From the Pastor's Desk
Psa 120:1-2 A Song of Ascents.
1 In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me.
2 Deliver me, O LORD, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue.
We really do not know who the author is of this Psalm. It remains anonymous. But we can be sure that whoever that author is, they were tired of the lies.
I am rather certain that the lies had been directed toward the author in the form of slander, and those kinds of lies sting. Probably each of us has felt the sting of slander, of lies told about us. But let us look at this Psalm from a slightly different perspective if we might. I am weary of lying lips and deceitful tongues in general, how about you? It appears everyone is lying to us. I am certain that is not true; not everyone is lying. But many are lying to us, and it is overwhelming at times.
What to do? The Psalmist gives us some insight. Begin by calling to the Lord. Go to the source of truth that we have rock-solid confidence in whom we can trust. He is truth. You and I can build upon that rock and know that we will withstand the tides of untruth. The Psalmist says, “And he answered me.” What confidence is ours to know that the Lord will answer his children in their distress. Then the Psalmist asks to be delivered from the lies and deceit. How does that happen? By trusting in the God of truth. By training our ears to hear his truth.
Surround your life with the word of truth, the Bible. Surround your life with people of truth who also trust the Lord of truth. Weigh carefully what you hear and read in our flesh-filled culture. Do not fall for the lies. Filter everything through the Bible and you will know the truth. I, too, am tired of the lies. Let us turn to the God of truth and call upon him to deliver us. Let us be people of truth that others can look to for truth. Let us gather often to worship and seek the God of truth to lead us. Let us pray to be delivered.
Blessings upon each of you. Pastor Jef
Mission Team:
The next scheduled Mission Team meeting is December 17th , following morning worship service. The Missions Month team has diligently worked the past couple of months planning each of the events for Mission Month. It has all come together and exciting events are ready to launch over the next 5 Sundays in October. Be sure to set aside time to worship with us as we hear from some remarkably interesting speakers in our worship services, learning about international, state, and North American missions. We have displays and informational materials available for you to read and take with you to encourage you to pray for missions on a regular basis. The Missions Banquet is set for October 28th at 5:00 p.m. here at the church. The team has planned a delicious dinner and arranged for Brian Young, Pastor at Sparta E-Free Church, to be our special speaker at the banquet. You need to sign up to be included in the headcount for dinner, do not delay!
There will be a basket raffle during the banquet to raise money for missions. You will not want to miss the terrific things that are available for the raffle. The baskets will be available for review each Sunday in October until the raffle on the 28th. Be prepared to make your generous bids.
Small Groups:
Thursday Morning Small Group continues meeting each Thursday morning at 10:00 a.m. and is approaching the final lessons in the study of the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith.
The West Salem Small Group meets on Thursday evening. Check with Larry Wolfe for time, place, and topic.
Youth:
Parents make sure you keep an eye on the Youth Group Calendar provided to you earlier this year. The end of Youth gatherings is coming soon as winter approaches. The youth will meet October 08th & 22nd, November 5th is “Mystery Night at the Drive-In”, November 12th and 19th will close out the season. Any questions can be directed to Matt & Cynthia Zareel.
Coming Events:
Oct 1 st – Baskets for the Silent Auction are due at the church, ready for display (we want to create interest and a desire to bid on each basket)
Oct 8 th – Pastor Appreciation Day
Oct 8 th – Special Speaker Jameson Work, Representative, International Mission Board (IMB)
Oct 15 th – Special Speaker Mark Millman, Director, Southern Wisconsin Baptist Association (SWBA)
Oct 28 th – Mission Month Banquet, 5-8 p.m. at GBC
Oct 29 th – Special Speaker Jason Kopp, Missionary-Southern Baptist Convention Southeast Asia
Misc. Information:If your ministry group has updated information or events coming up in October, please provide updates via email to the church admin at: elkayel1147@gmail.com before October 30th, to be included in the November GBC Newsletter.
