “Table of Plenty.” Sunday was World Communion Sunday: The idea of a billion or more Christians celebrating communion Sunday morning is cool! During the month of October we will be collecting peanut butter and jelly for Community Christian Services. For my sermon I used the Old Testament Lesson from Lamentations 1: 1-6 and the Epistle Lesson from 2 Timothy 1: 3-14. Lamentations is made up of five lyric poems that bemoan the destruction of Jerusalem and all that the Jews knew about life. The poet speaks of groaning, weeping, and the inability to be comforted. Paul praises Timothy for his “honest and rich” faith that had been handed down from his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice. Paul speaks of death defeated and life vindicated in the steady blaze of light that is the Christ.
No one likes suffering. Unfortunately, it is part of our human condition. We believe that humans have a soul—a spark of the divine within us—but the trade-off is that we live in the shadow of death. This reality becomes even more real as we age, with more aches and pains and the truth of our mortality. But Paul speaks of a different suffering: for the cause—to promote the Kingdom here on earth that Jesus envisioned.
Our Sunday school lesson was from Hebrews 1 and spoke so poetically about Jesus being the “light of God’s glory and the imprint of God’s being.” I have really enjoyed this writer’s way of seeing and explaining scripture in a new, expanded way.
When he speaks of hearing God’s voice in all of creation, he enables me to see the sacred in the ordinary as well as extraordinary times of life. He talks of renewing the ancient spiritual practice of contemplation, which used to be a major part of our faith but isn’t stressed much today.
I spent a good part of this week in Dallas, having quality time with my kids. Megan showed us her new home now that all the renovations are completed—but she is still waiting for that final inspection. My brother and sister-in-law had driven to North Dakota for our Aunt Phyllis’ funeral. Her husband Art was the only one of the ten siblings who stayed in North Dakota to farm. All my city cousins and I loved to go for family get-togethers on the old family farm.
On Monday the crew will head to Green Acres for our monthly ministry. However, I will be in Nacogdoches having cataract surgery. I am so ready to be able to see well again. I have three other doctors’ appointments later in the week. I always thought that when I retired I would do some traveling but didn’t realize most of the traveling would be to doctors’ offices.
“Whoever you are, in whatever faith you were born, whatever creed you profess; if you come to this house to find God you are welcome here.” Paxton United Methodist Church is an inviting church that takes to heart the idea of “Open Doors, Open Hearts, Open Minds.” Sunday School starts at 9:30 and Worship begins at 10:00. Our email address is paxtonumc@yahoo.com. If you would like the weekly email newsletter about Paxton Methodist you can send me your email address to the Paxton email address and I will add you to the list. God’s Speed!
October 1, 2016 - Pastor Jeremy Moore and the members of the Friendship Missionary Baptist church in Bo Bo Texas invite you to Fellowship with them on October 9, 2016 for the Friends and Family Day service.
Guest Speaker will be Pastor Climeteen Thomas III of the Second Street Baptist Church in Shreveport, La. Services will begin at 3:00pm.
September 30, 2016 - Patch Activities in October at First United Methodist Church in Center.
October 1st:
• Grand Opening of the Patch at 10:00 a.m.
• Movie Night at 6:00 p.m.-Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin
October 12th:
• Family Night: Pumpkin painting and activities for the family at 5:30 p.m. (Pumpkins and paint will be provided)
October 14th:
• Cider Sipping Senior Day from 3:00 p.m.- 5:00 p.m.
October 22nd:
• Blessing of the Animals at 10:00 a.m.
October 23rd:
• Bake Sale during Coffee Fellowship at 9:30 a.m.
(All proceeds go towards covering the cost of the pumpkin patch.)
Hours of operation:
- Thursdays 3:00 p.m.- 6:00 p.m.
- Saturdays 10:00 a.m.- 4 p.m.
- Sundays 1:00 p.m.- 3:00 p.m.
*If you want to buy a pumpkin when the patch is unattended, please come to the church office or call 936-598-2707*
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