Heartland News & Prayer

October 31, 2010 by Wendy Carter.

Hi there:

“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40:8

Have you raked all of your leaves yet?  Churchville is a village of trees but we have no large ones on our property.  We didn’t even get many blown over the fence from our neighbour’s backyard during the recent strong winds.  As I looked out our bathroom window the other day there didn’t seem to be one leaf remaining on their beautiful maple tree.  We have it made in the shade! The yearly change of seasons is predictable and interesting which is a comfort; however vegetation does fade and die off.  Aren’t you glad God’s Word does last forever?  That is a bigger comfort, wouldn’t you agree?

Friday we sent money to William in Myanmar for his expenses in getting from there to here.  Please pray that all will go well as he applies for his visa in Bangkok. It is hard to get e-mail messages through to his country these days probably due to the upcoming elections in November.  We are looking forward to this young man’s arrival in Canada in the next few weeks.

Pray for Howie Johnson who is starting his new job tomorrow.  Also remember our Fellowship denomination and its leaders who are preparing for the annual convention being held in Banff, AB from November 8-11.  Gary and I will be attending and then travelling to Kelowna, BC to visit our daughter, Rebekah and her family until November 16.

Home Group will happen this coming Thursday at 7:00 p.m. at the Burton home. This week we will continue studying about Paul before Agrippa in Acts 26.

Remember that next weekend we set our clocks back an hour so don’t come too early for church.

And don’t eat too much leftover candy from Hallowe’en!

Wendy
wendy.carter@kainos.org
This blog is a summary of our 9:00 Sunday morning services held at 7777 Churchville Rd., Brampton, ON L6Y 0H3, 905-230-8116.

Blessings by Gary Carter: If you sat down and made a quick list of your blessings, what would be on your list?  You could probably go on for a long time.  If you were William living in Myanmar how different would your list be to his?  Through the years our church has been blessed with Chris Burton’s teaching on church history.  The church hasn’t always been the way it is today.  If you don’t study history you are bound to make the same mistakes of old.  According to Jesus there are two indicator behaviours that should be followed – love God and love your neighbour.  We need to ask ourselves, “Do I love God more today than ever before?”  “Do I love others more today than ever before?”  May we encourage each other forward as we thank God for all the various blessings He has given to each one of us.

Diotrephes by Steve Macdonald: Diotrephes’ name is found in 3 John 1:9-10.  It means that he was fed or loved by Jupiter.  He probably was a converted Gentile who had a position of authority in the church as an elder or even the pastor.  Unfortunately his character was not the best; he was ambitious, proud, disrespectful of apostolic authority and their characters, rebellious, weak in doctrine, and inhospitable.  We can learn a lot about this man on how not to be a leader.  He wanted to be number one unlike Gaius and Demetrius mentioned in the same passage or even Josh Hamilton (Texas Rangers baseball player).  Check out his powerful testimony, “I am Second” on youtube – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXOrKT7SUoY.

The Waldensians by Chris Burton: According to Foxe’s Book of Martyrs the Waldensians were Christians who led a spiritual movement during the Middle Ages founded by Peter Waldo (1140-1218).  Before 1160 a series of events in Lyon, France caused some radical changes in Peter’s life.  He heard a sermon on the life of St. Alexius about good deeds for the poor; rejection of transubstantiation ( Roman Catholics believe the communal bread and wine are changed into the body and blood of Christ.) was made a capital crime; and a friend died unexpectedly.  He gave his property to his wife and the remainder of his belongings he distributed among the poor.  He began preaching and teaching publicly on a life of simplicity and poverty as well as condemned Papal excesses and Catholic dogmas.  By 1170 his teaching was spread by many followers abroad who disguised themselves as peddlers and were known for their strict adherence to the Bible. From 1175-1185 Peter commissioned (or did it himself) a cleric from Lyon to translate the New Testament into the vernacular.  He was credited for this first translation outside of Latin for Europe.  In 1179 he went to Rome to meet with Pope Alexander III and a panel of three clergymen to explain his faith.  The movement was condemned due to universal priesthood, the Gospel in the vulgar tongue, and self-imposed poverty.

Peter and his followers were driven from Lyon; some settled in Piedmont, Italy.  He was finally excommunicated by Pope Lucius III in 1184.  In 1215 the movement was condemned by the Roman Catholic church as heretical.  Many Waldensians were persecuted, tried and sentenced to death in European countries particularly during the years of the Inquisition.  They fled to the Alps to hide and later joined the Genevan or Reformed branch of the Protestant Reformation.  Even though they tried to live honest, quiet, industrious lives they were persecuted for not being Roman Catholic, for not making any boys priests, for not making any girls nuns, for not going to mass, for not giving wax tapers to priests as offerings, for not going on pilgrimages and for not bowing to images.  More next week.

A Blessed Life by Gary Carter: Many try to create a blessed life by owning a better TV, wearing clothes with the right labels etc.  The majority believe that the church is not where it’s at.  So who are the blessed?  They are highly favoured people with good fortune and are characterized by happiness.  What is the nature of the good fortune?  And who can teach us about this blessed life?  The Dalai Lama from Tibet didn’t earn his position in that country but is highly respected worldwide.  He believes that giving to other people in some ways makes one happy.  He has some good insights.

Jesus Christ made 15 cause and effect statements telling us how to be blessed.  If you knew and understood them would you pursue them?  If you lived them would others see the difference in you?  If you knew and understood them would you renounce your inferior definitions?  If you knew and understood them would you change the way you live?  Do you really believe that the Bible is God’s Word and so by doing it His way, you would obtain the blessed life?  Jesus’ statements are found in Matthew 5:3-11; 11:6; 13:16; 16:17; Luke 10:23; 11:28; 14:13-14; John 20:29.  Over the next few weeks Gary will categorize these verses in five groups and provide some insights on how to truly be blessed.

The unblessed life has its focal point on something inferior.  Jesus does not mention that wealth, health, position, family, education are important.  He sums it all up in just two rules found in Luke 10:27; Matthew 22:37; and Mark 12:30, 33.  One must love God and love one’s neighbour.

S’More Signs By Steve Macdonald:
Department Store: Bargain basement upstairs.
Tattoo Shop: Tattoos while you wait.
Restroom: Toilet out of order. Please use floor below.
Car Dealership: The best way to get back on your feet – miss a car payment.
Message on a Leaflet: If you cannot read, this leaflet will tell you how to get lessons.
Funeral Home: Drive carefully – we’ll wait.
The Electric Company: We will be delighted if you send in your bill payment; however if you don’t you will be.

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