Archive for 2020

 

Sermon Recap from 7/19/2020:

Series: Persisting in Passing the Baton of Faith—A Study of 2nd Timothy

Week 2 Title: CONNECTING TO THE CAUSE

Passage: 2 Timothy 1:8-18

Five M’s

1. Mandates

• Do not be ashamed
• Share in suffering
• Follow the pattern of sound words
• Guard the good entrusted deposit

2. Message

3. Models

4. Motivation

5. Means

Application:

Guard your deposit of gospel ministry by:

• Walking by the Spirit
• Keeping your eye on the prize
• Following good models
• Participating in your ministry calling

Thoughts:

I don’t think Mike mentioned it from the pulpit, but we had company last weekend.  David and Carol Sue Merkh of the Word of Life Seminary in Brazil stayed with us for a couple of nights on their way to visit their son and his family at Lackland AFB.  Those names may not sound familiar, but Carol Sue is the sister of MBC missionary, David Cox, and she is also former MBC pastor Dave Wyrtzen’s niece!  Our connection to Carol Sue is really what brought our family down to try Midlothian Bible Church!

I write all this because David and Carol Sue could not have picked a better weekend to visit since one of the themes of Sunday’s message was to find and follow good models.  Early on in our marriage, David and Carol Sue served as models to us of godly faith, service, and family in—of all places—Mount Laurel, New Jersey!  Mike met with David weekly for Bible study and mentoring. Together, Mike and I enjoyed participating in a Bible study for young couples which usually included games and food—both of which were Carol Sue’s forte.  In addition, they provided a tangible example of what parenting and home-schooling looked like at a time when we were far from our families.  Here’s another interesting detail—during the year they poured into Mike and me, they were on furlough!!!  Let that sink in for a minute.  They found time to pour into us during a year they were supposed to be getting refreshed from their lives in the mission field of Brazil.

Mike’s message from 2 Timothy had, as one of its themes, the importance of good models. At its core, 2 Timothy is a letter from an older man to his son in the faith to encourage him to “follow the pattern” of Paul and his “sound words” (2 Tim 1:13).   But make no mistake, the call for mentors to model godly living rings for both men and women.  Here are some more examples of good and bad models from my life:

Good–

• The wife of one of Mike’s mentors at the Air Force Academy showed me how to doctor 8 boxes of Betty Crocker scalloped potatoes and make them appear home-made so she could serve 25 or so cadets who just “happened” to show up at their house one Sunday afternoon after attending services at the Cadet Chapel.  She modeled how to adapt and be flexible while remaining gracious and patient. 
• Another pastor and his wife took Mike and me out to lunch every Sunday after church–never asking or expecting us to pay. Every. Sunday.  They modeled true generosity.  In addition, the wife would meet me at least once-a-week at a local ceramics studio to paint knick-knacks–not because she needed more junk to set out at Christmas–but because she knew as an 18 year-old newlywed,  I needed a safe place to talk and work through important issues like how to love my husband well and what godly submission looks like.  As you can probably imagine, we spent a lot of time on that.
• Some of our dearest friends and models are a couple now living in Oklahoma. The gentleman was a teacher at the College of Biblical Studies in Houston, and he started mentoring Mike and teaching him Greek in 2000.  They are in their eighties now and are still fervently serving the Lord. They somehow find time to call and visit us regularly and are pseudo-grandparents to all four of our children.

Bad examples of modeling, but examples nonetheless—

Once, a woman told me she could “mentor me,” after I asked, but she would not be able to acknowledge me in public—even to say, “Hello.” She worried it might compromise her husband’s reputation if people on our Air Force base knew they had friends who were lower-ranking. I quickly re-evaluated my request and assured her I really didn’t need a mentor after all.  She modeled how people could hurt others by placing too much value on worldly honors and positions.

A pastor we had in Virginia told Mike and me after the service one morning when we asked if he and his wife wanted to go out to lunch with us, “Just so you know up front, I don’t have any extra time to invest in anyone right now.  And my wife is very private.”  About 10 years later, Mike heard him give a message about how at “his church” they made sure mentoring was a priority. Ironically, he was a model to us that pastors should be very careful what they preach.

 

So there you have it. Examples of both. Here are a couple of thoughts. For starters, none of them were perfect. But they were available. They did life with us. They were generous with what they had. Sometimes that showed itself as financial generosity. Sometimes, they were generous with their time. They never made us feel like an imposition.  And here’s one more thing– even though they were clearly our “mentors,” they never made the relationship feel one-sided.  Whether they faked it or not, the models I loved the most somehow still made me feel like I was contributing something to the relationship.  Lesson? Nobody wants to be someone else’s charity project.

I think this passage from 2 Timothy fits in perfectly with MBC’s vision for 2020.  (And believe it or not, we’re already over halfway through 2020!)  It’s really not much of a stretch to see that a good “discipleship” relationship will also include some good modeling.  So be in prayer this week–set your alarm for 1:11pm, like many of us who are on staff do– that in 2020, God will give you:

• One person to share the gospel with
• One person that would believe the gospel
• One person to disciple/model in 2021

Noteworthy:

MBC At-Large:

• The elders have decided that we will continue live-streaming only until the end of July.  Mike Hogue will be bringing the message the next two weeks, and we hope you will join us—either live on YouTube or by watching some other time during the week.  To view this week’s message, click here or copy and paste the following address into your browser window anytime after 10:30am this Sunday morning!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G675AeX7nw4
• Be sure to send us your prayer requests by clicking here so we can lift you up as a staff.  We want to be the prayer warriors supporting you like the ones Paul mentions in 2 Timothy 1:3-5!

•  

Fitness & Fellowship:

• Ladies!  If you’re interested in some exercise and encouragement, join us Monday afternoons at 4:30pm or Tuesday/Thursday mornings at 9am.  All women ages 14 and up are invited.  Monday and Thursday have a cardio emphasis, and on Tuesdays, we focus on strength and stretching.  No experience or $$$ required.  Just bring yourselves and be ready to work!

Christmas in July:

•  There is only one full week left in July, so let’s see if we can help Bill Curry reach his goal of $3500 to provide Christmas gift bags to every inmate at the Sanders Estes Correctional Unit in Venus.  So far, over $1500 has been donated, which means they have about $2000 left to go.  Remember Jesus’ words about the final judgment from Matthew 25:36, “I was in prison and you came to me.”  Most people can’t enter a prison to do the work of the gospel, but thanks to his connections, Bill Curry can. Please consider giving to this effort to bring the real message of Christmas to these inmates by selecting “Christmas in July” from the online giving drop-down menu. Or you can just send in a check to the church with “Christmas in July” in the subject line. I first got involved in this ministry myself three years ago. It’s good work, and I can honestly say I’m different now for it.

 

Blankets for BESTWA:

• • This has been an extremely encouraging week as several people have stepped up to donate the remaining items on our wish-list!  We will be assembling the “Clean Birth Kit” bags sometime next week.  If you’re interested in helping with this project (you will need to wear a mask) please email the church office (click here).  Technically, our initiative doesn’t need to end just because we met our goal!  If you still feel led to donate, please keep bringing new/gently-used receiving blankets or twin sheets to the church.  We will be sending them with Andy on his next trip to Liberia.  However, if enough are donated, BESTWA will rent a shipping container to get them over the ocean!  Let’s see if we can make them do it

Minor Prophets:

• Join Pastor Mike Hogue on Zoom this week at 6pm for a study of the book of Habakkuk.  Mike has a special affinity for this prophet.  Join the study Sunday evening to find out why!

I told you that God was going to do something with this study of 2 Timothy!!!  While we miss worshiping with you in person, we hope you will stay connected to us by participating in the live-stream or by remaining involved in your LIFE group.  As always, if you have any prayer requests, or if you need anything at all, please feel free to contact the church office.  Call 972-723-0002 or click here to send me an email.  I’d love to hear from you!

In service to Him and to you!
Heather Hogue

 

Sermon Recap from 7/12/2020:

Persisting in Passing the Baton of Faith—A Study of 2nd Timothy

Week 1 (7/12/20): Fanning Low Embers of Ministry

Scripture passage: 2 Timothy 1:1-8

Situation & Setting

• Writer — Paul
  • Cling to the promises of God in the face of fear
• Recipient—Timothy
• Occasion—So Timothy would not fear or be timid

How do we help fan the flame of timid & fearful minister?

• Give encouragement that reminds people of their resources for gospel ministry
• Offer exhortation that inspires people to move forward in dependence on the Holy Spirit

Overview of 2nd Timothy:

• Guard the Gospel (2 Tim. 1:14)
• Endure hardships over the Gospel (2 Tim. 2:3)
• Continue living out the Gospel (2 Tim. 3:14)
• Share the Gospel (2 Tim. 4:2)

Thoughts:

I’ve heard that the way the Lord works in the world is like how a Master Weaver creates a tapestry on a loom.  That became very apparent to me as I sat here writing this update.  The first “thread” in my mind was the fact that I was writing a sermon recap on a series Pastor Matt entitled “Persisting in Passing the Baton of Faith.”  I realized the second “thread” was the fact that today was Midlothian Bible Church’s 47th anniversary.  Forty-seventh anniversary!!!   Passing the baton of faith through 47 years of effective ministry!!!  God wove those two threads together well, don’t you think?

I’m not going to pretend to have had a part in our church’s history (Mike and I joined in 2014 and came on staff just last summer).  To discover more about our church’s heritage, you’ll have to talk Dan & Jeannie Baucum, Kim Lewis, Leah Austin, most of the Ambassadors’ LIFE group, and many others.  However, I did have the honor of attending the homegoing of Ella Curry this past week.  She was a founding matriarch of MBC.  When Dave Wyrtzen described how she and others used to meet and pray in a circle as a home Bible study, I felt like I was looking down on that small group of believers from above—almost like Scrooge and the ghost of Christmas past in Charles Dickens’ famous play, “A Christmas Story.”

I bet there were times that Ella Fern, as Pastor Dave affectionately referred to her, and the other founding members of MBC had the “happy feet” Matt talked about in his message.  My guess is that they suffered “hits” to their faith.  There were probably times they struggled with moving forward.  However, Ella and the others pressed on through whatever fear they might have had and continued to build the kingdom of God here in Midlothian.  What a legacy!  And what a great illustration of people who did not give up on passing the baton of faith.

We’re in a difficult time right now. In fact, if our present condition was a football field, the COVID challenge and the racial unrest in our country would certainly appear as HUGE and insurmountable linebackers–like one of Mike’s favorites Mean Joe Green of the Pittsburgh Steelers.  However, you are not playing for just any team!  And you don’t have just any coach!!! 

Think of it this way: Our coach is the Lord Jesus and the battle is already won!!! We are in the 4th quarter, and there are only minutes left.  We just have to hang in there and keep playing. We know you are struggling.  We know you are lonely. We know you want to meet again.  We do, too.  Just keep getting up to play.  Keep stepping up to the line.  Keep reaching for the ball.  Resist the urge to give in to fear or despair.  Resist the urge to have “happy feet.”  We can do this.  We can finish strong.  Just like Ella Curry and the other saints that have gone before her.

 

How do we do this when it feels like it’s just too much?  Just like Timothy couldn’t do it alone, neither can we.  The suggestions to invest in a godly mentor (vs 1:3-5), fall back on the influence of a godly family if you have one (3:14-15) , and tap into the power of the Holy Spirit (vs. 1:6-7) that Matt pulled out of 2 Timothy 1:1-8 are just as much for us as they were for Timothy.

Noteworthy:

MBC At-Large:

• The elders have decided that we will continue live-streaming only until the end of July.  Mike Hogue will be bringing the message the next two weeks, and we hope you will join us—either live on YouTube or by watching some other time during the week.  To view this week’s message, click here or copy and paste the following address into your browser window anytime after 10:30am this Sunday morning!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G675AeX7nw4
• Be sure to send us your prayer requests by clicking here so we can lift you up as a staff.  We want to be the prayer warriors supporting you like the ones Paul mentions in 2 Timothy 1:3-5!

MBC Students:

• THIS Thursday, July 16 from 7-9:00pm, MBC Students will have an “Outdoor Games/Water Night”!  They will have gaga ball, corn-hole, nine-square, volleyball, and a water slide!  Please contact Leah Austin (click here) for more information.  Also, MBC Student Ministry team is super-excited about the upcoming “ONE Weekend” retreat July 30th -August 2nd which will now be held at Camp Lebanon in Cedar Hill!  Look for an email from Leah Austin describing all the fun activities they have planned and other details.  Finally, they will have a meeting for parents on Monday, July 20th, at 7:00pm in the youth room and they’d love to have all parents attend!  If you have questions about these or any other MBC Student activities, please contact Leah Austin using the link above.

Fitness & Fellowship:

• Our free Fitness & Fellowship classes for women ages 14 and up are back!!!  Come at 4:30pm Mondays or 9am Thursdays for Cardio/Step/Interval training and 9am Tuesdays for a Strength and Stretching workout.  Contact the church office by clicking here for more info.

Christmas in July:

• This month, we are collecting a special offering to support Bill Curry’s effort to provide over 1000 Christmas gift bags (which include a clear presentation of the gospel message) to the inmates at the Sanders Estes prison in Venus.  Supplies for these gift bags cost approximately $3500.  Please consider donating a special gift for this important outreach ministry by giving online and selecting “Christmas in July” or by sending in a check to the church with “Christmas in July” in the subject line.  Click here to email Chaplain Bill Curry for more information.

 

Blankets for BESTWA:

• We are still be collecting new or gently-used receiving blankets (flannel preferred), twin sheets (cotton preferred), quart-size Ziploc bags, rubber gloves, single-use Neosporin/antibiotic ointment sachets, hotel-size bars of soap, stethoscopes (new or used), or blood pressure cuffs.  Call ahead (972-723-0002) and then drop off your items in the church office.

Minor Prophets:

• Join Pastor Mike Hogue on Zoom this week at 6pm for a study of the book of Habakkuk.  Mike has a special affinity for this prophet.  Join the study Sunday evening to find out why!

With the way this update came together, I can’t wait to see what God will teach me this week from 2 Timothy.  I hope you’re ready for a great series!  I know I am! In service to Him and to you,
Heather Hogue

 

Sermon Recap from 7/5/2020:

JONAH: God’s Great Mercy   

Title: A Compassionate Mercy 

Passage: Jonah 4:1-10 

Scene 1: Jonah’s response  (vs.1-4) 

Scene 2: God teaches (vs.5-9)

• Jonah’s heart exposed (vs. 10-11) 
  • Jonah is self-righteous 
    • Self-righteous people have a hard time extending grace and mercy to other although they demand it for themselves.  
    • Self-righteous people present themselves as the standard. 
    • Self-righteous people judge others and assume God will measure up to their expectations. (Crawford Loritts) 
  • Jonah is self-centered  

Two Questions: 

1. Who do you reflect more–Jonah or God? 

• If you are not reflecting God… 
  • Repent 
  • Remember His mercy on you
  • Request His help to reflect Him 

 

2.       Who are your Ninevites? Who do you not want to see mercy poured out upon?  

Thoughts:

Matt’s message this past Sunday really hit home for me.  Unfortunately, when it comes to extending mercy and forgiveness to others I see myself reflecting Jonah more often than I would like.  For example, I’ve gotten mad at Mike when he didn’t respond to one of my “very important” texts right away, but then expect I him to be gracious with me and “let it go already” when the tables are turned, and I overlook one of his texts.

This brings me to something I learned in the Minor Prophets Bible study.  About a month ago, Mike taught an overview of the book of Jonah, and he drew our attention to the Hebrew word chara. 

This word appears several times in the book. It usually means to become hot or kindled, but it can also mean angry.  This pairing of heat and anger in the Hebrew word chara is similar to how we pair the idea of being hot and angry in English when we use phrases such as, “He is so hot-tempered!” or “I was hot when I found out the mechanic over-charged me for the repair.”  

In Jonah 4:1, when Jonah reacts to God’s mercy on the Ninevites, the verse reads “But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was chara.”  So we can read that as Jonah was hot, angry, or some combination of both. And after Jonah finishes ranting about how he knew the Lord would relent and have mercy on the people of Nineveh in verse 2, the Lord says, “Do you do well to be chara?”  In other words, “Is it good for you to be hot/angry over this?” and Jonah does not respond.  (Side note: Was this one of the first instances in the Bible of giving someone giving someone else the “silent treatment”?  Perhaps!  Beware–it didn’t end well.)

Then we read that Jonah sulks away and climbs a hill which overlooks the city of Nineveh.  God–in His grace– appoints a plant to grow and give Jonah some shade.  The plant dies and Jonah begins to suffer from the heat.  So much so the Bible says “that he [Jonah] would faint.”  Here’s the interesting play of words: God again says to Jonah in verse 9, “Do you do well to be chara—hot/angry for the plant?” And Jonah said, “Yes, I do well to be chara. Chara (hot/angry) enough to die.”  The irony is that he was both angry that the plant had died and he was really hot—like sitting in the mezzanine section at the old Globe Life Park hot.  It’s as if God was saying, “You might have thought you just were just hot (as in angry) before.  Let’s see how you fare when I take away your shade and turn up the temperature.” 

God used the plant to teach Jonah a lesson. Jonah already knew God is “a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster (4:2).”  God extends mercy and forgiveness to all—even to those we think don’t deserve it.  Jonah needed to learn a lesson about his heart’s temperature.  He didn’t realize he needed to “chill out” and extend the same cool shade of mercy to the Ninevites that God had extended to him through the plant.

Bottom line: the hot anger of self-righteousness cannot coexist with the cool and refreshing forgiveness and mercy that God provides.  We can’t hold on to anger when we are wronged because God Himself extends the ultimate mercy and grace to us.  While we were still sinners.  With no strings attached.  And like Corrie ten Boom said when the prison guard who tormented her sister asked for forgiveness, “Was I going to ask for more?”

I went and did some more research into Corrie ten Boom and found another quote that was interestingly relevant.  She wrote, “Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart.”  So the next time you find your heart hot with self-righteous anger, remember Jonah.  We, too, have turned and gone the opposite way God was calling us at times.  Yet, God extended us forgiveness, grace, and mercy to us through Christ—nothing else required.  Let’s not let the temperature of our hearts get the better of us when He has called us to forgive.

Noteworthy

MBC at-large:

• We will be live-streaming the worship service this Sunday at 10:30am.  Click here to be directed to our YouTube channel or copy and paste the following address into your browser:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bgs8D_8H5T4
• Be sure to email your prayer requests to the church office so we can pray for you by clicking here.

MBC Students:

• MBC Students will be returning to Wednesday night meetings in host homes starting this Wednesday, July 15th.  Look for an email from Leah Austin for locations of meeting because some group locations have changed.  Be sure to register for “ONE Weekend” in Realm.  If your family is interested in providing housing to a small group for this event, please let Leah, Zeke, or Corbin know (click here).

Fitness & Fellowship

• Our free Fitness & Fellowship classes for ages 14 and up will begin again on Monday, July 13th.  Come at 4:30pm Mondays or 9am Thursdays for Cardio/Step/Interval training and 9am Tuesdays for a Strength and Stretching workout.  Contact the church office by clicking here for more info.

Christmas in July

• July is traditionally the month we collect a special offering to support Bill Curry and the Venus Prison Ministry.  Last year, Bill and members of MBC provided over 1000 Christmas gift bags (which included a clear presentation of the gospel message) to the inmates at the Sanders Estes prison in Venus.  Those gift bags cost approximately $3500.  Please consider donating a special gift for this important outreach ministry by giving online and selecting “Christmas in July” or by sending in a check to the church with “Christmas in July” in the subject line.  Click here to email Chaplain Bill Curry for more information.

Blankets for BESTWA

• While we had to cancel our Women’s sewing event for July 12th, we will still be collecting new or gently-used receiving blankets (flannel preferred), twin sheets (cotton preferred), quart-size Ziploc bags, rubber gloves, single-use Neosporin/antibiotic ointment sachets, hotel-size bars of soap, stethoscopes (new or used), or blood pressure cuffs for some time.  Call ahead (972-723-0002) and then drop off your items in the church office.

Thank you again for showing us grace as we seek the best ways to minister to you all during these strange times and circumstances.  

In service to Him and to you,
Heather Hogue

Isaiah 8:11-12 For the Lord spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. 

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.