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.

 

Prison Ministry fundraiser

The MBC Prison Ministry began in 1998 in answer to the calling found in Matthew 25: 36

“I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.”

The mission of the prison ministry is to give encouragement and hope to “the least of these”, which society deems worthless and undeserving. Without hope spirits die and lives spiral into ruin.

Lives can be touched and changed when what is given can’t be returned and what is received can’t be paid for.  This is accomplished by shining the love of Christ into the darkness and reclaiming territory lost to the enemy.

This ministry focuses on preparing offenders for reentry back into society.

• This accomplished in several ways: The ministry provides general chaplaincy operations which include counseling, administrative support, and religious programming for the 1050 men in the Sanders Estes Unit located in Venus, Texas.

• An annual distribution of Christmas gift bags to inmates each December.  In many instances, these gift bags are the only Christmas presents that some receive. To prepare for this event, we have a “Christmas in July” fundraiser throughout the month of July.

• The ministry hosts marriage seminars throughout the year to provide inmates who will soon be returning to their families a day with their spouse to reconnect and begin the reintegration process.  One wife commented that the seminar saved her marriage. 

• Finally, the ministry provides incarcerated veterans specialized trauma and benefit counseling and other special programs.  For example, inmates in the program lead Veteran’s and Memorial Day observances which give a sense of meaning and purpose to others.     One member once said that “I feel as if I am worth something again.” 

Currently, due to the pandemic, outside organizations are not able to enter the prison. However, the MBC Prison Ministry is working closely with Chains of Grace—another ministry that provides re-entry supervision and services for men and women coming out of incarceration—and plans to be ready with support and programming for inmates as soon as the prison reopens to visitors.

Contact Bill Curry at 972.951.3122 or chapcurry18@charter.net  if you’d like to know more or get involved.

https://chainsofgrace.org/