First Baptist Church of New Carlisle, Ohio has a rich and unique history in our community. Since 1955 we've been establishing ourselves as a lighthouse for Jesus Christ in our hometown of New Carlisle, Ohio.

We have Bible Study at 9:15 am and Worship Service at 10:30 am every Sunday. Childcare/nursery provided for all services. Wednesdays we have Prayer Meeting at 7:00 pm and Revive Student Ministries for youth at 7:00 pm

Sunday, October 2, 2016

Touring Faith in the Book of Acts - by Pastor Curt Sharbaugh

The Book of Acts in the New Testament explains how the Holy Spirit spread the gospel and expanded the Church through the ministry of the Apostles and first believers. I would like to take a tour of the book of Acts and observe the expressions of faith we see. Since it records the beginning of something new in God’s plan for his people, some of the miraculous events were necessary at the time to help the early church understand what the Holy Spirit was doing. Many of these miraculous events have not continued in our day because they are no longer necessary, but we can still learn from the evangelism and conversions described in this book. So I would like to pay attention to the environments in which the Holy Spirit brought about amazing revival and church growth. Perhaps we can learn a thing or two.

Acts 2 describes the beginning of the Holy Spirit’s work in and through the Church. With this new beginning, the Holy Spirit starts with a bang, granting the first followers of Christ the miraculous ability to speak in the various languages of Jews who lived all over the Roman empire. The Jews who had been living in Rome heard the Christians speaking in Latin, and Egyptian Jews heard them speaking their language. Then Peter got up and explained that a new era in Israel’s history had begun; the promised Messiah had come, even though the nation had rejected and crucified him. As Peter spoke to the crowd that day, three thousand people believed and were added to the Church.

The Church immediately began meeting regularly, sometimes in the Temple area as a large group and at other times in individual homes in smaller groups. As they gathered, they were committed to activities that benefited and strengthened believers, and they went out to tell others the good news of Jesus. In Acts 3, Peter and John were apparently on their way to a gathering at the Temple. Before they arrived, they proclaim the good news, and the Church grew to five thousand that day (Acts 4:4).

After Stephen was stoned, the Church was scattered, and the gospel spread to new regions. Philip went to Samaria and told the people there about Jesus. Many believed, and the Holy Spirit confirmed that he was saving Samaritans too. Then the Holy Spirit took Philip to a road where he met an Ethiopian eunuch. In this deserted location, the Ethiopian believed the gospel and was saved.

In Acts 10, the Gentile mission is officially started with Cornelius and his family hearing and believing the gospel in their house. Later on, Paul and his co-workers began to share the gospel throughout the Roman world. Paul’s practice was to find Jewish synagogues, where unbelieving Jews could hear the good news. When the majority rejected his message, he proclaimed the message to the Gentiles (Acts 13:46). In Philippi, the gospel spread in a prison (Acts 16:25ff.), and in Athens, it spread in a shopping center (17:17).

We see in Acts how Paul and others used the situations in which God placed them to spread the gospel. If they were in court on trial, they shared the message about Christ. If there was a crowd ready to listen, they spoke up. However, what is equally clear throughout Acts is that not a single story of conversion took place in the context of a Sunday church gathering. Now that doesn’t mean this never happened, nor does it mean we shouldn’t invite the unsaved to church. Still, it does show us that the Holy Spirit primarily used efforts outside the Sunday gathering to grow the church. We would do well to follow this example and speak up in the circumstances in which God has placed us. Like the early church, we must proclaim the gospel where unbelievers normally are. The Holy Spirit will continue his work as we share the gospel, and more and more people will turn from their sin and trust in Christ.

Kitchen Korner - Cordon Bleu Potato Soup - by Dolly Lawler

A good friend, Judy Carney, who goes to Florida every winter and runs a soup kitchen down there, gave me this recipe.  The term "Cordon Bleu" caught my attention right away.  When I see that term, I always think of chicken or pork stuffed with ham and Swiss cheese.  That's what the term has come to mean to cooks in this day and age, but the term actually means "Blue Ribbon."  How can I say this?  Whether we're talking ingredients or quality, this is definitely a "Blue Ribbon" soup recipe.

CORDON BLEU POTATO SOUP
(Makes 8-10 servings.)

Ingredients:

4 cups diced potatoes
2 cans (14 ½ oz.) chicken broth
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
2 cups diced cooked ham
2 cups 2% milk with ¼ cup flour whisked into it
2 cups chunked, cooked chicken

Simmer potatoes in broth until tender.  Add rest of ingredients and heat (stirring often) until soup is hot and cheese is melted.

Ladle into bowls and eat up!

Enjoy, Dolly Lawler

Please submit a favorite recipe to lawlers@windstream.net

How Old is the Earth? - by Ken Lawler

I've mentioned several times in these articles that there are numerous Biblical "disagreements" that have no bearing on critical doctrines like salvation.  This is one of those "beliefs" that, whichever theory you have, will not get you into Heaven or keep you out.  It's also one of those "beliefs" that, whichever theory you have, you are convinced you're right.  A couple years ago we heard a guest speaker on two Sundays give his reasoning for a "young earth," and now I have decided to give mine for an "old earth."  I've not, to my knowledge, been called a heretic because of what I believe on this subject but I have been accused of believing in evolution.  Trust me, I do not!!!  I believe Gen. 1:1 explains perfectly how the universe came into being.  That said, I also believe Gen. 1:3-31 is an account of the 6-day restoration of the original earth, not a 6-day account of its creation.  I have no idea how long it actually took God to create it, but I'm convinced He's capable of doing it in 6 nanoseconds (that's 6 billionths of a second) if He wanted to.  He wouldn't need 6 days.  There are four primary reasons I believe what I do about this -- (1) The actual meaning of the Hebrew word translated create (bara), (2) Gen. 1:2 compared with Isa. 45:18, (3) continental drift and (4) the physical appearance of the universe.

First, the Bible's use of the words create, created, etc.:  Hebrew linguists generally agree that these words are often misused in the Bible and other Hebrew texts.  The correct definition is to make something out of nothing, and according to Strong's Expanded Dictionary of Bible Words, this verb always has only God as its subject.  In the Bible it is often used where a better translation would have been to shape, form, fashion, select or to transform something.  For instance, when David says, "create in me a clean heart, O God" (Ps. 51:10) it's obvious he didn't mean make me a new one out of nothing; he wanted the one he had fixed.  Another example is Adam.  Gen. 1:26 has God saying, "let us make (asah) man," Gen. 1:27 says, "God created (bara) man," and Gen. 2:7 says, "The Lord God formed (yatsar) man" [out of the pre-existing dust of the ground].  Technically, Adam and Eve were formed (the word means to mold into a form or shape) not created.  An instance where you might expect to see the word created but don't is on day three.  Gen. 1:9-13 does not say vegetation was created on day three.  It implys the seeds were already in the ground and when the water receded and the land dried out the seeds sprouted.  Where did the seeds come from?  I contend they were already there from His original creation.  If day 3 was the creation of vegetation God probably would have created an oak tree, not an acorn.

Second, look at the description of the earth in Gen. 1:2 and Isa. 45:18:  Gen. 1:1 says the earth was created in the beginning, and in verse 2 it is reported to be "without form and void," a water-covered, dark, empty ruin.  The expression without form (tohuw) means to lie waste, a desolation, desert, or a worthless thing.  The word void (bohow) means to be empty, a vacuity or an undistinguishable ruin. Why would God have created an empty, worthless, desolate earth?  Well Isaiah says He didn't.  Isaiah briefly describes the creation in Isa. 45:18 where he says "He created it not in vain."  Why the translators changed words between Gen. 1:2 and this verse I don't know, but vain and form are the same Hebrew word.  Isaiah is saying God did not create it without form and void as it is described in Gen. 1:2.  An obvious question is what happened between Gen 1:1 and 1:2?  For one thing, I believe about 4.5 billion years.  That's what the admittedly flawed, but commonly accepted dating methods (they generally use four different methods) estimate the age of the universe to be.  Soil samples from the earth, moon and meteors all date the same.  Also, I can't imagine God sending Lucifer down to a tropical paradise when he was cast out of heaven to the ground/earth (Isa. 14:12), so it was probably made void at or before that event.  We know there was a time when lush vegetation covered vast areas of the earth, even up into the Arctic.  We heat our homes and fuel our cars with the byproducts of that vegetation.  There is no mention of the ice-age in the Bible or any other historical document and the last glacier is estimated to have been about a mile high when it crossed my farm in Champaign County.  Someone surely would have mentioned it in ancient history.  I imagine the original pristine earth teeming with the extinct species whose fossils are still being found today (dinosaurs, etc.), as well as the biped animals evolutionists call cave men.  Don't let anyone convince you that Neanderthal or Cro-Magnon was your ancestor.  I believe they existed over 10,000 years ago, anthropologists and archaeologists have found their remains, their cave paintings and their crude weapons.  They were somewhat clever animals, not humans.  Adam is the only "creature" that the "Lord God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul" (Gen. 2:7).  Adam was the first human being.  That happened about 6,000 years ago just like the Bible says.

Third, the continental drift theory:  It was proposed by Alfred Wegener in 1912 and was laughed at by other scientists, primarily because there was no theory as to what mechanism caused it.  After Wegener died in 1930, scientists generally adopted his theory with a "moving plate" explanation.  His unique geological similarities of rock formations linking mountains in Appalachia with those in Scotland, and those in South Africa with those in Brazil have been verified.  The plates are still moving (that's what causes earthquakes), but so slowly that North America could not possibly have crossed the Atlantic in a mere 6,000 years, unless the event I suspect happened long ago, the one that caused the earth to become "without form and void," caused a rapid drift.

Finally, my fourth reason for believing in an old earth is its appearance:  I've spent lots of time in the Rocky Mountains, and I've personally seen lots of other earth features in North America, Europe and Africa.  I've spent several hours looking through a high power telescope at the moon, stars and planets, as well as imagery from our inter-galaxy space probes.  I've spent half my life looking at the earth's surface on satellite imagery.  The Rocky and Atlas Mountains and the Alps look really old to me, and even a casual look at the moon through good binoculars and the imagery of Mars show heavenly bodies that have been bombarded with meteors for what looks like a lot longer than 6,000 years.  The massive impacts on the moon would have been seen from Earth and no historian has mentioned them.  Can these four reasons possibly indicate an approximate 4.5-billion years between Gen. 1:1 and 1:2?  I think so, what do you think?

Colors of the Seasons - Orange, Yellow, Brown, Red - by Wanda Hess

This time of the year with leaves on trees changing their colors, colorful mums ready to bloom and pumpkins at their maturity makes me think of the Bible verse Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

“To everything there is a season , and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted: A time to kill and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing: A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak ; A time to love and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.” KJV

One of my gardener friends said they like the color of Brown this time of year. And they went on to explain it was the color of the garden when the harvest is complete and the dirt is ready for next spring.

Another point my friend made was “people who plant believe in tomorrow”.  Isn’t that an interesting statement? Are we planting the seeds of Christianity in the hope of tomorrow?

This past Sunday there was a family there that I didn’t know. They had three children.  What joy to see children who are being brought to church with their parents.  Planting the seeds of a future tomorrow?  If we don’t have the young in church what happens to the church when us old people pass on? Will there be enough seeds planted to keep First Baptist Church of New Carlisle in business?  Now don’t sit there and read this and say churches don’t close up…..
Well yes, they do. It has been done even here in New Carlisle……

We need to believe in tomorrow by planting and cultivating today.

So whatever color you enjoy , Orange,Yellow,  Brown or Red may it remind you that it is time for another season of our life to pass through…ENJOY!

    Don’t miss these colors of this season cause the next season's color is WHITE!!!!

Thursday, September 1, 2016

Least in the Kingdom - by Ken Lawler

An article I read in the booklet Days of Praise, published by The Institute for Creation Research, prompted me to write an article about the degrees of reward in the future kingdom.  As I've mentioned in previous articles, my mom's family grew up Methodists and my dad's Baptist.  I don't know much about the 21st Century Methodist Church, but back in the early years of the 20th Century they were very evangelistic, with the only major difference between them and the Baptists being baptism and security of the believer.  Those early 1900's Methodists in Vera, Illinois sprinkled for baptism and taught that you could lose your salvation.

I've heard it said of us in the "once saved, always saved" crowd that we don't pay enough attention to how we live, since we can't lose our salvation.  In a lot of cases I suspect that criticism is valid.  Anyone who has spent much time reading the Bible knows it says plenty about how we are to live (Paul says "walk") and about the consequences of not living/walking properly.  In The Sermon on the Mount/The Beatitudes, Jesus said in Matt. 5:19 that anyone who breaks a commandment and teaches others that it is OK to do so "shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven:  but whosever shall do and teach (the commandments), the same shall be called great in the kingdom."  He's not talking about the difference between saved and unsaved people, but about the degrees of reward in the kingdom.  When Paul spoke about the Christian living a carnal life in I Cor. 3 he likened that person to someone building something out of wood, hay, and stubble versus building out of gold, silver, and precious stones.  In I Cor. 3:13 he says, "all works will be revealed by fire," and in I Cor. 3:15 he says some Christian's works "shall be burned, he shall suffer loss:  but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire."

The Bible plainly teaches there will be degrees of punishment in hell.  Matt. 10:15, Mark 6:11 & Luke 10:12 all say it will be more tolerable (the Greek word means more endurable) for Sodom and Gomorrha in the Day of Judgment than it will be for the cities of Israel that didn't receive Jesus' message of redemption.  Likewise the Bible plainly teaches there will be degrees of reward in heaven.  2 Cor. 5:10 says all believers will appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ; and every one will receive gain or loss, depending on their Christian life, based on whether they did good or bad.

There are two coming judgments after we live this life.  The unbelievers will stand before the Great White Throne.  Rev. 20:11-12 says they will be judged according to their works.  All of those at that judgment will be cast into the lake of fire, where Jesus said it would be more endurable for some than for others.  The believers will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ.  When we appear there everything we have done since we accepted Christ as our savior is going to be in a pile, represented in I Cor. 3:12 as either gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or stubble.  Fire is going to fall on that pile, and our status or position or responsibility in heaven will be determined by what is left after the fire goes out.  Everyone at the Judgment Seat of Christ is already in heaven, but my Grandpa Lawler used to say, "some of them will really smell smokey."

Grandpa once pastored the Vera Baptist Church in the little village where I was born, and he had a couple humorous stories about the Baptists and the Methodists in town.  There was no air conditioning back then so the windows were open in summer.  He said the Baptists would be singing the hymn, Will There Be Any Stars In My Crown, and the Methodists would be singing the hymn, No Not One.  About the doctrine of salvation he told about the hypothetical guy in both churches that made a profession of faith then fell by the wayside.  He said the Methodists believed the guy fell from grace (lost his salvation) and the Baptists said he probably never got saved in the first place.  Grandpa said, "we both got him lost again!"

How do we get saved? by Pastor Curt Sharbaugh

That’s a very important question, and throughout history those who have called themselves Christians have answered it differently. Let me begin with a contrast. There is a group who would say that we will be saved in the end only by God’s grace, but God has chosen to extend that grace by a number of different means. In other words, if you want to receive God’s grace, which is able to make you right with God, you have to do certain things. You need to be baptized; you need to attend services where you can observe communion; you need to confess your sins and say certain prayers in order to be forgiven; and there’s more. They believe that it’s only through these avenues of grace that you can finally be made right with God.

What does the Bible say about this? The Bible does say that salvation is on the basis of grace but also that it’s only through faith in what Christ has done for us (Ephesians 2:8-9). We cannot save ourselves. There is nothing we can do in order to deserve salvation. Salvation is based on grace, meaning that it’s a kindness that we do not deserve. It’s freely given to us by God. He doesn’t owe it to us; he is free to give it or withhold it. And God has chosen to save us through faith rather than by works.

In Romans 3, Paul explains that we are all under the power and condemnation of sin (vs. 9). He goes on to say that one of the purposes of the Law (which includes God’s instruction on right and wrong) is to demonstrate that we are all guilty before God (vs. 19-20; see also 1:18, 20, 2:1-2). There is no way to be right with God by obeying his instructions because what his instructions reveal is that we are not obeying him and need his forgiveness and grace. But God has revealed a different way to be made right with him, and Paul says that it’s by faith (vs. 22). All have sinned and stand condemned before God, so everyone must be made right with God by faith (vv. 23-24). While dying on the cross, Jesus was put on display as the payment for the punishment sinners deserve. He paid the punishment for all who believe that he paid that punishment for them (vs. 25). In chapter 4, Paul explains that sinners are declared right with God not on the basis of what they do but on the basis of their faith in what Christ has done for them.

So how is one saved? They are saved from God’s punishment for sin and from sin’s power over them by putting their faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection. But we should be clear that true faith is never without genuine repentance. You cannot really believe Jesus died for your sins if you don’t think your sins are a big deal. True faith involves recognizing how sinful you are and how great your need is for forgiveness through Christ.

Coming back to the group I described at the beginning, salvation is not acquired by what we do, even if we say we're acting on the basis of God’s grace. We are saved by putting our trust in Christ to save us. When we set up rituals as a means of salvation, we are putting obstacles in the way of genuine faith because people place their faith in the ritual rather than in Christ. In other words, they are trusting in what they are doing rather than in what Christ has done. Salvation does not require a special ritual or a special place. Salvation is by grace through faith, and faith can be expressed wherever you are.

Kitchen Korner - PRETZEL SALAD - by Dolly Lawler

You'll have to try this to believe it.  This is a recipe I received from Geneva Christmas many moons ago.  When I ate it the first time, it simply struck my taste buds high and clear; then when she told me what the little crunchies in it were, well, I couldn't believe it. Pretzels of all things!  Who would have thought?

PRETZEL SALAD

8 oz. cream cheese
½ cup sugar
20 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained
8 oz. cool whip

Mix cream cheese and sugar together; add pineapple.  Fold in cool whip.  Place in refrigerator to cool.
Mix together the following:

1 cup crushed pretzels
½ cup sugar
1 stick melted margarine or butter

Place in oven at 400° for 7 minutes.  Stir while it cools.  When cooled, mix with the cream cheese, sugar, pineapple, and cool whip mixture.  Place in refrigerator until ready to serve (or ready to take to a church potluck).

Enjoy, Dolly Lawler

Please submit a favorite recipe to lawlers@windstream.net

A Hug to Comfort You - by Wanda Hess  

Aren’t hugs the greatest thing to receive?  They can be a hug of love, a hug of support or a hug of greeting.  There can be no words to describe the feeling when a small child puts their arms around your neck, presses their little body against yours.  They don’t know what a hug is so you squeeze lightly on their little bodies to hug them.   Now there might  be some of you that don’t like any hugs because someone is getting in your space….And that is okay…surely you have another way to feel those special feelings.

Think about this “What about when GOD puts a burden upon you, He puts his own arm underneath you.  There have been times in my life that I hurt so bad I could not pray.  And I could not get through those times without knowing GOD was my strength.  Sometimes the hurts and pain are so great that only God’s presence will help.  GOD is our strength for us.  We hurt, struggle, and hardly know what to say or do.  At the point of our deepest despair, we feel His strength….His GOD hug!  He takes his arms and holds us, reminding us that we are his.  Within the comforting circle of his arms we are safe.

Sometimes God permits a burden to be placed on us.  He is trying to get our attention so that we will rely on his comfort and protection.

Moses wrote that the Lord “goes ahead of you.  He will not fail you nor forsake you. Do not fear, or be dismayed” Deuteronomy 31:8

Think about the burden you are carrying.  Is it an illness? The unceasing hurt and pain of a broken heart or relationship? Helpless concern for someone who is rejecting you and your Lord? Remember that He is well aware of every facet of your need.  He extends his presence and his “GOD Hug" of comfort to you.

Life is tough, and we can’t always straighten it out.  We just need a reminder of how close God is for us.

                                       So go ahead feel God’s hug and know you are safe……..

Thursday, August 4, 2016

OH, I Got IT ! by Wanda Hess​​

In Biblical days there were Christians, so were their churches like ours?  
Their churches were different:
They met in people's homes (the 1st Bapt Church did too in the beginning)
They often had to meet in hiding (I don't think we ever had to do that)
Everyone shared their meals and stuff with each other. ( just let it be known that someone needs our help and we step forward).
Just like in our churches today, we come together to pray, worship and learn how to spread the good news of Jesus Christ to the whole world. You know how good you feel being a christian and how it helps you face the trials of life. So why not share with those who suffer by themselves without the holy spirit.
Spread the word too so they can say" OH, I Got It!!​

(Bible reference: Acts 11: 19-20)

Kitchen Korner - Charlene's Banana Nut Bread - by Dolly Lawler

I've made this recipe a dozen times I know.  It always turns out perfect.  Ken's mom gave it to me years ago, hence the name.

CHARLENE'S BANANA NUT BREAD


1 Cup Sugar
½ Cup Shortening
2 Beaten Eggs
2 Cups Flour
½ tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 TBS. Sour Milk (If you do not have sour milk, you may substitute with 1 tsp. vinegar mixed with 2 tsp. milk.)
4 or 5 Mashed Bananas
½ C. Chopped Nuts

1.  Mix sugar, shortening, and eggs.
2.  Add dry ingredients, then vanilla, sour milk, and mashed bananas.
3.  Add the chopped nuts last.
4.  Pour batter into a loaf pan sprayed with Pam.  Sprinkle top with a little sugar.
5.  Bake in a 350° oven for 45 minutes or until done.

6.  Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan.

God Sitting on His Throne - by Ken Lawler

Can you imagine God sitting on His throne watching events unfold on earth? Do you think He has ever stood up like you or I would when He saw some particular event taking place? For instance, you or I would sit on our front porch watching our child play in the yard, but if they headed toward the busy street we would jump up, ready to intervene.
We know from Heb. 1:13 that Jesus is now seated at the right hand of God. We also know from Acts 7:55 that Jesus stood up when the mob was stoning Stephen. What could cause The Father to stand up?
The Bible doesn't describe all of this, but imagine the view in the throne room when Jesus was on earth. You would see God's presence on His throne (John, Ezekiel & Isaiah describe what that would look like). You would also see an empty throne on God's right ready for Jehovah's return to Heaven; the four living creatures (Cherubim) hovering over the throne intoning--holy, holy, holy; Gabriel standing nearby, ready to deliver any message from God; and Michael, in armor, ready to lead his soldiers against any foe God directs him to.
Michael is the commander of the heavenly angelic army. At a minimum he would be wearing a sword and a breastplate. Both of those would be held in place with straps around his waist and across his back. These straps are called bucklers. What do you want to bet that God has risen up off His throne at least one time in history?
When the Roman palace guard was beating Jesus to a bloody pulp, Isa. 52:14 says His visage (appearance) was so marred more than any man [He no longer looked human]. You would have heard a sword drawn from its scabbard, and would have seen God raised up off His throne to grab Michael's buckler to keep him from going to Jesus' aid. That had to have been the worse day in either God's or Michael's existence.
Don't despair over this. Almost 2,000 years after this happened a Southern Baptist preacher from Fort Mill, South Carolina was called to pastor the Bellevue Baptist Church of Memphis, TN. While there, one Wednesday night, he preached a sermon he would preach 1,275 times. Another thing I believe you can bet on is that Michael smiled when he heard Dr. Robert Green Lee (1886-1978) preach the famous sermon --"Payday ---Someday."
You can read about that payday in the book of Revelation.

What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You!


  • If you are age 21-80 learn your risk for developing 6 different chronic diseases
  • $3 out of every $4 spent on healthcare is for treatment of chronic disease
  • Better lifestyle habits can help prevent 80% of heart disease and 90% of type 2 diabetes

 The 6 for Life Health Assessment measures your risk of developing 6 chronic diseases, including heart disease, congestive heart failure, stroke, diabetes, COPD and lung cancer. A customized report will determine which risk factors contribute most to your disease risk and are within your control to change. Finger-stick blood tests along with biometric measurements are included with this assessment.

First Baptist Church of New Carlisle will be hosting a Life Line Screening preventive health event on Monday, August 22, 2016.

Protect your health by registering today for the 6 for Life Health Assessment for $79. Call 1-888-653-6441 or visit www.lifelinescreening.com/community-partners to schedule your appointment. Take control of your health, knowledge is empowering.



Sunday, July 31, 2016

FBCNC - KROGER & AMAZON COMMUNITY REWARDS PROGRAM

Did you know that FBCNC can receive rebates when you shop at Kroger or Amazon? Each quarter, Kroger and Amazon sends FBCNC a rebate check based upon our total spending.

Here's how:

KROGER COMMUNITY REWARDS PROGRAM 

  • Sign up for free for a Kroger Plus card at your local Kroger store
  • Sign on to Kroger.com for an online account
  • Click on "Community Rewards" and follow the prompts to enroll
  • Choose First Baptist Church of New Carlisle (FBCNC is #83294) and click ENROLL 

AMAZON COMMUNITY REWARDS PROGRAM 

  • Sign on to Smile.Amazon.com   
  • If you already have an Amazon account, sign in with your username and PW. If not, create an account.
  • A window will pop up to choose your charitable organization. 
  • Type in: First Baptist Church of New Carlisle
  • Click select; then click on YES

Remember you must always go to Smile.Amazon.com FIRST to shop.

You're done! It is that EASY!

Saturday, July 9, 2016

Welcome Pastor Curt Sharbaugh and family for FBCNC

July 10th, 2016: Join us in welcoming Pastor Curt Sharbaugh and Family on their first Sunday with FBCNC.

May 22nd, 2016: FBCNC voted this morning to extend a call to Curt Sharbaugh to be the new Senior Pastor at FBCNC. Curt has accepted the call and we look forward to Curt and his family serving at FBCNC.

Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Why was Jesus crucified when He was? - by Ken Lawler

It is generally accepted that Jesus was born around 4BC.  One of the reasons for this date is the reign of Herod the Great.  History records him ruling Judea from 37-3BC, and it was he who ordered all baby boys up to 2-years old in the vicinity of Bethlehem killed.  Jesus was probably around 2 years old when the wise men came, so he would have been born around 4BC.  Assuming He was 33-34-years-old when He was crucified, that would have been around 29 or 30AD.  The Bible records several times the Pharisees wanted to kill Him, but He kept saying, "My time is not yet come" (John 7:6-8).  Obviously The Father had Him on a schedule for when He would be crucified.  One obvious target they were shooting for was Passover, but which one?  It occurred every year.  What was God waiting for?  Why was Jesus crucified when He was?

The Greek Empire.  Alexander's rise to power, succeeding his father Phillip as king of Macedonia, changed the known world.  In only 13 years he defeated Syria,
Egypt and the Medo-Persian Empire, going as far east as India.  Equally as impressive as his military success was his advancement of Greek culture, called Hellenism.  In every city he conquered he instituted schools to teach Greek philosophy and Koine Greek, which became the common language of the known world.  For the first time since the Tower of Babel, there was a common language.  You could communicate with someone wherever you went.

The Roman Empire.  Where the Greek Empire lasted only about 257 years, the Roman Empire lasted, depending on which parts you track, from 1101-2078 years, spreading over three continents.  Best known for having the most powerful army ever; able to defeat larger armies without airplanes, tanks or battleships; they are also known for building many of the great cities still standing today.  Examples are London, England (Londinium) and Cologne, Germany (Colonia Agrippina).  Known as the great builders, they built aqueducts, roads, baths, walls, theaters, temples, arches, cities, palaces, etc.  When the Romans came they not only brought their
army, but also their Latin Language.  Today we use the Arabic numbers to do math, but we still use the Roman alphabet (with a few letters added, i.e. W) to verbally communicate.  Most western languages are based on Roman Latin.

Now back to the title of this article.  The reason Jesus was born when He was is explained in Gal. 4:4, "But when the fullness of the time
was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a women, made under the law."  The word translated fullness means completion, what fills something, or what is filled by something.  As it is used in Gal. 4:4 it means, "the end of an appointed period."  Look at the known world before the Greek Empire and after the Romans arrived.  After Pentecost and the persecution that followed, the Apostles and the disciples (especially Paul) hit the Roman Roads with the Greek and Roman Languages and spread the Gospel world-wide.  None of that would have been possible prior to Alexander the Great and the subsequent Roman Empire.  The fullness of the time was come.  God was waiting for a common language and a modern transportation system to spread the Gospel.

Kitchen Korner: Sausage Con Queso Dip - By Dolly Lawler

This is not a new recipe.  It's been around for a while, but it never ceases to be a favorite.  I made it not long ago, put it in a little crockpot to keep it warm, shared it with friends, and it tasted as good to me as the first time I made the recipe years ago.  It's yummy served warm with your favorite tortilla chips.  Everyone who eats it goes back for another serving.  Now, what's that tell you?
 
SAUSAGE CON QUESO DIP

1 lb. Bob Evans Zesty Hot Sausage
1 pkg. Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Products, cut into cubes (16 oz.) (I use Velveeta Cheese)
1
candiced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained (10 oz.) OR 1 jar salsa (16 oz.)


1.  Crumble and cook sausage in large saucepan over medium heat until browned.  Drain on paper towels then
return sausage to saucepan.

2.  Add cut cheese cubes to sausage.  Cook, stirring 
often, until cheese is melted.  Stir in tomatoes or salsa.

3.  Serve warm with tortilla chips.

Enjoy,

Dolly Lawler

 
Please submit a favorite recipe to lawlers@windstream.net

Letter from the Pastor - By Pastor Curt Sharbaugh

Dear Church Family,

We are excited to join you all on July 10th. We’ve had a wonderful week with you and can’t wait to return after we’ve settled some matters in Louisville. Praise the Lord, the closing on our house in Kentucky is scheduled for Tuesday, July 5th, and all of our belongings are now safely stored here in Ohio. The love we’ve already been shown has been such a blessing. From the Lawlers’ graciously letting us stay in their home to the many who have served us by providing food and fellowship, it’s clear that God has given us a great church family to be a part of. Thank you to everyone who has helped us with this transition, getting my office ready, giving us cards, and providing food. I really appreciate all you’ve already done to welcome us into your family.

It was also wonderful to see the many church family members involved in VBS this week. It was a great week with so many working together to minister to the many children who attended. Thank you, VBS workers, for sacrificing time and energy to serve First Baptist Church and the community of New Carlisle as you did this week. From decorations to the daily grind, the effort was exemplary, and as a result many children heard the good news about Jesus Christ. We need to continue to pray for these children and especially for opportunities to share the gospel again with those who do not know Christ through genuine faith and repentance. As difficult as that can be to discern, we can be thankful that our job is not to know their heart with absolute certainty but to be faithful in sharing the gospel.

On Sunday, July 10th, my plan is to preach on 2 Timothy 3:10-4:8. You are more than welcome to read that passage in the week leading up to that Sunday. Please continue to pray for our transition. Pray that the Lord will quickly knit our hearts together in the fellowship we all share in Christ. Pray for unity based on our common desire to bring him glory.

Grace and peace to you all,

Pastor Curt

Saturday, June 11, 2016

Seed Time & Harvest - by Ken Lawler

With a new Pastor coming I decided to write an article about a topic we have heard little about during the last 37 years.  Rick rarely mentioned giving and transitional Pastor Tim probably felt it wasn't his job to bring it up either.  If you look at the bulletin every week you have noticed our offerings have averaged a thousand dollars or so a week less than the "needed to meet the budget" figure for quite a while.  It's not been a problem because we have not been paying a pastor's salary for 3 years.  Our church has always been a good giving church, and I suppose we've been in one of those "when the cats away the mice will play" modes.  When Pastor Curt arrives and we have a Senior Pastor up front every Sunday I'm betting some of those lackadaisical attenders will return full time and will resume throwing a few shekels in the plate.

How many shekels are you supposed to throw in?  In the Old
Testament the mandate was the tithe--10%.  They tithed on everything--wages; farm crops; olive oil; cattle, sheep and goats; wine; you name it.  I suppose a Hebrew woman with a few chickens gave the priest 10% of the eggs.  It is news to most Christians that tithing is not taught in the New Testament.  The words tithe and tithes are only used 8 times in the New Testament and each time the context is referring back to the Old Testament.

What then are we expected to give?  My Dad always told his church members that the New Testament plan was "seed time and harvest."  He had been raised on grain farms in Illinois and he knew how to raise a grain crop.  He was the first farmer in Fayette County Illinois to harvest 100 bushels of corn per acre.  Today if you don't hit up around 200
bushel you're not much of a farmer.  You have to put a lot of seed in the ground (and have very fertile soil) to raise 200 bushel corn.

We've all heard the old saying "you can't
out give God."  When you look at the sacrifice God made for us on Calvary, how can we Christians not be sacrificial givers?  That's where the blessings are---sacrificial giving.  If 10% was the standard under The Law, how can those of us under Grace give less than that?

When I got saved and Dolly and I got married I was making $2.00/hour for a 40-hour week.  That's $80.00/week,
less union dues, taxes, FICA, etc.  I don't remember what my check actually was.  I do remember putting $5.00 in the plate at the Arm Prairie Christian Church every Sunday.  When I got hired at WPAFB I was paid $5,000.00/year.  I think I kept up the $5.00/week for a while.  When Dad reminded me of the seed time and harvest thing I did some calculations and found out that the Old Testament system would have required closer to $10.00/week.

If you're a "
tither," it's not 10% of what's left over after Uncle Sam and everyone else has their way with your paycheck, it's 10% of the gross before any deductions.  Even though we're not under The Law, 10% is a good place to start.  Believe it or not, God will make the 90% go farther than you could get the 100% to go.  LeTourneau supposedly gave God 90%, and became a multi-millionaire living on the 10%.  You can't out give God.

Dolly & I have been fortunate in our married life, both of us having had good jobs.  We put God first in our budget and have consistently bumped up the 10% every time we financially could.  I can't guarantee what He will do with your
check book, but the more we give the more we seem to have.

When Pastor Curt arrives I hope we see more of those occasions when we see people looking for a seat.  I want to challenge those who have been coming and those who will be coming to be generous toward God and I assure you He will be generous to you.

Kitchen Korner: NFNF Potatoes (No-fuss, No-fail) - By Dolly Lawler

Here's a recipe you'll want to use over and over again.  These potatoes are always great, whether you're grilling them at the lake for your family or serving them to guests at your home dining room table.  Sometimes "simple" is better and more appealing than peeling, chopping, mixing, not to mention clean up time spent in the kitchen for a meal.

If I'm fixing this recipe for Ken and me, I adjust it to using just one potato which we split between the two of us.  (I'm trying to watch our intake of food these days.)  This recipe may be prepared ahead then put on the grill or in the oven an hour or so before your meal.

NFNF POTATOES 
(No-Fuss, No-Fail) 

4 baking potatoes, quartered
4 Tbs. butter
1 large onion, quartered
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste

If preparing these potatoes at home in the oven for a meal at the table, place the above recipe in the center of a large piece of aluminum foil.  Wrap tightly and place on a cookie sheet (in case there is some leakage), then roast in a 425° oven for about an hour.  Dip up into a serving dish to set on the table for your meal.

If preparing these potatoes to be grilled outside for a lawn party, divide the potato quarters, butter, onion, and garlic equally and place in the center of four pieces of heavy-duty aluminum foil.  Wrap tightly and grill for about 1 hour or until potatoes are soft.

Optional:  If desired, you may want to add red or green bell pepper slices to the vegetable mix prior to grilling or roasting.  Also at serving time, you may want to sprinkle top with a little Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy,

Dolly Lawler

 
Please submit a favorite recipe to: lawlers@windstream.net

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Letter from the Pastor - By Pastor Curt Sharbaugh

Dear Church Family,
 
I am so thankful for the opportunity to serve you as senior pastor. Throughout the process, God has granted me clarity and peace and gave me a strong desire to serve you in this way. It was extremely encouraging to hear about the affirmation you gave last Sunday with the positive vote.
 
We are so excited to be joining you soon. A great deal has been going on for us to make that happen. We already have a contract on a house in New Carlisle. We are both working hard to prepare our house to sell, and it should be on the market this week.
 
God has been so good. We really appreciated the warm welcome you gave us and how much you served us the Sunday we were with you. It was so easy to talk with you and get to know you. You made our whole family feel welcomed, including our children. As we prepared for that week, Laura prayed that our hearts would already begin to be knit with yours, and as we were leaving, we both talked about how it would be sad if we never got to see you again. We’re so glad we do get to see you again, and Lord willing for many years in the future.
 
I have been listening to your services online as another way to get to know what goes on at FBCNC, and I heartily agree with Mitch. Now is not the time to stop praying. Prayer is all the more vital for this transition. I am praying for you. Please continue to pray for us. Pray for God to continue to provide all that’s necessary for us to get to you as soon as possible. Pray for wisdom for us to discern what’s best in order to accomplish that. Pray that God would expand our love for him and for each other as we prepare to begin our service together.

Blessings,

Curt
(on behalf of the whole Sharbaugh Family)
May 29, 2016

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

The Head of the Household - by Ken Lawler

It will be interesting to see how many female friends I have left after this hits the press in the newsletter.  First of all, I am pro-woman!  I am comfortable talking to them and being around them.  My mom was a woman; I had three sisters, and have been married to Dolly over 50 years.  Probably the thing that turned lots of men off women was the over-the-top feminist movement in the 1960's.  Some historians consider any effort to obtain equal rights for women as feminism.  If this is so, it started lots of years ago.  Plato argued for the political and sexual equality of women around 24 centuries ago.  In more modern times, Florence Nightingale was convinced that women had all the potential of men in the 1800's.  In the late 18th century and early 19th century feminism focused on the right to vote.  
 
What brought this up was a sermon I heard Chuck Swindoll preach, where he mentioned life in Eden.  When God formed Adam and Eve "out of dust of the ground" (Gen. 2:7), there is no mention of which one was in charge.  You get the impression they were co-equal beings, despite the fact that Adam was formed first.  This co-equal relationship seems to have been verified by Eve being formed around one of Adam's ribs.  The couple was in fact called, "one flesh" (Gen. 2:24).  This co-equal arrangement came to a screeching halt in Gen. 3:6, when Eve picked and ate fruit from the one tree in The Garden that God had told them not to eat of.  The often overlooked fact in this story is that Adam wasn't out in the back forty checking on the livestock when this happened.  A careful reading of Gen. 3 indicates he was standing there watching the scene unfold; and did absolutely nothing to stop it.  Granted, nowhere in chapters 1 and 2 are we told he was warned she might be a loose cannon.
 
What Swindoll pointed out is that when God came looking for them He didn't say, "Eve, where are you?"  What Gen. 3:9 records is, "And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, where art thou?"  It's obvious that God held Adam responsible for his wife.  It was after Adam blamed God then blamed Eve, Eve blamed the serpent, and the serpent was turned into a snake that Adam officially, by God's directive, became the head of the household.  God plainly told Eve in Gen. 3:16, "and thy desire (longing) will be to thy husband, and he shall rule (have dominion) over thee."  She was cursed by having a man rule over her (plus the childbirth thing) and he was cursed by having to eke out a living by manual labor.
 
In America, women get paid around 70% of what men get paid according to the news.  That probably makes sense in some manual labor occupations, obviously it doesn't make sense in most professional fields (excluding sports).  Everything being relative, most of our women have it made when compared with those in Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries.
 
The bottom line, however, is that God made the man the head of the household.  Unfortunately, I know women who have married men who couldn't be head of the chicken coop.  That's her problem for making that choice, not God's:  and as far as I can tell in the scripture, he is still technically "head of the household."

I AM ONE.....ARE YOU? - By Wanda Hess

What you ask I am? I am a “Prayer Warrior”.  If you aren’t one, we want you to join the group.  What is a prayer warrior you ask.  This is a person male or female who can pray for those people who need our connection to God’s listening ear.  No special requirements except loving God, loving people and wanting to help in any way.  At our church, we have a “one call system” through the telephone system.  You contact the church office and sign up giving them your phone number that you wish to be contacted with requests.  In the old days(don’t you just love that!) We signed up and there was about 5-6 on the list. When you got the call you had a member that you called next to pass on the information.  You always for a year had the same person to call.  Kinda’ like the game “telephone”. BUT you ask what happened many times by the time information got passed on it got added information.  Or calls became lengthy when you got to “talking” with your prayer partner and the information was delayed.  So getting with the modern system all calls come to you and your responsibility is to pray…..And you say I don’t know how to pray….sure you do…. no one publicly is listening to your prayer and all you have to say is the person’s name that works cause God knows the need and he knows your heart…..So don’t delay contact the church office 845-1211 and sign up to be a prayer warrior or be added to the prayer chain system…..cause we all need prayers!

Kitchen Korner: Aspragus Salad - Dolly Lawler

Donald Arndts made this scrumptious salad and brought it to Pastor Tim Binns' going away potluck dinner Sunday, May 1, 2016.  We scraped the bowl (it was a large one) clean.  It was absolutely delicious.  I'm not only going to make it, I'm going to share it with all of you.  I heard several people asking Donald what all it had in it.  He emailed his recipe to me and here it is!

ASPARAGUS SALAD
 
Salad:
 
1 pound asparagus, trimmed and halved
6 cups halved cherry, grape, and pear tomatoes in varied colors
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
1 ripe avocado, cut into cubes
1 cup sliced basil leaves
 
Dressing:
 
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
½ tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. pepper
 
Directions:
 
1.  Boil asparagus in a large pot of salted water for 2 minutes.  Drain and rinse with cold water.
2.  Mix dressing ingredients.
3.  Mix asparagus with remaining veggies and feta in large bowl; add dressing and mix to coat evenly with dressing.

Enjoy, Dolly Lawler   
 
Please submit a favorite recipe to: lawlers@windstream.net

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Days Gone By - By Wanda Hess

When did our lives change from those families portrayed on TV shows like Andy Griffin Show, The Walton's, Brady Bunch, My Three Sons?  Watching these shows on the TV Land channel are a lot of fun in remembering how life was easy and safe. Children played in the yards, went to the park, went to school the doors were not locked……everyone felt safe.  If I remember right most of the old shows they either went to church or mentioned going to a church.  Family life together was important.  Dinner time at the table (without cell phones, tablets) was talking to each other.  There was morales and kindness to each others.  What happened? Where will society be when another 10 years goes by?
 
Burger King had a slogan  (Years ago!) “Have It Your Way” Hasn’t that been a mistake? Should we say “have it GOD’s way?  When GOD is in the picture don’t things and life go smoother.  When you hear reports of killings do you hear the report say and they were faithful members of “such and such” church.  I don’t recall church being mentioned. And I am talking about those who actually shoot not those souls who were shot.  It has been said we should put GOD back in school.  What about getting GOD back in the family? Proverbs 22:18 says Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.  Just think if you weren’t raised in the church you would right now not  be reading this church newsletter.  Once that church foundation is made it is planted in each of our minds.  Haven’t you heard people say ” I used to go to church”,” I do need to get back in the church”.  But you know sometimes that foundation can crumble around the corners and fall away but the main support is still there.  As is GOD in the church and in your homes and in your life.  The Bible says GOD will never leave us.
 
To answer the question should GOD be put back in school? He is there anyway.  If children are raised in church taught stories from the Bible they carry GOD with them no matter what public officials say.  In  Sunday School we teach you can pray to GOD anytime and anywhere.  My Aunt used to say she prayed to GOD thru good times just so when the bad times came GOD would remember her…..well of course we know GOD never leaves us.  But you get the jest of my Aunt’s message.
 
Marianne Williamson  - New York Times Best Selling Author said “ People are looking for hope today because the world is so filled with fear and chaos”.  If you get a chance read any of her books they are fabulous. Do we live in fear and chaos? How do we overcome that? What is the answer? Can we go back like those days of TV Land shows? 
 
In 2 Timothy 3:1 it tells us of the final days……after reading this scripture it certainly makes you think?
 
Have a blessed day and pass it on….even if it just your smile!

Kitchen Korner: Chocolate Gravy - By Dolly Lawler

Agnes Andrew gave this recipe to me for inclusion in a newsletter.  Although chocolate tantalizes the taste buds of most Americans big time, I am among the minority group that does not go ape over chocolate.  But I'll have to admit, this is sooooo delicious over biscuits.  It may turn me into a chocolate lover yet.

A couple weeks ago, I listened in on a conversation of a couple good friends of mine and "Chocolate Gravy" was their topic.  It seemed from their conversation, this is a 'must' if you have grandchildren.  Biscuits don't always have to be made from scratch to be good.  Serve this chocolate gravy over some Pillsbury Grands and I'll guarantee you'll end up a super mom or super grandma in the eyes of your little darlings.  (Don't forget, husbands go for chocolate too!)

CHOCOLATE GRAVY

3 Tbsp. Plain Flour
1 Tbsp. Cocoa (heaping)
½ C. Sugar
1 ½ C. Milk
1 Tbsp. Margarine or Butter

In heavy sauce pan, mix flour, cocoa, and sugar.
Add milk and cook until thick.
Stir in butter.  Add 1 tsp. vanilla if desired.
Serve over hot biscuits for breakfast.


Please submit a favorite recipe to: lawlers@windstream.net

Saturday, March 5, 2016

The Rapture - By Ken Lawler

Four days before Jesus died and rose again He said to His disciples, "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also" (John 14:3).  Most of us believe the second coming of Christ will be in two stages; first, in the air for the rapture of the church, then when He returns to the Mt. of Olives in Jerusalem at the end of the tribulation period.  The Bible gives numerous signs of things that will happen before the second stage of His return, but there is no specific sign before the rapture takes place.  All we're told is that "the coming of the Lord draweth nigh" (James 5:8), "the end of all things is at hand" (I Pet. 4:7), and that "the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night" (2 Pet. 3:10).  Probably the best description of the rapture comes from Paul in I Thess. 4:16-17.  Tim LaHaye, co-author of the Left Behind series, is concerned that more Christians appear to be looking for the antichrist than are looking for Christ's return.  The Bible plainly says He is returning (Acts 1:11).

Most of the prophecies of the last days relate to Daniel's 70th week (Dan. 9:27).  The book of Revelation identifies that week as the 7-year tribulation that will end "the times of the gentiles" and will usher in the Millennial Kingdom when the returned Lord will rule the earth for 1,000 years.  There is much controversy over when the rapture of the church will occur in relation to this Millennial Kingdom.  The five common doctrines being taught are:  Pretrib, Midtrib, Posttrib, Pre-wrath, and Partial Rapture.  The following is a brief look at each of these positions.

Pretribulationism.  This view, which I believe is the correct one, means the church will be raptured before the tribulation and will not go through the judgments prophesied in the book of Revelation.  Some of the scripture supporting this view are:  Rom. 5:9, I Thess. 1:10 & 5:9, and Rev. 3:10.  It's also interesting that the church is mentioned 19 times in the first 3 chapters of Revelation, but not once in chapters 4-18 where the tribulation is detailed.  Pretribs believe that's because the church is gone.

Midtribulationism.  This is the view that Christ will rapture the church in the middle of the tribulation.  These folks typically point to the number of passages placing emphasis on the midpoint of the tribulation, such as Dan. 9:27 and Rev. 13:5.  They believe when   I Thess. 5:9 says, "God hath not appointed us to wrath," it's talking about the really bad last 3 ½ years of the tribulation.  They also believe the two witnesses in Rev. 11 who are caught up to heaven are a "type" of the church, raptured midtrib.

Posttribulationism.  This view has the church raptured at the end of the tribulation at the same time Christ physically comes to earth to defeat the antichrist at Armageddon.  Their main scriptures are Acts 14:22, Rev. 3:10 (also used by pretribs), and Rev. 20:4-6.

The Pre-wrath View divides the tribulation into four 21-month periods.  They say since the word wrath does not appear in the book of Revelation until after the sixth seal judgment, God can wait to rapture the church until just before the seventh seal and still keep the church from actually experiencing God's wrath.  Ron Rhodes, president of Reasoning from the Scriptures Ministries, says, "I see a lot of wrath in Revelation long before the seventh seal is broken."  The pre-wraths don't cite any other scripture in favor of this opinion.

The Partial Rapture View teaches that only those believers who are watching and waiting for the Lord's return will be found worthy to escape the tribulation.  They say the "prepared and expectant" section of the church will be raptured, while the rest will go through the tribulation.  Their scriptural references for this belief include:  Matt. 19:28-30, Luke 9:62, Phil. 3:8-14, Rev. 2:11 & 3:5.  This view has the tribulation being used as a kind of purgatory for those "less-than-worthy" Christians.  You have to ignore an awful lot of scripture about how Christ's death paid for our sin to accept this view.  Erwin Lutzer, senior pastor of The Moody Church in Chicago, says, 'Everyone in the boat gets to the other side, even though some are rowing and some seem to just be along for the ride."

A "partial preterist" pastor in Tennessee who believes most of what's prophesied in Revelation has already happened has said to me, "I assume you are a futurist, dispensational premillennial, pretrib rapture person."  He left out fundamentalist and literalist, but I told him I was guilty as charged.
 

A Quilter: that would be me! - By Wanda Hess

I have always loved to sew.  If it be by hand or on the sewing machine.  I began with the doll clothes which I sewed by hand.  Barbie dolls needed many outfits to satisfy a little girl.  Then I found I could have a unique wardrobe when in high school and sewed my clothes.  During those days when you liked a boy you went “steady”. A fun thing to do was to wear shirts to match.  And yes it was on!  I made our shirts to match or a tie for him and a dress for me to match.  And after marriage and birth of children my sewing went back to little outfits for the children.    Now in my “golden years” I have found how to quilt.  If it be by hand or on the sewing machine.

Recently, I read a book called “Quilts are Forever , A patchwork collection of Inspirational Stories” by Kathy Lamanaousa.  It told how persons found comfort in quilts they received from family members or quilting itself.  From the very beginning of picking out fabric to deciding on a design to using a needle to make those tiny stitches.  Most gave their quilts away and all remembered the warmth they felt in the giving or if they received a quilt.

Perhaps you have been lucky one to receive a quilt.  A lot of time goes into making a quilt.  Time that a person puts into something for you and stops the time spent on “stuff” for the creator. A person puts a lot of their soul into a quilt.  And the person who receives a quilt can see and feel the love expressed in this masterpiece.

Kinda’ like GOD does for us.  We each are his masterpiece.  One that he spends a lot of time on.  He is the potter we are the clay it tells us in Jeremiah Chap.18.  Each of us had a life given to us by GOD.  We come in all sizes and shapes.  We grow from teachings from parents, grandparents, Sunday School teachers, School teachers, our Pastor, to have the knowledge on what a person should be.  Those persons are the patches in our life quilt.  While we often have no control over the pieces of fabric GOD gives us, we can decide in to what pattern we stitch that fabric.  And knowing GOD personally turns us out to be the masterpiece that he wants.  We take all those teachings and sew them together in our quilt of life.  But having GOD keeps those golden threads from breaking! Remember we reap what we sew!

Kitchen Korner - Cookies

These cookies are just called, COOKIES.  At home I refer to them as "Funeral Cookies."  Ken calls them "Jim-Dandies."  There's a reason for all three names.  First of all, Agnes Andrew gave me the recipe and she just had "Cookies" at the top of the recipe card.  I call them "Funeral Cookies" because that's where the recipe came from in the first place.  Ken calls them "Jim-Dandies" because Jim Andrew was the one who got the recipe from some person at the funeral home.  Are you confused yet?  I know I am.

However, Jim and Agnes served these cookies to us one day, along with a bunch of other goodies, and we found them very delightful.  Ken bragged and went on so about them until Agnes obviously felt sorry for him and sent a little bag of them home with us, (which Ken devoured in no time).

            Nothing doing, but Ken insisted I get the recipe.  I did and now I'm sharing it with you.  (You can name them whatever you want.)  The name "Jim-Dandies" has a good ring to it, don't you think?

COOKIES

1 Butter Pecan Cake Mix
2 Eggs
2/3 Cup Oil
1 Cup Craisins (Ocean Spray)
1 Cup Pecans
½ Cup White Chocolate Chips

Drop by spoonful on cookie sheet.  Bake 10-13 minutes in a 350° oven.

Please submit a favorite recipe to: Dolly Lawler @ lawlers@windstream.net

Monday, February 8, 2016

The Atonement - By Ken Lawler

This is the fourth part in the series on what I think was going on behind the scene on Passover, ca. 29 A.D.  Have you ever wondered why Jesus was in the grave 3 days & nights, or what His Spirit was doing while His body lay in the grave?  The short answer to what was going on is Atonement.  The word atonement is used 71 times in the Old Testament (O.T.) and 1 time in the New (N.T.).  In Hebrew it means "to cover over," in Greek it means "an adjustment of a difference, reconciliation, or restoration to favor."  An example of what this word means is seen in Gen. 6:14, where the word usually translated as atonement is translated "pitch."  Noah was told to "pitch it (the ark) within and without with pitch."  In that instruction the first use of pitch is "cover over," (atonement) and the second use of pitch is "bitumen" (asphalt).  He sealed, covered over, the wood planks and cracks with asphalt.
 
So all through the O.T. when an atonement was being made either by The Lord or by the priest it involved sacrificing an animal and using its blood "to cover over" sin.  The single N.T. usage in Rom. 5:11 says we (who have accepted Christ) have now received the atonement through our Lord Jesus Christ.  He died to take care of all those covered over sins and all of ours.  So all through the O.T., sheep, bulls and goats were sacrificed to cover over sin, yet Heb. 10:4 plainly says, "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins."  All those thousands of animals slain, from the one The Lord slew in Eden to cover Adam & Eve, to the lamb slain by the priest on the day Christ was crucified (a lamb was slain every morning at dawn), had covered sin but had not taken that sin away.  The slaying of Jesus Christ on the cross took away sins for everyone who accepts that sacrifice as an atonement for their sins.
 
Now, why three days?  Christ's death was the ultimate and final Passover, so we have to go to the first Passover in Egypt for the answer.  In Ex. 12, the final contest with Pharaoh, Moses and Aaron were told by The Lord to have every household take a male yearling lamb or goat from their flock on the 10th day of Nisan (April) which became Israel's New Year's Day, and keep it up until the 14th day.  The Hebrew day was the 24-hour period between two successive sunsets.  Their day began about 6pm, not at midnight.  We consider a day as day followed by night.  The Hebrew day began with night, followed by day.  In Gen. 1:5 it says, "the evening and the morning were the first day."  If they went out on the 10th and selected a lamb, shut it up and killed it on the 14th, it had been shut up 3 nights and 3 days.  This was to make sure there was nothing wrong with it.
 
Jesus said in Matt. 12:40 that He would be in the heart of the earth 3 days and 3 nights.  I don't think He expected us to do some funny math to verify that.  This may burst someone's bubble or stir up some controversy, but there is no way Good Friday works for the crucifixion.  There are all kinds of explanations, usually counting any portion, even a minute or two, of a day as a day and any portion of a night as a night.  Was Jonah in the fish 2 days and 2 nights plus a minute or two on either side?  I don't think so.  We know Jesus was crucified, dead and buried by 6pm.  We know He had risen by 6am Sunday.  The primary argument for Friday is that it was the preparation for the Sabbath.  Mark 15:42 says the day He was buried it was the preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath.  Luke 23:54 says that day was the preparation, and the Sabbath drew on.  John 19:31 says not only that it was the preparation, but "that Sabbath day was a high day."  This was no doubt what the Jews called "Shabbat HaGadol" (the "Great Sabbath").  It's the Sabbath immediately preceding Passover week, not the one that falls during its seven days.  The word high is "meg' as."  It was a mega-Sabbath, not an ordinary one, and the preparation for it could be several days, not just Friday.
 
Your math doesn't have to agree with mine, but here it is:
 
            6pm Wed - 6am Thu is 1 night
            6am Thu - 6pm Thu is 1 day
            6pm Thu - 6am Fri is 2 nights
            6am Fri - 6pm Fri is 2 days
            6pm Fri - 6am Sat is 3 nights
            6am Sat - 6pm Sat is 3 days
 
We don't know what time He arose, just that He had risen by the time Mary got there about daylight Sunday morning.  He could come out of the grave anytime during the night, between 6pm Saturday night and 6am Sunday morning, and would have been in the grave 3 days and 3 nights.
 
During those days and nights in the grave He was very busy, and you can bet Satan was too, trying his best to come up with some blemish that disqualified Jesus from being the atonement.  We know from Eph. 4:9-10 that during those days and nights He "descended into the lower parts of the earth," and Eph. 4:8 says the reason for that was "He led captivity captive."  All of those O.T. saints were in Abraham's Bosom, aka Paradise, Sheole, Hell. They could not go to Heaven when they died because their sins were only "covered up" by the blood of bulls & goats.  Jesus' blood, the ultimate atonement, took away their sins and He went down there and got them.  Paradise is no longer in Hell, it's in Heaven (Rev. 2:7).  If you read in Exodus about the priest's activities during Passover you can figure out that in addition to going down into Sheole, Jesus also had to go into Heaven, into God's throne room, and anoint the Mercy Seat with His blood.  In John 20:17 He tells Mary "Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father."  It's entirely likely that He was on His way to anoint the Mercy Seat when Mary first saw Him that morning.  Later that day He tells the disciples to "handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones," He was back after making the atonement.  He had a lot to do and was very busy those 3 days and nights.

WE ALL HAVE TO DO IT!!!! and the answer is DIE……..by Wanda Hess

Now you might be saying, “what is wrong with her writing about Death”.  But isn’t it a fact of life? We are born, we live and we die.  JOB tells us of a journey of no return Chapter 16:22.

In our yard we used to have a maple tree.  This tree was a very small tree when we moved into our house.  Through the years we watched that tree grow.  Beautiful leaves in the fall and drop when they died. The kids loved racking those leaves and jumping in them.  And then spring came and out those green leaves came.  There was a nice sturdy limb that held the rope for a swing.  And it became a playground for the kids.  A picnic table was a perfect spot there in the summer months in the shade of that maple tree.  Where many a picnic meals were shared or board games were played.  We watched that tree live and die through its growing stages of the life of a tree.  And now that tree is gone, but the memories of those activities around that tree are remembered.

The older I get I read the Obituaries, perhaps you do to.  Some are quite long and give you quite a picture of that person‘s life.  And what they meant to family and friends.  So what are they going to remember about you when you die?  Ecclesiastes 9 :5 talks about being forgotten after death.  It is not so much about what they write in your obituary.  But what would be remembered by family, children, grandchildren, and even your church family?

It’s not hard to sit down and make a list of your good traits but are you telling it all.  Is there room to change or make amendments of the bad traits.  GOD put you here on this earth for a purpose are you seeking his help and guidance of where you should be?  Your talents can be used in many ways that you might not have thought were meaningful but are. The feeling of working in the Bible School program at church or donating food to a church sponsored meal after a funeral.  Had you ever thought about those impressions on people see you in church on Sundays. To be remembered as a church goer wouldn't be all bad would it?

Just like our maple tree it grew, it bloomed, it was admired and missed when it was gone.  Are you blooming, can you be admired…or will you be missed when you are gone?

My prayer for you is don’t become stale in your life.  Do not become tired of working in the church or community.  Reach out to GOD on how to become the person that will be remembered fondly by others after you are gone.

JOB 18:17 talks about a name forgotten….don’t let your name be forgotten here on earth……

Kitchen Korner - BROCCOLI-CAULIFLOWER SOUP - by Dolly Lawler

My mom wasn't one to let us lick and/or taste before her cooking concoctions/creations were set on the table.  Sometimes Denny (my brother) and I would sneak a taste here and there, but for fear we'd get caught, we had to be pretty cagy.  I didn't think much about this soup recipe as I was chopping and preparing it; but after I cooked and put it on the table, and after Ken and I had eaten it for supper, I found it so scrumptious, I felt a strong temptation welling up in me to lick the pot, lick the bowls, and lick the spoons.  (Don't tell Mom.)  Even though I was full and couldn't eat another bite, I almost couldn't wait for another meal so I could eat the leftovers. (Don't let your children read this licking stuff I've written about.  It's very uncouth!)  But please try this soup; you and your family will love it.
 

BROCCOLI-CAULIFLOWER SOUP

2 cups broccoli (chopped)
2 cups cauliflower (chopped)
1 cup carrots (thinly sliced/chopped)
1 cup onions (chopped)
6Tbs. butter

In Dutch oven or large sauce pan, sauté vegetables in butter about 5 minutes.

      3 ½ cups milk
      2 tsp. chicken bouillon
      ½ tsp salt                                                        
      1/8 tsp. pepper

Mix milk, bouillon, salt and pepper; add to vegetables in sauce pan; simmer 5 minutes.

       ¼ cup flour
       ½ cup milk

 
  • Whisk flour and milk till smooth.
  • Add to simmering vegetable mixture.
  • Stir 1 to 2 minutes or until soup is thickened. 
  • Reduce heat.
  • Add 1&1/4 cups of cubed Velveta Cheese to vegetable mixture.
  • Stir till cheese is melted.
  • Remove from heat and serve immediately.
  • Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

Please submit a favorite recipe to:
Dolly Lawler at lawlers@windstream.net

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Jesus In The Tomb - By Ken Lawler

This is the third part in a series on what I think was going on behind the scene on Passover, ca. 29 A.D.  The first part was the in the garden article, the second was the on the cross article, now what was going on while Jesus' body was in the tomb.  Notice what I underlined above.  Second Peter 1:20 says, "No prophecy of the scripture is of anyprivate interpretation."  The Greek word translated private is idios (id'-ee-os), meaning pertaining to self, one's own, and private.  I'm pretty sure our English word idiot, idiotes in Greek, is related to this word.  If it is I hope you give me some slack.  I believe God deals in logic, and feel confident analyzing His activities in a logical manner.

The preparation for the crucifixion began in Eden when Adam & Eve disobeyed God.  For some reason the thing that seems to have bothered them most was being embarrassed about their nakedness, so they "sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons" (Gen. 3:7).  God's initial response was to demonstrate that man could not cover up his sin; only God can do that, so He killed an animal and made them clothes from the skin (Gen. 3:21).  Proof that Adam got the message that blood had to be shed to cover sin, and that he relayed it to his sons, is evident in Gen. 4, when God accepted Abel's animal sacrifice but did not accept Cain's "fruit of the ground" offering.  The fact that this was known to be the accepted form of worship is shown over and over through Noah (Gen. 8:20) and Abraham (Gen. 22:13); bringing us to the first Passover in Egypt (Ex. 12:11).  The bottom line with God is made plain in Ex. 12:13 when He said, "When I see the blood, I will pass over you."

Passover was established as a public worship service in Lev. 23, where it is called a feast, a holy convocation.  It began about sundown on the 14th of Abib, the Hebrew first month of the New Year (corresponding to approx. April on our calendar), and lasted 7 days.  The first Passover required each Hebrew family to kill a lamb or kid, dip a bunch of hyssop in the blood and paint both door posts and the lintel.  That's when God made the statement referenced above from Ex. 12:13.  Once the Tabernacle was assembled, and later when Solomon's Temple was constructed, the blood of the sacrifice was taken into the Holy of Holies and sprinkled on the Mercy Seat.  This Mercy Seat was the solid gold lid on the gold-plated box called the Ark (Ex. 37:6), a replica of the true Mercy Seat in God's throne in Heaven.  The ritual the High Priest went through to do this is explained in Lev. 16:14 in relation to the Day of Atonement.  He would dip his finger in the bowl of blood and sprinkle the Mercy Seat, then he would sprinkle blood seven times before the Mercy Seat (before means on the face of) in the direction from west to east.  That blood sprinkled on the Mercy Seat covered the people's sin from God's sight for one year.

Now what do I logically think was going on during those 3 days Jesus' body was in the tomb.  The first thing He did was go to His Father's throne and sprinkle His own blood on the Mercy Seat.  When He met Mary Magdalene in front of the tomb He said to her, "Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father" (John 20:17).  I'm convinced He would have sprinkled the Mercy Seat, then the face of it seven times, west to east, just like Aaron and dozens of other high priests had done it in the Temple for over 1500 years.  The big difference is His blood didn't cover up man's sin, it removed it "As far as the east is from the west," (Ps. 103:12); "And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more." (Heb. 10:17).  The second thing He did (as I discussed in the Jesus in Hell article back in Nov. 2014) was descend into the Paradise section of hell, as Paul tells us in Eph. 4:8-10, and Peter in I Pet. 3:19.  I'm sure Daniel and David and the old Prophets and all those who had died righteously under the previous dispensations were glad to see Him.  He told them who He was and what He had just done, preached the Gospel to them, and then led captivity captive.  Those two words are a play on the Greek word for a prisoner of war.  All those souls are now in Heaven where paradise has been relocated to (2 Cor. 12:4 & Rev. 2:7).

You may be recalling that Greek work idiotes, but that's what I think happened during those 3 days.  Next month I'll expand on this with an article called The Atonement.