Daily Email: Thursday, October 8, 2015

DEVOTION:  Hebrews 3:12-19 English Standard Version (ESV)

¹² Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. ¹³ But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. ¹⁴ For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. ¹⁵ As it is said,

"Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion."

¹⁶ For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? ¹⁷ And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? ¹⁸ And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? ¹⁹ So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

 

 

Mark 10:17-22 English Standard Version (ESV)

¹⁷ And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" ¹⁸ And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. ¹⁹ You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.'" ²⁰ And he said to him, "Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth." ²¹ And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." ²² Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

 

 

I was at Good Shepherd daycare in Wright City for a while yesterday and I noticed something about the kids.  They all like to do things themselves without any help, until they figure out that they can't do it, and then they want your help and they want it IMMEDIATELY.  Then, when they can't do it themselves and you can't help them immediately, they cry and pout till they get what they want. 

 

In our Gospel reading we see a person that is described as a "rich young man".  The young man wanted to do it himself, for we see him ask, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?"  We all know that there is nothing you can do to "inherit" something.  You have to be born into a family or the person with the thing you want to inherit has to give it to you.  Since neither of those were going to work for the young man he figured there must be something he could do to inherit it.  But there wasn't anything he could do, at least anything he was willing to do.  Jesus told him that he should "sell all he had and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me."  

 

"An evil, unbelieving heart" as the writer of Hebrews describes it, wants to hold on to worldly possessions, when in essence, those worldly possessions are holding on to that person.  An evil and unbelieving heart doesn't want to follow Jesus and live in Him, that kind of heart is like an obstinate, stubborn child who wants to do it all himself. 

 

Jesus wants us to realize that we can't do it all ourselves.  In fact, we can't even start the process of salvation.  All we can do is run to Jesus and plead with him to open the doors of heaven for us, which He gladly and freely does.  All we can do is surrender to him and let him pick us up in his arms like little children and carry us through this life to the eternal life to come. 

 

Quit being stubborn and obstinate children.  Quit trying to do it on your own.  Independence is good for some things, but it has no place in the work of salvation.  That is all dependent on Jesus!  Be dependent on him! 

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YESTERDAY'S QUIZ:     What news made Ezra tear his clothes and lament over Israel?  The news was that the men of Israel had taken foreign, unbelieving wives.  That was against God's law at the time. 

 

In the New Testament it is changed slightly that if a man or woman, who becomes a believer in Jesus,  has an unbelieving spouse he/she should not divorce her, but should stay married and love him/her with the love of Christ and share Christ with him/her daily.  At the same time, Paul urges people that if they are not married, they should not become unequally yoked by marrying an unbeliever.  (A yoke was a thing that held to oxen or horses together as they plowed a field or pulled a cart.  To be unequally yoked meant that maybe one ox was smaller or that they were not always wanting to go in the same direction. which would result in one pulling on the other and turning to the right or left instead of going straight. 

 

The moral of that story is that you should marry someone who has the same beliefs as you and will go straight toward Jesus with you.

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CALENDAR:

Thurs- SPECIAL FALL BLESSING SERVICE AT WHS  7pm; karate 6:15-7:45

Sat-  Worship 5
Sun- Worship 8:30 and 11; Sunday school 9:45; ELDERS MEETING noon
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WORSHIP WORKERS:  
Acolyte-  8:30- Zack Hoelscher; 11- Sarah Cluver
Ushers-  Alan Hofeldt, Tim Linke, Rich Talbert, Don Turnure
Altar- Set up- Linda Callies; Clean up- Joanne Hachtel
Communion Assistants- Sat- Steve Robine; 8:30- Don Turnure; 11- Dave Winter
Greeters- 8:30- ???????  Anyone want to take this?  (Erv Yoder is out of town.); 11- Joan Sexton
Lay readers- Sat- Steve Robine 8:30- Allan Dreyer 11- Christine Winn
Sat. Pianist- Tim Sherman
Organist-  Rachel Fisher
Projectionists: Sat. Perricones, 8:30- Terry McKenzie, 11- Jacob Winn
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NEWS!!!!  PLEASE READ IT ALL!!!!

 

SCHOOL BLESSING SERVICE at WARRENTON HIGH SCHOOL COMMONS TONIGHT at 7pm!! 

 

FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) is hosting it

 

Pastor Klaustermeier and Pastor Steve Kohler will be preaching.  Nick and Amy Tallo will be leading the music!

 

We want all our church's youth to be there! 

 

You don't have to be an athlete! 

 

You don't even have to be a student! 

 

We just want you to be there to help us bless our schools!!!

 

The school needs our prayers!!!

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MEN'S BREAKFAST WILL BE THE 17TH AND NOT THIS COMING SATURDAY AS IT IS IN THE NEWSLETTER!!

Sorry for the confusion!  Please make correction to your calendars and come next Saturday, October 17 for pancakes, sausage, bacon, and scrambled eggs!!

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QUILT TICKETS ARE STILL AVAILABLE!!  

The drawing was not held at the carnival to give people more time to purchase more tickets.  You may purchase tickets from any quilter or from the church office throughout the week.  Tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5.  

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LADIES AID IS SELLING CHRISTMAS CARDS FOR $5 a BOX!!  

Once they're gone, that's it.  There won't be another order when they run out!  Get them today!  They're in the basement and you can give money to whoever is in the office. 

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PLEASE ORDER SCRIP !!!!! 

A NEW AND EASY FUNDRAISING OPPORTUNITY!!! 

 

The order forms are on the table in the narthex!  Just about every store that you can think of is on the list!  Use the cards just like you would use a debit/credit card and help St. John's make  A LOT of money!

Place your order, along with your check, made payable to St. Johns, in the "Bob the Builder" box. 

  
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OPERATION BACKPACK FOR OCTOBER IS CANNED VEGETABLES!! !

Many children in our community are very poor.  They are able to get some of their meals at school during the week, but often go hungry on weekends.  Operation backpack is a way that our community has decided to help these kids. 
 
Every month throughout the school year, each church participating will take one food item and collect just that food item.  At the end of the month the food will be delivered to school.  The school officials along with volunteers will distribute the food to kids backpacks to take home.   

Throughout the month of October we will be collecting canned veggies. All size cans and even individual portions will be accepted.  The fruit will be delivered to the schools November 1.   We will have a box in the narthex for deposits.

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UNMARKED BLUE ENVELOPE CONTRIBUTIONS ARE GOING TO THE BUILDING EXPANSION PROGRAM
If you'd like it to go to the DCE fund you need to mark it for that!  Please make sure you mark the ENVELOPE clearly for the DCE PROGRAM!
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DO YOU HAVE A KROGER CARD?  ENROLL IT IN THE COMMUNITY REWARDS PROGRAM!!!
Register it online www.krogercommunityrewards.com and have it swiped each time you shop to earn money for Little Lambs. 
 
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GENERAL PRAYERS:

For DIANNE HANCE who is recovering from hip surgery.

 

For MARIANNE LINKE who is recovering from heart valve replacement surgery and is doing well.

 

For JOHN NORDWALD, Brett's dad, as he is recovering from bypass surgery. 

 

For DON PANHORST who is recovering from his first two chemo treatments last week. 

 

A prayer of thanksgiving For BROOKS EBERT, infant son of Derek and Andrea, who finally got to go home from the hospital after 50 days there.

 

For DENISE SCHLESSELMANN as she is back in the Czech Republic to continue her mission work.

 

For DAVE AND CAROL KOHRS, who are BOTH on hospice care.

 

For WILMA WEIGLE as she continues to deal with the after effects of a severe stroke almost two years ago.