Exalting God
The latest issue of Baptist and Reflector has the answer. Note, if you will, the top reason- they simply wanted a ‘break’ from Church. The entire list of excuses (because that’s what they are, not reasons) is disheartening because each one indicates the exaltation of personal choice over obedience to God.
We seem to have succeeded, in the Church, in raising an entire generation of utterly self absorbed and self centered “believers.”
Today the kids who meet on Wednesday evening for Children in Action had their Pinewood Derby. Here are some pictures of the fun event:
A couple of weeks ago some of the young people took a trip to the waterpark and here’s a group photo for your enjoyment. They had a great time.
Click to enlarge.
Forum 18 reports
Baptist Pastor Zaur Balaev was yesterday (8 August) sentenced to two years in jail, Forum 18 News Service has learnt. The Pastor from Aliabad in northern Azerbaijan was convicted of using violence against a state representative, and was also accused of holding “illegal meetings under the guise of religious activity without concrete authority and without state registration,” attracting young people to worship services and playing loud music at services.
This is a genuine travesty of justice. Our protests were evidently unavailing. Pray for the pastor and his family.
At Wallace Memorial Baptist Church, August 27-28. Click here for details.
James Michener, writing in his book, The Source, tells the story of a man named Urbaal, who was a farmer living about 2200 B.C.
He worshiped two gods, one a god of death, the other a goddess of fertility. One day, the temple priests tell Urbaal to bring his young son to the temple for sacrifice–if he wants good crops. Urbaal obeys, and on the appointed day drags his wife and boy to the scene of the boy’s “religious execution” by fire to the god of death.
After the sacrifice of Urbaal’s boy the several others, the priests announce that one of the fathers will spend next week in the temple, with a new temple prostitute. Urbaal’s wife is stunned as she notices a desire written more intensely across his face than she had seen before, and she in overwhelmed to see him eagerly lunge forward when his name is called.
The ceremony over, she walks out of the temple with her head swimming, concluding that “if he had different gods, he would have been a different man.”
Evangelist Randy Roper will be preaching Sunday morning and night, on August 5th.
