05 14 WH PG 13AChurch
13A
Wednesday, MAY 14, 2014 • The White Hall Journal • www.whitehalljournal.com
RELIGION
EVENT SUBMISSIONS Email to: [email protected] or by fax to: 870-247-4755 limited to: • 20 words or less per event and • subject to content editing and space availability.
QUESTIONS? Contact Editor Stephanie Fischer at 870-673-8533 ext. 210 or [email protected]
The Simplicity of the Gospel By Stephen Harrison Family Church
1 Corinthians 2:1-5 is a clear example of how God uses people not based on their talent or ability but on their obedience and willingness to have the Gospel shared through them. Let’s take a look at this passage one verse at a time. In verse one, Paul says, “And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.” Now Paul, being a Pharisee and rabbi, was a very educated man and could have dazzled everyone there with fancy rhetoric and philosophies. He knew Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic and Latin. He was trained by the famous rabbi Gamaliel himself. Great speeches were very common in Paul’s day as Greek orators often spoke with extensive quotations, alluring illustrations, and witty charm. But Paul rejected that approach. He simply proclaimed the “testimony about God.” He preached God’s testimony, not his
own. That testimony is simply the power of the Gospel. Verse 2 says, “For I determined to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” Paul made a conscious decision to preach Jesus a certain way and preach certain things about Christ. There were many worthwhile topics Paul could have preached about but none were greater than Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. That was the central message of his ministry and should be ours as well. Why? This is because all other doctrines pivot on the Gospel. While he obviously did preach other doctrines, they all hinged on the fact that Jesus paid the ultimate penalty of death on the cross to deliver us from our sins. Verse 3 says, “I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling.” Paul recognized and felt the weighty message of the Gospel and the humility he must possess while delivering it. I always get nervous when I preach. Not necessarily because of the crowd but because I don’t want to mess up or misrepresent the
Gospel and Word of God. It’s sort of a “holy nervousness” that I hope to never lose. I’m not just speaking to people; I’m speaking on behalf of God. I’m humbled God would use me to proclaim Him. Verse 4 shows us Paul’s heart behind his sermons, “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power.” Paul didn’t try to impress the crowd with his polished preaching style, extensive vocabulary, or impressive knowledge. According to history, he also wasn’t much to look at being short, balding, and bowlegged. So what made his preaching so effective? Verse 5 reminds us Paul’s preaching style was based on God, not him - “So that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.” Paul was clear the power of God was and is displayed in the cross of Christ (1 Corinthians 1:18). Paul isn’t saying we should use our gifts, abilities, personality or wisdom when preaching. We must, however, remember they all come from God and we cannot rely on
them to change lives. Only God transforms people through the demonstration of the Spirit’s power in the simple yet life-changing message of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. We preachers must be careful not to elevate our messages beyond the comprehension of our congregations in attempts to look smart and teach “deep”. Confusion never changed anyone’s life but the cross does. Deep doesn’t mean confusing and burdensome. The message of the cross isn’t difficult. While gloriously mysterious, Jesus was not so complex as to leave people jumbled, bewildered, and disoriented. Jesus was a carpenter. The New Testament was written in the common language of the people, Koine Greek. The Word of God was never meant to be delivered in a lofty and complex manner. We should not seek to be shallow either and rob the Word of its true richness and depth. Just remember the simplicity of Gospel-centered preaching is the heart Paul had and modeled for all preachers.
Stephen Harrison Senior Pastor Family Church 2500 Hwy 104 870.247.3300 www.familychurch.ws
Page Sponsors
LC LCS of AR, Inc. S
Lord Construction Services
General Construction Metal Building Sales Industrial Maintenance
247-2341
All Certifications MBMA AISC
5210 Industrial Drive South
“Dedicated to Your Health, Happiness, and Well-Being”
White Hall
Nursing & Rehab Center
9209 Dollarway Rd. White Hall, AR 71602 870-247-0800 Fax 870-247-0802
EVENT NOTICES: • WH United Methodist Church | 300 Church Drive • Day By Day Support Group for Parents who’ve suffered the death of a child.
WElCH Nissan New & Previously Owned Cars & Trucks
It meets the first Thursday of every month and begins at 6:30 p.m. in the parlor.
First United Methodist 200 W6th Pine Bluff 535-0935
All meetings are private.
Self Defense Course - How Not To Become A Victim, will be held on Saturday, June 14,
Moore
APOSTOLIC CoRNeRSToNe APoSTolIC CHuRCH 9500 Dollarway Road
ASSEMBLY OF GOD FIRST ASSeMBlY oF GoD 801 W. Hoadley Rd.
BAPTIST Calvary Baptist Church 1214 Robin Rd CANAAN BAPTIST 5510 W. Malcomb St. CeNTRAl BAPTIST 6107 Dollarway Rd. ClAuD RoAD BAPTIST CHuRCH 1821 Claud Rd. FIRST BAPTIST WHITe HAll 8708 Dollarway Rd. FIRST BAPTIST DeWDRoP 1707 N. Bryant St. HAPPY HoMe BAPTIST 4312 Hwy. 365 South Jefferson HARDIN BAPTIST 300 Todd Lynn Dr. KeARNeY BAPTIST 1900 S. Hwy. 365 Redfield MARANATHA BAPTIST 5820 W. Holsey Ave. MT. olIve BAPTIST 8523 Princeton Pike NoRTHSIDe BAPTIST 7743 Sheridan Rd.
oAK GRove BAPTIST 13112 Dollarway Rd. PINe GRove BAPTIST 110 S. Bryant St. SHIloH BAPTIST 13701 Hwy. 270 uNITeD BAPTIST CHuRCH 411 S. Oleander St.
METHODIST
Redfield
ReDFIelD uNITeD Redfield
SOUTHERN BAPTIST
ST. luKe AMe 9908 Princeton Pike ST. luKe uNITeD 32 School Street (behind Dollarway School) ST. luKe AMe Redfield
CHURCH OF CHRIST CHuRCH oF CHRIST 102 Sheridan Rd. Redfield
WHITe HAll uNITeD 300 Church Dr. White Hall, AR 71602
WHITe HAll CHuRCH oF CHRIST 304 White Hall Ave.
MISSIONARY BAPTIST
CHURCH OF GOD BARNeS TeMPle CHuRCH oF GoD Princeton Pike Loop eTeRNAl lIFe CHuRCH oF GoD 503 S. Pryce St.
BeTHANY 7122 Sheridan Rd. leMoNWooD 920 Shephard Dr. MouNT PleASANT 3211 Barlett Rd. Redfield NeW BeTHel 2522 N. Pryce St.
FIRST PeNTeCoSTAl CHuRCH oF GoD 5400 Windham St.
oAKlAND HeIGHTS 9620 Sheridan Rd.
NeW HARveST CHuRCH oF GoD 9016 Hwy. 270
oRIoN 3826 Stagecoach Rd. Redfield
PeNTeCoSTAl CHuRCH oF GoD 1012 Jo Ann Dr. Redfield RIveR RoAD RIveR oF lIFe CHuRCH oF GoD 1209 River Rd. Redfield
JEHOVAH’S WITNESS JeHovAH’S WITNeSSeS 5601 Cheatham St.
PINeCReST 5910 Carbon St. ReDFIelD 500 Davis St. Redfield
FAMIlY CHuRCH 2500 Highway 104
www.welchnissan.com
Outdoors and more
THE COUNTRY KITCHEN 4322 Dollarway Road • 535-4767 •BREAKFAST • PLATE LUNCH & DINNER
Pine Bluff Heating & Air Conditioning Co.
It’s Hard To Stop A Trane 536-3998 800-235-1342
OTHER CeNTeNNIAl FelloWSHIP 1400 Centennial Ln.
605 E. 6th Pine Bluff
CHuRCH oF THe lIvING GoD 3120 Gravel Pit Rd. HARDIN NeW lIFe APoSTolIC CHuRCH 10608 Hwy. 270 RIveR RoAD CHuRCH Route 1, River Rd. Redfield TRuTH TeMPle HolINeSS 9711 Dollarway Rd.
Pine Bluff Cotton Belt Federal Credit Union 535-6305 888-249-1904
1703 River Pines Blvd., Pine Bluff
PENTECOSTAL ReDFIelD uNITeD PeNTeCoSTAl 515 Sheridan Road Redfield WHITe HAll uNITeD PeNTeCoSTAl 7745 Sheridan Rd. WHISPeRING PINeS CoWBoY CHuRCH Meeting at Hestand Stadium 420 Blake Street, Pine Bluff uNITeD CHRISTIAN 907 Dawson Rd.
MISSIONARY NON-DENOMINATIONAL WoRD oF TRuTH MINISTRIeS Discipleship Training 1200 Dogwood
2505 Olive St., Pine Bluff
102 Clark Road White Hall 247-0707
at 10 a.m. until Noon. Open to all ages. Led by Carl Dyer, Jr. The course is free.
Area Church Directory
534-1551 1-800-WElCH99
I-530 Exit 39, North 1 Mile • Pine Bluff • 1-888-879-8940
Harold Pointer Car & Truck Accessories
Wheels, Tires and Custom Accessories For Your Car or Truck
Visit Our Showroom Home of the Camo Caddy
on Hwy. 79 at I-530 879-3766
Kellie Harris Neighborhood Exclusive Agent Weldon & Carolyn Wynne Sales Associates
Allstate Insurance Company 2007 W. 28th, Suite 3, Pine Bluff, AR (870) 534-4055 • Fax (870) 534-4062
SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST
SPLASH CAR WASH
NoRTHSIDe 5603 W. Holsey St.
2 Automatic Car Washes 7003 SHERIDAN RD.
Passion For GOD
Commercial Printing Promotional Products Screen Printing Embroidery 534-7202 888-530-7202 3004 Midland Dr. So
247-3300 2500 Hwy. 104 www.familychurch.ws
Compassion For People
let Us take Care of ALL Your Printing Needs!
247-4700 7400 Dollarway Rd. Suite E www.whitehalljournal.com
Wednesday, MAY 14, 2014 • The White Hall Journal • www.whitehalljournal.com
RELIGION
EVENT SUBMISSIONS Email to: [email protected] or by fax to: 870-247-4755 limited to: • 20 words or less per event and • subject to content editing and space availability.
QUESTIONS? Contact Editor Stephanie Fischer at 870-673-8533 ext. 210 or [email protected]
The Simplicity of the Gospel By Stephen Harrison Family Church
1 Corinthians 2:1-5 is a clear example of how God uses people not based on their talent or ability but on their obedience and willingness to have the Gospel shared through them. Let’s take a look at this passage one verse at a time. In verse one, Paul says, “And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.” Now Paul, being a Pharisee and rabbi, was a very educated man and could have dazzled everyone there with fancy rhetoric and philosophies. He knew Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic and Latin. He was trained by the famous rabbi Gamaliel himself. Great speeches were very common in Paul’s day as Greek orators often spoke with extensive quotations, alluring illustrations, and witty charm. But Paul rejected that approach. He simply proclaimed the “testimony about God.” He preached God’s testimony, not his
own. That testimony is simply the power of the Gospel. Verse 2 says, “For I determined to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” Paul made a conscious decision to preach Jesus a certain way and preach certain things about Christ. There were many worthwhile topics Paul could have preached about but none were greater than Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. That was the central message of his ministry and should be ours as well. Why? This is because all other doctrines pivot on the Gospel. While he obviously did preach other doctrines, they all hinged on the fact that Jesus paid the ultimate penalty of death on the cross to deliver us from our sins. Verse 3 says, “I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling.” Paul recognized and felt the weighty message of the Gospel and the humility he must possess while delivering it. I always get nervous when I preach. Not necessarily because of the crowd but because I don’t want to mess up or misrepresent the
Gospel and Word of God. It’s sort of a “holy nervousness” that I hope to never lose. I’m not just speaking to people; I’m speaking on behalf of God. I’m humbled God would use me to proclaim Him. Verse 4 shows us Paul’s heart behind his sermons, “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power.” Paul didn’t try to impress the crowd with his polished preaching style, extensive vocabulary, or impressive knowledge. According to history, he also wasn’t much to look at being short, balding, and bowlegged. So what made his preaching so effective? Verse 5 reminds us Paul’s preaching style was based on God, not him - “So that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.” Paul was clear the power of God was and is displayed in the cross of Christ (1 Corinthians 1:18). Paul isn’t saying we should use our gifts, abilities, personality or wisdom when preaching. We must, however, remember they all come from God and we cannot rely on
them to change lives. Only God transforms people through the demonstration of the Spirit’s power in the simple yet life-changing message of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. We preachers must be careful not to elevate our messages beyond the comprehension of our congregations in attempts to look smart and teach “deep”. Confusion never changed anyone’s life but the cross does. Deep doesn’t mean confusing and burdensome. The message of the cross isn’t difficult. While gloriously mysterious, Jesus was not so complex as to leave people jumbled, bewildered, and disoriented. Jesus was a carpenter. The New Testament was written in the common language of the people, Koine Greek. The Word of God was never meant to be delivered in a lofty and complex manner. We should not seek to be shallow either and rob the Word of its true richness and depth. Just remember the simplicity of Gospel-centered preaching is the heart Paul had and modeled for all preachers.
Stephen Harrison Senior Pastor Family Church 2500 Hwy 104 870.247.3300 www.familychurch.ws
Page Sponsors
LC LCS of AR, Inc. S
Lord Construction Services
General Construction Metal Building Sales Industrial Maintenance
247-2341
All Certifications MBMA AISC
5210 Industrial Drive South
“Dedicated to Your Health, Happiness, and Well-Being”
White Hall
Nursing & Rehab Center
9209 Dollarway Rd. White Hall, AR 71602 870-247-0800 Fax 870-247-0802
EVENT NOTICES: • WH United Methodist Church | 300 Church Drive • Day By Day Support Group for Parents who’ve suffered the death of a child.
WElCH Nissan New & Previously Owned Cars & Trucks
It meets the first Thursday of every month and begins at 6:30 p.m. in the parlor.
First United Methodist 200 W6th Pine Bluff 535-0935
All meetings are private.
Self Defense Course - How Not To Become A Victim, will be held on Saturday, June 14,
Moore
APOSTOLIC CoRNeRSToNe APoSTolIC CHuRCH 9500 Dollarway Road
ASSEMBLY OF GOD FIRST ASSeMBlY oF GoD 801 W. Hoadley Rd.
BAPTIST Calvary Baptist Church 1214 Robin Rd CANAAN BAPTIST 5510 W. Malcomb St. CeNTRAl BAPTIST 6107 Dollarway Rd. ClAuD RoAD BAPTIST CHuRCH 1821 Claud Rd. FIRST BAPTIST WHITe HAll 8708 Dollarway Rd. FIRST BAPTIST DeWDRoP 1707 N. Bryant St. HAPPY HoMe BAPTIST 4312 Hwy. 365 South Jefferson HARDIN BAPTIST 300 Todd Lynn Dr. KeARNeY BAPTIST 1900 S. Hwy. 365 Redfield MARANATHA BAPTIST 5820 W. Holsey Ave. MT. olIve BAPTIST 8523 Princeton Pike NoRTHSIDe BAPTIST 7743 Sheridan Rd.
oAK GRove BAPTIST 13112 Dollarway Rd. PINe GRove BAPTIST 110 S. Bryant St. SHIloH BAPTIST 13701 Hwy. 270 uNITeD BAPTIST CHuRCH 411 S. Oleander St.
METHODIST
Redfield
ReDFIelD uNITeD Redfield
SOUTHERN BAPTIST
ST. luKe AMe 9908 Princeton Pike ST. luKe uNITeD 32 School Street (behind Dollarway School) ST. luKe AMe Redfield
CHURCH OF CHRIST CHuRCH oF CHRIST 102 Sheridan Rd. Redfield
WHITe HAll uNITeD 300 Church Dr. White Hall, AR 71602
WHITe HAll CHuRCH oF CHRIST 304 White Hall Ave.
MISSIONARY BAPTIST
CHURCH OF GOD BARNeS TeMPle CHuRCH oF GoD Princeton Pike Loop eTeRNAl lIFe CHuRCH oF GoD 503 S. Pryce St.
BeTHANY 7122 Sheridan Rd. leMoNWooD 920 Shephard Dr. MouNT PleASANT 3211 Barlett Rd. Redfield NeW BeTHel 2522 N. Pryce St.
FIRST PeNTeCoSTAl CHuRCH oF GoD 5400 Windham St.
oAKlAND HeIGHTS 9620 Sheridan Rd.
NeW HARveST CHuRCH oF GoD 9016 Hwy. 270
oRIoN 3826 Stagecoach Rd. Redfield
PeNTeCoSTAl CHuRCH oF GoD 1012 Jo Ann Dr. Redfield RIveR RoAD RIveR oF lIFe CHuRCH oF GoD 1209 River Rd. Redfield
JEHOVAH’S WITNESS JeHovAH’S WITNeSSeS 5601 Cheatham St.
PINeCReST 5910 Carbon St. ReDFIelD 500 Davis St. Redfield
FAMIlY CHuRCH 2500 Highway 104
www.welchnissan.com
Outdoors and more
THE COUNTRY KITCHEN 4322 Dollarway Road • 535-4767 •BREAKFAST • PLATE LUNCH & DINNER
Pine Bluff Heating & Air Conditioning Co.
It’s Hard To Stop A Trane 536-3998 800-235-1342
OTHER CeNTeNNIAl FelloWSHIP 1400 Centennial Ln.
605 E. 6th Pine Bluff
CHuRCH oF THe lIvING GoD 3120 Gravel Pit Rd. HARDIN NeW lIFe APoSTolIC CHuRCH 10608 Hwy. 270 RIveR RoAD CHuRCH Route 1, River Rd. Redfield TRuTH TeMPle HolINeSS 9711 Dollarway Rd.
Pine Bluff Cotton Belt Federal Credit Union 535-6305 888-249-1904
1703 River Pines Blvd., Pine Bluff
PENTECOSTAL ReDFIelD uNITeD PeNTeCoSTAl 515 Sheridan Road Redfield WHITe HAll uNITeD PeNTeCoSTAl 7745 Sheridan Rd. WHISPeRING PINeS CoWBoY CHuRCH Meeting at Hestand Stadium 420 Blake Street, Pine Bluff uNITeD CHRISTIAN 907 Dawson Rd.
MISSIONARY NON-DENOMINATIONAL WoRD oF TRuTH MINISTRIeS Discipleship Training 1200 Dogwood
2505 Olive St., Pine Bluff
102 Clark Road White Hall 247-0707
at 10 a.m. until Noon. Open to all ages. Led by Carl Dyer, Jr. The course is free.
Area Church Directory
534-1551 1-800-WElCH99
I-530 Exit 39, North 1 Mile • Pine Bluff • 1-888-879-8940
Harold Pointer Car & Truck Accessories
Wheels, Tires and Custom Accessories For Your Car or Truck
Visit Our Showroom Home of the Camo Caddy
on Hwy. 79 at I-530 879-3766
Kellie Harris Neighborhood Exclusive Agent Weldon & Carolyn Wynne Sales Associates
Allstate Insurance Company 2007 W. 28th, Suite 3, Pine Bluff, AR (870) 534-4055 • Fax (870) 534-4062
SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST
SPLASH CAR WASH
NoRTHSIDe 5603 W. Holsey St.
2 Automatic Car Washes 7003 SHERIDAN RD.
Passion For GOD
Commercial Printing Promotional Products Screen Printing Embroidery 534-7202 888-530-7202 3004 Midland Dr. So
247-3300 2500 Hwy. 104 www.familychurch.ws
Compassion For People
let Us take Care of ALL Your Printing Needs!
247-4700 7400 Dollarway Rd. Suite E www.whitehalljournal.com
