Pastor Don's Message

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=40 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" background="387785a3.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>Center Bethel Church of God, Alverton, PA</B></FONT><B>    </B><B> |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Center Bethel Church of God, Alverton, P"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id47.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Visitors Page"><U>Visitors Page</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About Us"><U>About Us</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id32.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Events News "><U>Events & News </U></A>   |   <A HREF="id19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Church Library"><U>Church Library</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Camp Sonrise Mt. and Grove Manor Homes"><U>Camp Sonrise Mt. and Grove Manor Homes</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id30.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Daily Devotional"><U>Daily Devotional</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id31.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Steps to Peace with God"><U>Steps to Peace with God</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id35.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U>Links</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id36.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Youth Page"><U>Youth Page</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id37.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Resources"><U>Resources</U></A>   |   <B>Pastor Don's Message</B>   |   <A HREF="id45.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="TO DO LIST"><U>TO DO LIST</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=180 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" background="51c64643.jpg"> <div> <A HREF="id21_building_history.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About Us"><U><IMG SRC="1b896500.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="80" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Center Bethel Church of God, Alverton, P"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id47.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Visitors Page"><U><B>Visitors Page</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id32.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Events News "><U><B>Events & News</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About Us"><U><B>About Us</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Church Library"><U><B>Church Library</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id35.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Relevant Links</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id36.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Youth Page"><U><B>Youth Page</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Camp Sonrise Mt. and Grove Manor Homes"><U><B>Camp Sonrise Mountain</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id23_grove_manor_homes.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Camp Sonrise Mt. and Grove Manor Homes"><U><B>Grove Manor Homes</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id37.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Resources"><U><B>When Life is Difficult</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id31.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Steps to Peace with God"><U><B>Steps to Peace with God</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id30.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Daily Devotional"><U><B>Daily Devotional</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id21_contact.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About Us"><U><B>Contact Us</B></U></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=440 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="51c64643.jpg"> <div> <I>Sunday Services</I></div> <div> <I><IMG SRC="51b20460.jpg" border=0 width="288" height="326" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="12" VSPACE="0"></I></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B> <A NAME="worship_services"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>8:00 and 10:30 am </B><B>Worship</B><B> Services</B></div> <div> Announcements</div> <div> Invocation</div> <div> Congregational Praise Hymn or Chorus</div> <div> Receive tithes and offerings</div> <div> Children's Message</div> <div> Congregational Prayer Hymn</div> <div> Prayer Requests and Prayer</div> <div> Special Music <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#003300" FACE="Comic Sans MS" >(*Choir 10:30 Service)</FONT></div> <div> Scripture Reading</div> <div> Pastor's Message</div> <div> Congregational Hymn</div> <div> Benediction</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B> <A NAME="sunday_school"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>9:00 - 9:30 am  - Coffee Time</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>9:30 am Sunday School</B></div> <div> Classes for Nursery, Kindergarten, Primary and Primary 2, Jr. High, Sr. High,</div> <div> Ladies and Men's (all ages),  Three Classes for Singles and Couples (All Ages)</div> <bR> <div> <B> <A NAME="cgya"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>6:00 pm </B>(except Summer) <B>Jr. and Sr. SHEMA (</B>CGYA Church of God Youth Association)</div> <div> Two age groups for youth activities.</div> <bR> <div> <B>*Our Choirs:  Sr Choir</B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#003300" FACE="Comic Sans MS" ><B> (ages 18 yrs+)</B></FONT><B>, Youth Choir</B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#003300" FACE="Comic Sans MS" ><B> (ages 12 - 18)</B></FONT><B>, God's Choir</B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#003300" FACE="Comic Sans MS" ><B> (ages 6 - 11)</B></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="pastors_message_1_1_1"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="5389da00.jpg" border=0 width="157" height="160" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="9" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>Thoughts on the Word:  John 14:6</B></div> <bR> <div> <I>Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through placeStateme.(NIV)</I></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Way of salvation</B></div> <div> Discussions with people through the years, before and after becoming a pastor, have provided a wide range of views on the way of salvation or the way to heaven.  It has puzzles me that the range doesn't narrow much when I just consider what is said by church people.  The verse quoted above is very clear as to the way of salvation, so why is there such a broad range of views in the church.</div> <bR> <div> Some church people demand strict obedience to the Law.  They insist that true followers of Christ obey the Law of God.  Close to this concept are those who require that only those that hold to their understanding of God's Word are saved.  This view inserts an `if' to what Jesus said in this passage.  “No one to the Father except through me” if they . . .  This concept is not a new one, Paul wrote letters about this and had a disagreement with Peter over adding the requirements of the Jewish Law on the Gentile Christians.  </div> <bR> <div>           Other church people are content to accept that Jesus is a way of salvation, but are open to the possibility that there may be other ways.  They indicate that we need to be tolerant of other belief systems.  This view adds an `and' to what Jesus said in this passage.  “No one comes to the Father except through me” and  . . . Even though I may respect another person's belief system, the Bible tells us that it cannot lead to salvation.  Heaven is not a place on a map that allows you to choose the route to reach it, nor is it a hub with all spokes ending in the same place.  It is more like a peninsula with only one way to reach it, as Jesus said, He is the only way.  No `and' in the statement.</div> <bR> <div> Yet other church people hold that God's love is so great that He will not condemn anyone.  They gently assert that God's desire is that no one should perish, so He will provide for everyone to come to Him.  They continue that we can't know the condition of a person's heart when they go into the presence of God.  This view tags implies a `but' in the passage.  “No one comes to the Father except through me”  but . . . They present qualities and desires of God that are true, but ignore the qualities holiness and justness God and as such eliminate the purpose of Jesus Christ and the choice God has provided each person.  Christ said that there is a narrow road to life and a wide highway that leads to death (Matt 7:13-14).</div> <div>                          </div> <div>                               Pastor Don</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>FOOD FOR THOUGHT….</B></div> <div> <B> If you're spiritually alive, you're going to love this!</B></div> <div> If you're spiritually dead, you won't want to read it.</div> <div> If you're spiritually curious, there is still hope…</div> <bR> <div> <B>Why Go To Church?</B></div> <div> <B> </B></div> <div> A Churchgoer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday. “I've gone for 30 years now,” he wrote, “and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons. However, for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them. So, I think I'm wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all.”</div> <div>  </div> <div> This started a real controversy in the `Letters to the Editor' column much to the delight of the editor. It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher. “I've been married for 30 years now.  In that time, my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. However, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals. However, I do know this…they all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work.  If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today. Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!”</div> <div>  </div> <div> When you are DOWN to nothing…God is UP to something! Faith see the invisible, believes the incredible and received the impossible! Thank God for our physical AND our spiritual nourishment!</div> <div>  </div> <div> All right, now that you're done reading, send it on! I think everyone should read this! When Satan is knocking at your door, simply say, “Jesus, could you get that for me?”</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Center Bethel Church of God, Alverton, P"><U>Home</U></A>    <A HREF="id47.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Visitors Page"><U>Visitors Page</U></A>    <A HREF="id32.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Events News "><U>Events & News</U></A>    <A HREF="id21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About Us"><U>About Us</U></A>    <A HREF="id19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Church Library"><U>Church Library</U></A>    <A HREF="id35.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U>Relevant Links</U></A>    <A HREF="id36.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Youth Page"><U>Youth Page</U></A>    <A HREF="id23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Camp Sonrise Mt. and Grove Manor Homes"><U>Camp Sonrise Mountain</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id23_grove_manor_homes.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Camp Sonrise Mt. and Grove Manor Homes"><U>Grove Manor Homes</U></A>    <A HREF="id37.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Resources"><U>When Life is Difficult</U></A>    <A HREF="id31.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Steps to Peace with God"><U>Steps to Peace with God</U></A>    <A HREF="id30.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Daily Devotional"><U>Daily Devotional</U></A></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>