Baby King

I thought everyone would like to see some photos of Ethan King....

12.2.07

Sorry we haven't had any updates in TWO weeks!! For those that missed out we had an interesting discussion on Matthew 19 focusing on the topic of divorce.

Our annual Christmas Party will be Friday, December 14th at 7:30 in Concord Hall. Most individuals indicated that we should do the gift exchange again this year so remember to bring a $5.00 gift to participate. If someone would like to email everyone & get a list of food items together we could do a full meal, but if not we will just be doing desserts. So be checking your email to see what is decided.

There will be child care at the church during the party but you will need to let Winnie know by Monday, Dec 10th if you need it or not so we can recruit enough workers.

Other class news - the Campbells are expecting a baby! Congrats!

11.11.07

Hello all! This week Steve touched on the issue of faith in the book of Matthew. Steve nor Pete will be with us the next two weeks. There is supposed to be a teacher for us but if you show up & no one is there - go to the Rector class or another class of your choosing.

Anyone know the final count for the Operation Christmas Child boxes??!?! If you didn't get your box turned in this week don't worry! You can drop off your box at any Life Care Center in town or Hickory Valley Retirement Center.

Next Sunday night at 5:00pm we will be celebrating with David & Natalie as they get ready for Baby Boy King! Our class is responsible for assembling the decorations. All the supplies are in so we need to get started. Gals - let's meet this Thursday night (Nov 15th) at 7:30pm in the Atrium. Hopefully some of you working gals can get home and eat and then join us! If everyone comes it shouldn't take us too long. Come sit on the comfy couches and catch up with everyone before the busy hustle and bustle of the holiday season.

11.4.07

Steve was back with us this week as we looked into the issue of hypocrisy as addressed in Matthew. Programming note :) - Both Pete & Steve will be gone the week before & the week after Thanksgiving. We are unsure of who will be substituting but it will possibly be Doug Simpkins. We look forward to his time with us.

This is the last week to participate in our church-wide Operation Christmas Child drive! Anybody know how many we've turned in?!?! The Fields have taken 2 and there is one on the Martin's kitchen counter, so that is 3!! 17 more to go this week!!! You can do it! It will take 30 minutes of your week to make a lasting difference in the life of a child!

Don't forget to sign up for Thanksgiving Dinner. If you didn't turn in a card this Sunday, call the church office (892-9313) before Nov 12th!

Also our class is in charge of decorations for David & Natalie's baby shower on Nov 18th at 5:00pm. The Johnson class will be purchasing the supplies & we will be assembling the table centerpieces. It will be empty boxes wrapped like presents with balloons coming out of the top. The colors will be browns & blues. Please let Winnie or Heather know if you would like to help out with this activity!

Be thinking about your December calendar as we begin to plan our Christmas party!! Have a great week!

Pumpkin Pictures

Here are some pictures we took from the pumpkin carving on Friday Night. Blogger is having problems. I have more pictures, but I cannot get them up. I will put more on later!

Photos from Sunday School Social

Here are a couple of shots from our social last weekend.

10.28.07

We had a fantastic turnout for the Pumpkin Party! Forty-eight people (32 adults & 16!! children) enjoyed yummy food, the company of others and carving chaos! We can't wait to see the pictures that Diana shot during the evening! There were many valiant carving attempts but only one took the prize! Congrats go to Barry Carpenter for a Fabulous Best All-Around Pumpkin. Although his wife, Lauren will probably be displaying her pretty monogrammed pumpkin on their front porch! Great job everyone and thanks to Cindy & Paul Newman for judging the event!

Pete was with us in Sunday School this week while Steve & Robin were away celebrating their anniversary. We look forward to Steve being back with us next week to continue in our study of Matthew.

Christina Duncan visited with our class this week and we look forward to meeting her husband Stanley when he doesn't have to work.

In the next few weeks/months be looking for news about our Spring Couples Retreat. Pete is getting something in the works that you won't want to miss!!

Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow

One of the prayer requests is for generous giving to our budget. This past Sunday we had a significant offering to the tune of $58,000. While the budget is still slightly behind, this made a huge impact. Thank you God for your faithfulness exhibited through your people.

10.21.07

This week we discussed the demonstration of Christ's authority throughout the Gospel of Matthew and particularly in chapters 8-10. Next week Pete will be leading us as we continue with our study in Matthew.

Don't forget our Pumpkin Party this friday night at 7:00pm! We will meet in the gym area to carve or paint our pumpkins. Please plan to bring your own pumpkin, tools or supplies & a sweet/salty treat to share. If you don't have time to bring a treat - please come anyway!! We will have plenty. If your spouse can't attend with you - please come anyway!! Don't have a great idea for a pumpkin - please come anyway!!! Remember kids of all ages are welcome! This is a great time of fellowship!

So let's set a class goal of 20 Operation Christmas Child boxes!!!! We can do it! Pick up your box in the atrium and don't forget to grab one of the instruction fliers to help you out!

10.14.07

We had a great group in class today and enjoyed meeting Jeremy & Megan Powell, neighbors of Glenn & Kerry Jones. Please be in prayer for the Powells, as Jeremy has recently lost his job and they are searching for a church family.

Steve continued in our study of Matthew and highlighted the theme of the book - Jesus as the Son of Man. Doug Simpkins also joined us this week and will be filling in when Steve & Pete are out. We appreciate his willingness to join our crazy group! :)

Let's not forget to make a valiant class effort for Operation Christmas Child - (check out their website for a great ministry report). This toy-filled, Gospel-centered, world-reaching shoe box ministry is a fun family activity. Pick up a premade shoe box from the atrium, head to the dollar store and fill up on great goodies! Maybe we can have a class competition with the Rector class?!?!?!

Remember to be inviting friends to join us for the pumpkin party and be thinking about your award-winning designs! You won't want to miss out & surely Diana will get some great shots of our group and post them for us!

Pumpkin Plans

Sorry for the delay in posting. I suspect that all of our sick class members are better and maybe the sickness has stopped spreading so rampantly!

Steve gave a great overview (with notes!!) of Matthew to jump start our study. We look forward to the insights that we will gain over the next few weeks.

Tentatively - Mark your calendars for Friday, October 26th at 7:00pm! We will be carving pumpkins and eating snack food in the gym. This has been a great gathering and definitely sparks some competition within our group. You won't want to miss out! We'll have some guest judges to give out awards at the end of the evening. It's also a fantastic, nonthreatening time to invite friends or family. Bring the kiddos too!! You'll need a pumpkin and whatever tools (to carve or paint) you might want to use. We will have some there but not necessarily enough for everyone. We are meeting at 7:00 so just some sweet or salty snacks would be great too!!

The only thing that might change is location. We haven't had our gym request approved yet but we'll let you know if there are any changes.

Don't forget about the Guys Campout this weekend! It's probably not too late for you to join in! Check with Randy Smith for details. Have a great week!!

Weekly Update 9.23.07

We had a great class today as Steve continued in 2nd Peter 3. We were reminded to look toward the hope of heaven and the coming of Christ. Steve asked that we think about what we ought to be doing during the last days and we will be discussing this next week. We should be finishing up 2nd Peter very soon and begin in our study of Matthew. This will be an 8 week topical look through the book with various people leading us throughout the study.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
This FRIDAY (28th) we will be meeting at HERITAGE PARK at 6:30 for food & fellowship. Come as early as you'd like to play, but we will try to eat at 6:30 to accomodate the young ones. This is a great opportunity to bring a friend or a neighbor to join in the fun. Please respond and let us know if you will be attending and what dish you will be bringing. Everyone did an outstanding job last time of filling us up with a variety of yummy food!! Surely someone would have some leftover birthday cake...since we do have FOUR birthdays in our class this week!

We enjoyed having Steve & Brandi Cowan with us this week and also welcomed them officially into the Concord family. Hopefully they can join us this friday and we can get to know them better!

All those that are home during the week (with or without little ones) are welcome to join us at the church on Wed at 11:30. Bring a lunch and stay to play in the gym. It is a great time of fellowship and the kids have a blast!

Remember to eat at Chili's on Monday (24th) if possible, as 100% of the profits go directly to St Jude Children's Hospital! Have a great week everyone!

Father/Son Campout

CAMPING!!! Join the Concord men & boys for some fun in the woods at DeSoto Falls State Park October 11-13. So you might be thinking "I don't want to take my young son," or "I don't have a son." Well, don't let those things stop you! ALL men are welcome (and even those young boys!). This is a great event to invite your friends & family to join you! So if you are interested contact Randy Smith (rsmith@catt.com) or call the church office for more info!

Brooke & Richard Henderson 09/08/2007

Congratulations to our most newly married couple Brooke & Richard Henderson. Gracy and Carter were in the bridal party and did a great job! Sorry Richard... no pic.... but even if Heather did get a picture of you she probably would have had her finger over the flash........

what can ya do?

2Peter 2:4-10

I thought it might be benefecial to post a summary of what was covered this past Sunday morning in Sunday school to bring everyone up to speed.

As Peter writes he assumes we know a truth that often surprises people in today’s culture: deceivers and charlatans live among the people of God (“…just as there will be false teachers among you…”; 2:1). Jesus alludes to this in Matthew 13:24-30. The author of Hebrews also assumes this in Hebrews 6:4-6. There have always been and always will be false teachers and deceived disciples among the people of God. And yet when we acknowledge that truth out loud we all look around the room and say, “Surely this can’t be so. Not among us!” But the reality is that within the visible church of Jesus Christ there will be people who give the appearance of being disciples of Jesus but will show themselves to be frauds.

The overarching question standing over 2Peter 2 is this: How can we discern false teachers and be wise to their insidious ways?

Review: As Peter writes from prison shortly before his death, he tells this persecuted congregation to beware of false teachers. He tells them that their teaching was flattery (“false words”); the appetites were sensual and shameless (hardened, reckless morality); their message denied the authority of Jesus; their motive was greed.

Peter says that these false teachers have been “bought” by Jesus. Peter does not mean that these Jesus has atoned for these teachers sins in an efficacious way. The word used (“bought”) is the same word used to speak of Israel’s “redemption” in the Exodus event (2Sam 7:23). Here, as in the cross, God redeems a “people for himself”. However, as in the Exodus event, some of those “redeemed” will show themselves to be faithless. They will apostasize, as have these false teachers.

“Doubtless such stringent condemnations as Peter’s appear to twentieth-century readers as old-fashioned and inappropriate, because we have largely lost any sense of the diabolical danger of false teaching, and have become as dulled to the distinction between truth and falsehood in ideas as we have to the distinction between right and wrong in behavior.”

In order to encourage this congregation, Peter points them to the reality that these evil people, these people who give an appearance of godliness yet deny its power (2Tim 3:5), will face certain judgment (read 2:4-10). He then supports this statement with three examples:

(1) Fallen angels
(2) The Flood
(3) Sodom

Fallen Angels
It is likely that Peter has in mind Jewish tradition in the use of this example (Gen 6:1-4; 1Enoch interpretation). The use of this three-headed illustration falls in sequence in Genesis, it is similar to the language of Jude, which is a parallel book, it appears consistent with a similar use of this language in 1Peter 3:19.

Peter’s imagery is a little unclear. Peter uses language that indicates that fallen angels are held captive in dungeons or the underworld. But it is probably best to see this language as metaphorical. Peter may intend to suggest that God has restricted the scope of the evil angels activity as a result of their sin. These angels have been consigned to “hell” – literally Tartarus – which is the subterranean abyss in Greek mythology. It seems quite apparent that Peter sees this captivity as a preliminary punishment because they are to “be kept until the judgment.”

The Flood
Peter’s second encouraging illustration of certain judgment is also accompanied by the hope of deliverance. God preserved Noah, whom Peter describes as “a herald of righteousness”. Again, this may be the influence of Jewish tradition on Peter because the OT never describes Noah in this way (at least not specifically). However, he was a righteous man who “walked with God” (Gen 6:9) and he spent 120 years building a boat because God told him He was going to destroy the world with water because of rampant wickedness. It seems unlikely that such a good man would keep quiet when others were destined for ruin.

God not only saved Noah but He saved his family as well. Why Peter choose to include this isn’t obvious in the text, but it could be that Peter intends to encourage the Christians who felt outnumbered by the ungodly as a reminder that God would remain faithful to the minority.

Sodom
The third illustration is like the second in that it highlights both certain judgment for the wicked and deliverance for the righteous. The total destruction of Sodom is a poignant reminder to following generations that unrighteousness always ends with certain judgment. There is a curious parallel between the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and our contemporary culture. The city of Sodom was known for its affluence and softness on morality. They were a people who felt they had outgrown their need for God and were given to indulge in their sensual appetites. Sound familiar?

God saved Lot from destruction. Interestingly, Peter describes Lot as “righteous”. This is perhaps the only place in Scripture where you will find that description of Lot. He was weak (19:6), morally depraved (19:8), and prone to drunkenness (19:33, 35; so much so that he slept with his daughters, not once, but twice). Within his heart, though distressed by the sins of Sodom, we find a deep attachment to the city, so much so that he had to be drug out of the city (19:16). But, he did not succumb to the rampant homosexuality in the city and never lost his basic orientation to God. It is for this reason that Peter considers him righteous.

Before we are too quick to judge, we are probably more like Lot than we would care to admit. We have a significant attachment to a secular culture – particular in our entertainment tastes. We are a sensual culture. We are known to overindulge in the pleasures of life (food, wine, leisure). We are given to moral failure. Apparently it is possible to live within inner conflict and turmoil, distressed over the sinfulness of our culture, and yet finding a deep longing and attachment to it at the same time in our hearts. So the question is: are we distressed over our sin and the sins of our culture?

Peter closes with God’s promise to His faithful people. The promise is not necessarily to deliver God’s people from trials. The promise is to strengthen and sustain those who love Jesus in the midst of our trials and temptations (1Cor 10:13).

What kind of trials/temptations does Peter have in mind?

(1) The normal temptations to feast on sinful pleasures that occur daily;
(2) The circumstances of life that are God’s design to test the integrity of our hearts (Deut 8:2-4; James 1:2cf)
(3) Given the examples Peter uses as encouragement, he probably also has the final trial of faith (the possibility of apostasy) that all believers will encounter (the battle of unbelief)

Application
As we started this morning I said that the question being asked and answered in 2Pet 2 is How can we discern false teachers and be wise to their insidious ways?

To this point Peter hasn’t answered that question. But we begin by knowing God in His Word. It is hard not to see the parallels between the people being described by Peter and many modern televangelists and the health, wealth and prosperity Gospel today. 2Peter is relevant because it provides crucial instruction to help us know whether or not the Joel Osteen, Paul Crouch and Benny Hinn’s of the “Christian” really believe “the way of truth” as revealed in Scripture.

What we need to be encouraged by is that both those who are blatantly unrighteous and defiant to God and the charlatans in within the visible church face certain judgment by God. And as we face trials of various kinds, trials and temptations that lead to financial loss, physical suffering, emotional grief and/or instability, and even spiritual despair, we must remember that God rescues the godly from trials (this is precisely Peter’s point).

Until then, we must not envy sinners for their comfort and ease, but remember that culture is hostile to God, and thus we must remain ever aware and discerning of culture. We must pray that God would put distress in our hearts in place of complacency and familiarity where culture lashes out in defiance against God’s glory and holiness. And we must wait for God to act, being under-girded and supported by the certainty that God will act in accordance with His purpose in the world – judging the wicked and rescuing the godly.

UTC students come to Concord

Last week several people from our Sunday School class came to church to help serve some of the students from UTC Baptist Collegiate Ministries in their second stop for progressive dinner. There was a great turnout of students and helpers.

Our Most Recent Sunday School Social

We had a really fun Sunday School Social several Fridays ago. We met at the Heritage Park and had a great time! The guys played Bocce Ball and we had tons of great food and lots of little kids running around! Thanks to everyone who brought food and got everything else organized. Also thank you to Kim, Robin and Steve for carrying all of my kids around! Here are a couple of shots from our evening.

My 5 year old took this picture of Drew!

Remember to take pictures of anything having to do with our Sunday School class and we can post them up for all to see! -

- Diana Simpson -