“Holding forth the Word of Life" - Philippians 2:16" October 2011 By His Grace Rev. Daren L. Russell The Glory of God “Moses said, ‘Please show me your glory.’” Exodus 33:18 (ESV) Moses was a man who had the distinct privilege of speaking with God ‘face to face.’ While on Mt. Sinai he asked Yahweh, “Show me your glory.” What was Moses asking of God? What was it Moses wanted that he was not able to be satisfied with in his ‘face to face’ encounters with God? I believe that ultimately what Moses wanted was simply more of Yahweh. Think of it this way: You have a pen pal that you have been writing to for over a year. The letters have gotten more and more personal and intimate until finally you say, “I can’t stand this anymore! I have to meet you in God was gracious to Moses because God knew that no man can see Him and live. Yahweh is that holy; He is that glorious; He is that majestic that to be utterly in His presence as a sinner, there is immediate death! This is why we must be clothed in His righteousness because in our own filthy rags of unrighteousness we would be destroyed. But God is gracious in that He does allow Moses to see the back of His glory as He passes by. And even in this brief encounter the face of Moses shines The word for glory in the Old Testament comes from the Hebrew word translated kabode or kavode and means ‘heavy’ or ‘weighty’. The idea is that which is heavy or weighty is something of great importance, honor, splendor or majesty. When we speak about the ‘glory of God’ we are talking about the sum total of all of His attributes; His unique majesty; the essence of who He is in His eternal being. For example, a king has certain vestments which show that he is a king. He wears a crown and a robe; he holds a scepter in his hand; he sits on a throne and lives in a palatial palace and is attended by servants. It is a ‘heavy’ or ‘weighty’ matter to come before the king. His position demands such honor. However, he is still a man. Dress him in the rags of a pauper and no one will recognize him. What makes him a king may be his birthright but it is really the vestments given to him. It is the honor that is bestowed upon him. With God, however, the vestments can never be taken away because “He is like no other and will not give His glory to another.” And we did not bestow this honor upon Him because He created us for His own glory. God’s eternal being is the sum - total of His attributes. Just as the Westminster Shorter Catechism states, “God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal and unchangeable, in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth.” And these attributes constitute the glory of God. Moses wanted to know more of God – he wanted to know the Glory of God. How vastly different it is today among the people of God! It seems as if many in our churches today do not long for the glory of God and to know God deeper or richer. We see it in the casualness of worship. People give more honor in their dress at a business meeting than they do in the presence of God at worship. Many have the attitude that “the church is here to meet my needs” rather than helping me to grow spiritually to know God more. The glory of God is heaviness to the believer because it is an awesome thing to live in the presence of God and to give Him the honor and respect that He deserves because of His glorious majesty. This is why Paul reminds us that no matter what we do, even eating and drinking, it is to be done to the glory of God. It is done for His honor and His purposes. This is why our Westminster Catechism asks, “What is the chief end of man? Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” Do you long to see the glory of God? Do you recognize His majesty and splendor? It is only By His Grace that we are not consumed and are quickened by the Holy Spirit so that we can glorify and enjoy Him. The ultimate display of God’s glory was in giving us His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. John tells us in his gospel, “we beheld His glory. . .” referring to Jesus. Jesus performed many miracles which revealed His glory and He spoke truth revealing His glory in His wisdom. His death and resurrection are the grand displays of His glory, revealing to us His power and His love - and the uniqueness of His majesty. It is in Christ and the cross that we have truly beheld the glory of God. † “When we speak about the ‘glory of God’ we are talking about the sum-total of all of His attributes; His unique majesty; |
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WIC NEWS Circle Meetings » The Dickson/Monk Circle will meet at the church - Tuesday, October 11th, at 10:00 a.m.— hosted by Nita McNeely. » The » The |
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MEN’S FELLOWSHIP NEWS The Charlie Ormston Men’s Supper The Men’s Supper meeting will be held on Monday, October 10th. Time and place to be announced. Men’s Workday The Deacon’s have scheduled a work day for Saturday, October 1st, beginning at 8:30 a.m. for preparation for Homecoming. For specific jobs to be done please see Walter Hartley. All men are encouraged to help out if you can. R.O.M.E.O. Club The ROMEO Club will be meeting Thursday, October 20th, at Carey Hilliards on Hwy. 21 at 12:45 p.m. |
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2011 |
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REVIVAL PRAYER Five grand conditions of prevailing prayer: 1. Entire dependence upon the merits and mediation of the Lord Jesus Christ, as the only ground 2. Separation from all known sin . If we regard iniquity in our hearts, the Lord will not hear us, for it 3. Faith in God’s word of promise as confirmed by His oath. Not to believe Him is to make Him 4. Asking in accordance with His will. Our motives must be godly; we must not seek any gift of God 5. Importunity in supplication. There must be waiting on God, and waiting for God. Luke 18:1-10. A. T. Pierson |
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News Letter Deadline The deadline for announcements for the November issue of The Chapel Chimes is Thursday, October 13th, at 12:00 noon. |
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OUTREACH CORNER Street evangelism and one-on-one evangelism can be a difficult thing. Sharing the gospel is not always that difficult but beginning the conversation can be. Evangelism Explosion gives you two “diagnostic questions” to ask which are 1) “Are you certain that if you were to die today that you would go to heaven? 2) “If you were to die today and God said to you, ‘Why should I let you into my heaven?’ What would your answer be?” The Way of the Master begins by asking the person if they think that they are a ‘good person’ and then proceeds with Law (the Ten Commandments) to show tha t they don’t measure up. Religious surveys or questionnaires focused on questions asking their opinions on spiritual matters are good conversation starters And other methods begin with the issue of sin or where will you spend eternity. All are good tools to have in one’s evangelistic tool box. In Uganda I learned from both observation and from other evangelists a very easy way to begin conversations about spiritual matters. And it begins with three modified questions right out of the children’s catechism, and the Westminster Shorter Catechism’s first question. It goes something like this, “Who or what created everything that you see?” (Most people answer, God). “Who or what made you?” (Again, most answer, God did). “Why do you think God made all of his creation (birds, trees, mountains, etc.)? And better yet, why do you think that God made you?” At this point the answer is usually something like, “I don’t know; I’ve never thought about that before; Man, that’s a tough one . ..” Even churched people may not know how to answer this last question. And then I may ask, “Then why are you here”? What do you think your purpose is?” The Westminster Shorter Catechism asks, “What is the chief end of man?” The answer is, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” Talking to someone about their purpose in life is a very good way to begin sharing the gospel. E.E. really begins with the idea of heaven because everyone wants to go to heaven. But the truth is heaven is not the ultimate goal for the Christian. Glorifying God is the ultimate and lifelong goal; being in heaven with Jesus after death is the reward and enjoyment for living a life which glorifies God. When you tell someone that God created you so that you could have a relationship with Him and that you might glorify Him and enjoy Him, most will respond by saying that this makes sense. Then you are able to begin the gospel presentation with, “But . . we have a problem . . . sin came into the world and separated us from God and because God is holy He cannot have sin in His presence and that sin has to be taken care of . . ” This give a wonderful opportunity to tel l them that they have three problems and God has three solutions. The three problems are that we have a hard heart, a filthy record and an unholy and unproductive life. We don’t really want to glorify God . . . But God’s three solutions are that Christ died on the cross and gives us His heart - He takes out the heart of stone and give us a heart of flesh; He gives us His perfect record and He gives us the Holy Spirit so that we may live a holy and productive life. We are in a desperate situation and we need these three solutions. The only way to get these three solutions in by faith. Not faith in my abilities but faith in Christ by receiving and resting in Christ alone for my salvation. It is only then that you are truly able to enjoy fellowship with God and live a life that glorifies Him. This has been very helpful in sharing the gospel - beginning with why we were created in the first place. However you begin sharing your faith, just be prepared to do so because there are always opportunities to share Jesus with others! By the way, are you glorifying Him? |
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Set Your Clocks Back! Daylight Savings Time ends on Sunday, November 6th. Don’t forget to set your clocks back one hour before going to bed on Saturday, November 5th so you will be on time for Sunday School. |
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SAVANNAH RIVER PRESBYTERY MEETING |
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OCTOBER IS PASTOR APPRECIATION MONTH This month is also the tenth anniversary of Pastor Daren Russell at Chapel-in-the-Gardens. The call to the ministry is a sacred one and a hard one. Along with the joys of feeding the flock are the pains of caring for them, disciplining them and hurting with them. Our pastor’s job is not easy. He and his family need our love, our support and our fervent prayers. Hebrews 13:7 (MSG) “Appreciate your pastoral leaders who gave you the Word of God. Take a good look at the way they live, and let their faithfulness instruct you, as well as their truthfulness.” Won’t you think of some special way to show your appreciation during this month? See special bulletin insert for details for celebration planned for October 30. Daisy Davis, WIC Pres |
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SUNSHINE CHARMERS The Sunshine Charmers will be attending the Church Homecoming on Sunday, October 2nd, following the morning service. Be sure to mark this date on your calendar. |
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GARDEN CITY CHRISTIAN MEN’S FELLOWSHIP The Garden City Christian Men’s Fellowship dinner will be on Thursday, October 20th, at 7:00 p.m. at Garden City Primitive Baptist Church. This will be Ladies Night so men please bring your wives and enjoy a good meal and fellowship. |
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GC COMMUNITY FALL FESTIVAL This year we will be participating in the GC Community Fall Festival, which will be held on Saturday, October 22nd at Garden City City Hall from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The Festival will feature a BBQ cook-off, a pumpkin patch, inflatables and special music. Many o f the churches in Garden City will be participating. The Festival will end with a fireworks display brought to you by Garden City. This is a great opportunity for community outreach! Your prayers and participation for this community event are needed. |
October Meetings Deacon’s Meeting - Sunday, October 9th, at 5:00 p.m. |
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REFORMATION SUNDAY October 31, 1517 is the date given for the start of the Protestant Reformation. It was the reclaiming of biblical truth. There were five “Solas” (meaning ‘alone’ ) o f this movement: Glory to God alone, Scripture alone, Faith alone, Grace alone, and Christ alone. The central issue was the doctrine of justification by faith alone. The recapturing of this truth paved the way for the Protestant movement and the continued growth of the church. Reformation Sunday this year is October 30. |
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| Say a prayer for Concerns & Needs: • Pray for those in our church family who are living with Alzheimer’s and for their care givers. • Pray for our nation and especially our military and their families. • Pray for the persecuted church - those believers who are suffering persecution especially in Islamic countries. • Pray for our widow and widowers. |
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2011 Theme Verse “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’ ” Matthew 28:18-20 |
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Kingdom Focused - Gospel Driven - Christ Centered |
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Chapel-in-the-Gardens Presbyterian Church PCA |