So Jacob told everyone in his household, “Get rid of all your pagan idols, purify yourselves, and put on clean clothing. We are now going to Bethel, where I will build an altar to the God who answered my prayers when I was in distress. He has been with me wherever I have gone.”
Sunday:
10:30 a.m. Worship Service
Tuesday:
7:00 p.m. Taco Tuesday - Men's Bible Study
Wednesday:
6:30-7:30 p.m. Power Hour
Praise, Fellowship, Challenging Word, and Powerful Prayer
Thursday:
11:00 a.m. Women's Small Group Bible Study
For more information, Contact Ami Rediske.
6:00 p.m. Prime Timers
For more information, Contact Kathy Kole
Pastor Abraham from India will be here Next Sunday, October 27th.
Service followed by a potluck. Please Bring a main dish and a salad, side or dessert. (See Mission Highlight).
Small Groups are meeting to help navigate the process of reading the New Testament chronologically for the remainder of the year. January 1st The Old Testament Study will begin for those interested.
Please DO NOT include: Food items of any kind, drink mixes or vitamins, medications, toothpaste, lotions, or glass items. No used items or war related items (toy guns, knives, military figures, camouflage clothing).
Are you new to our family, or have you been with us awhile and have new contact information? Either way, we have an easy way to help you get connected! You can fill out a physical connection card located above the tithe box, or you can fill one online here.
Alaska International Ministries:
AIM ministers with the vision of reaching where the need is great through Word and Deeds. This ministry started as an act of faith. It's a completely indigenous work, based on the principles of discipleship and multiplication. We endeavor to live out what Paul wrote in Romans 15:20 & 21. Good news was shared in the past two decades to millions of people in hundreds of towns and villages spread across eight states of India. God has given the increase in wonderful ways. Looking forward, we're confident that He will always provide, because of His love for the people of India.
House Gods:
The men in the Bible study group were nearly eighty years old, so I was surprised to learn they struggled with lust. A battle that had begun in their youth lingered still. Each day they pledged to follow Jesus in this area and asked forgiveness for the moments they failed.
It may surprise us that godly men still fight against base temptations at a late stage in life, but maybe it shouldn’t. An idol is anything that threatens to take the place of God in our lives, and such things can show up long after we assume they’re gone.
In the Bible, Jacob had been rescued from his uncle Laban and his brother Esau. He was returning to Bethel to worship God and celebrate His many blessings, yet his family still kept foreign gods that Jacob had to bury (Genesis 35:2-4). At the end of the book of Joshua, after Israel had defeated their enemies and settled in Canaan, Joshua still had to urge them to “throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord” (Joshua 24:23). And King David’s wife Michal apparently kept idols, for she put one in his bed to deceive the soldiers who came to kill him (1 Samuel 19:11-16).
Idols are more common than we think, and God is more patient than we deserve. Temptations to turn to them will come, but God’s forgiveness is greater. May we be set apart for Jesus—turning from our sins and finding forgiveness in Him.
By: Mike Whittmer