Sterling Christian Community: 2011

January
2011
The

Sterling
Christian
Community
Newsletter

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Happy
New Year

Wow, Can you believe it? We have made it to the beginning of another year. Last year was quite a year; we come away from it with a whole year full of memories, both good and bad. We found success, and we faced failure. We have lost loved ones and celebrated the birth of new lives. We have praised God for our jobs and we prayed that He would provide one for us. We have reached out to the less fortunate and we have been thankful for those who have reached out to us. We have been a witness for God to others and we have missed opportunities we will never have again. We have praised God and given Him thanks every day for every thing and we have wondered why the loneliness and despair when we didn’t. I don’t know what your life was like in 2010 but chances are you, like everyone else in the world, experienced at least a couple of statements above. Many of us would have to admit that it wasn’t that unlike 2009 or 8 or 7. So the real question is, will 2011 be any different? As far as the world is concerned, probably not, worry, stress and fear will continue to prevail and the influences on our TV’s and internet in the homes will continue to be exactly as they have been. But what about us? What about those of us who call ourselves Christians (Christ like)? Will anything change in our lives? If we were to honestly evaluate our Christian life over the past year, would we see a relationship with Christ that has grown closer or would we see a life indistinguishable from the years before? If we could look into our churches today and see as God sees I believe we would see congregations of people who aren’t much different than they were a year ago. Why? What has happened? We are a people who seem to have become so comfortable with our journey that we have lost sight of the real destination. Let us remember that the journey here on earth offers but a minute glimpse of the true glory and joy that awaits all those who truly believe. However, many of us have looked at this journey of ours as though it is the destination itself. This is not the time for us to relax; The Word says that God is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” ( II Peter 3:9) So let us all get excited about the work God has given us, let us reach out to our community as God would have us do and Let 2011 be the year that is different from the year before. May God bless you all this year.

Sterling United Methodist Church

Rev: Michael J. Dye

Sunday school: 10:00 am

Sunday Worship: 11:00 am

Choir Practice: Wednesday 6:00 pm

Statement of Faith

We believe in one God in three persons; God, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe the Bible is the inspired word of God. We believe that all persons were made in the image of God and are sinners for whom that image is distorted. Sin estranges us from God. Salvation comes through Jesus Christ. The UMC believes that people are free to make their own choices because of God’s divine grace. The UMC also believes that God gives unmerited favor freely to all people though some may resist. We believe that the church is the body of Christ, an extension of Christ’s life and ministry in the world today.

Devotional

A New Year

A New Year is about to begin, a place where we can wipe the slate clean and start all over. The problem with a new year is that we make resolutions and promises that this year will be better. I will make my goals this year. I’ll exercise, lose weight, be better with my finances, be kinder and loving. We make these resolutions with wonderful intent but most end in failure just like last year or the year be-fore. I remember one young boy said; "My resolution is not to make any resolutions."
The problem I see, is that we make these resolutions or promises or covenants with such zest and zeal like we had last year or the years before, but we don’t change the behavior. We may have the best intentions in keeping our New Year resolution, but do I need to remind you, that the road to @#$$ is paved with good intentions. If I said, "’I want to have a more Spiritual life this year and read the Bible through’ what must I do?" Well, I could wear a cross around my neck, could carry a bible or sleep with it under my pillow or I could go to church and sit in the pew and nod my head when the pastor says something profound or maybe try fasting or 30 min. of prayer a day. But the best way to read the Bible is to open it up and start at the beginning with these words "In the beginning God created…..".
Maybe you have said, "I want to fast and have a prayer life this year." Have you tried to fast for 24hrs on purpose and not let the rumbling sound in your stomach get between you and the refrigerator. Or give 30 minutes, half-an-hour, or 1800 seconds to prayer. Most of us have, including myself who has the attention span of a rock. Of course, I remember Peter and the disciples tried to stay awake while Jesus was praying, but fell asleep. It’s not that we don’t want to have a prayer life or fast we just have not condition ourselves to do this.
Or we say, "I’ll make my resolution of getting back to church." As a pastor that’s a wonderful goal. But most of us, as Sunday rolls around, are tired from the night before or it’s a hassle to get the kids ready or say, "I really don’t have anything to wear"….we find all sorts of reasons not to come but let me give you a reason to come. Come and meet God where you are in your life right now with all of your scars, hurts, wounds, your fears and yes your sins and for you to realize that God needs you. God wants you to come and be loved. God wants you to be a disciple unto the world and witness to the world that has the same scars, hurts, wounds, fears and yes the same sins and let people know that the presence of God is here now.
See, God wants us to be successful in life in all that we do. God knew you before you were born. God knows how many hairs on your head you have. God wants you to be successful. God wants to have a loving relationship with you in spite of yourself. That was the reason we celebrated Christmas, "And the Word became flesh and lived among us…". God wants to awaken the Spirit in you so you will walk a new path, grab new opportunities and live a life that is worthy of bearing good fruit. Where there are trials and tribulations in our lives, God sees these as wonderful opportunities to shine and let all see God’s glory.
So if you have not made a NEW YEAR resolution let me give you one. Love God, love your neighbor and love yourself.
Rev. Michael J. Dye

A teacher was testing the children in her Sunday school class to see if they understood the concept of getting to heaven.
She asked them, "If I sold my house and my car, had a big garage sale and gave all my money to the church, would that get me into Heaven?"
"NO!" the children answered.
"If I cleaned the church every day, mowed the yard, and kept everything neat and tidy, would that get me into Heaven?"
Again, the answer was, "NO!"
Now she was smiling. Hey, they're getting it, she thought! "Well, then, if I was kind to animals and gave candy to all the children, and loved my husband, would that get me into Heaven?" she asked.
Again, they all answered, "NO!"
She was just bursting with pride for them. "Well," she continued, "then how can I get into Heaven?"
A five-year-old boy shouted out, "YOU GOTTA BE DEAD."

1^st Baptist Church Sterling

Pastor: John Tims

Sunday

Sunday School: 10:00 am

Morning Worship 11:00 am

Discipleship Training 6:00 pm

Evening Worship 7:00 pm

Wednesday

RA’s, Ga’s Mission Friends: 7:00 pm

Youth: 7:00 pm

Adult Bible Study: 7:00 pm 6:00 pm

Choir Practice 7:45 pm

Statement of Faith

We believe that there is one God and one God only, that God created the heavens and the earth and everything in them.

We believe that God consist of three persons God the Father God the Son and God the Holy Spirit (Trinity) and that all three being one God and each one separately being fully God.

We believe that God created mankind in his image innocent and without sin and that sin entered into the world when Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden.

We believe that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. We are all therefore in need of a Savior (someone to pay the penalty of our sin).

We believe that Jesus Christ is that Savior. He was God incarnate (God in the flesh) conceived through the Holy Spirit and Born of the Virgin Mary. With the power to stop it all with a single word Christ willingly gave himself to be crucified on a cross to pay the price of our sins.

We believe after three days Jesus arose from the dead victorious over sin and death and ascended to Heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father.

We believe that it is Gods desire that no one parish but that everyone would have eternal life with him.

We believe that God offers salvation to everyone as a free gift (Eph 2:8-9) and that everyone has been given the free will to accept or reject that gift.

(No devotional information available this quarter)

After explaining the commandment to honor your father and mother, a Sunday School teacher asked her class if there was a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters.
One boy, the oldest in his family, immediately answered, "Thou shalt not kill."

1^st Assembly Of God

Pastor:

Sunday School: 10:00 am

Sunday Morning Service: 11:10am

Sunday Evening Service: 6:00pm

Wednesday Night Service: 7:00pm

Statement of Faith/Our Mission

The Assemblies of God is committed to fulfilling a four-fold mission. Its primary reason for being is:

1. Evangelize the lost.

2. Worship God.

3. Disciple believers.

4. Demonstrate God's love through Compassion.

Assemblies of God core values

1. Passionately proclaim, at home and abroad, by word and deed Jesus as Savior, Baptizer in the Holy Spirit, Healer, and Soon Coming King.

2. Strategically invest in the next generation

3. Vigorously plant new churches

4. Skillfully resource our Fellowship

Fervently pray for God’s favor and help as we serve Him with pure hearts and noble purpose

This is an article that was written in Sterling Oklahoma 1985

What is happening to our Churches?

Not so many years ago our society held a great amount of respect and consideration for the churches within the community. When Sunday crossed our calendar, we knew that all secular activities would cease and all business would be closed. Christians and non-Christians alike knew that Sunday was set aside as a day to worship our God. If you will recall, Wednesday evening was also set aside by our community as a time of worship. Even though business hours didn’t conflict with our prayer meetings, we were always sure that no activities would be scheduled by our community during that time. Our public schools and social groups always made a point to hold sports events and theatrical performances on the five days of the week that would in no way interfere with our worship times. But what has happened to our community? What has happened to our Churches? Can we do anything about it? And if so, do we really want to put forth the effort?

There is no doubt that most everyone has seen the changes in our community’s outlook. Where Wednesday evening was once set aside as a time or prayer, we can now count on seeing a good school-sponsored sports event or even a community social gathering. Even though this was once considered wrong, this lax attitude has now become common place. The fact that we, as a community, have allowed things like this to pass by us with no words of disapproval is one of the reasons why many churches have put an end to their Wednesday evening worship hour. Not only have our churches been affected on Wednesday, but we are now seeing a lot of the same events occurring on our Sunday worship hours. Because of a lack of commitment and discipline, we have seen our church training hour come to a screeching halt. In most all of our Churches, Church training hour has stopped growing; however, other churches have discontinued the program all together. It doesn’t stop there. Like a cancer that spreads across a body, this attitude has spread through our Church body. Our Sunday schools have begun to take on the seeds that were once present in Church training and Wednesday evening. We must remember that even though this seed has been planted, it is not impossible to stop the spreading. Many of our Churches have failed to see that Church training and Wednesday evening worship hours are not completely dead. We need to realize that through spiritual C.P.R. (commitment, prayer, and revitalization) they can be revived to do a great and mighty work. However, if we don’t do something soon, it could easily become unstoppable.

Is there anything we can do about it? Yes, there is. We can, in a loving way, voice our disapproval to the community when an event is scheduled during a time of worship. We can, through Christ, love and sincerity, start living what we believe. If all the Christians in the community are committed to the work of Christ, the secular activities would cease as their sponsors began to get the message. I think it is appropriate to mention at this point that the issue isn’t the activities—the issue is our churches lax attitude and lack of commitment. Our young people have virtually stopped participating, and many of our future leaders are being lost as our Churches allow this to happen. Our senior adults, who have worked so hard throughout their younger church years, have in many cases, decided that they have done enough over the years and would like to rest. The fact that they have worked an enormous number of hours is wonderful, and they do deserve a rest, but who is going to teach the rest of the church the vast amount of knowledge that they have received throughout the years?

Finally, there are those who have volunteered themselves for the work of Christ, but because of the lack of help and knowledge coming in, their work load is enormous and keeps getting bigger until they also become a dropout statistic. If the Churches of today really want to see revitalization within the church and community, we will have to make the commitment, change our attitude, and through prayer and faith, allow Christ to lead us through these obstacles. The last question still remains, do we really want to put forth the effort to make these changes? This is something each and every one of us will have to answer on our own. So, while we are searching our hearts and seeking God’s perfect will in our lives each day, let us ask ourselves this question and let our answer be “YES”

26 years later, has anything changed for the better?

It is sad to say but I don’t think so, however this is a new year and there is no time like the present to start making a difference

what do you think?

Sterling Church of Christ

Minister: James Rennaker

Sunday Morning Bible Study: 10:00 am

Sunday Morning Worship: 10:45 am

Sunday Evening Worship: 6:00 pm

Wednesday Night Bible Study: 7:30 pm

Contact Info:

(580) 476-2544

(405) 574-6444

jrennaker@sbcglobal.net

Statement of Faith

What is the distinctive plea of the church of Christ?

It is primarily a plea for religious unity based upon the Bible. In a divided religious world, it is believed that the Bible is the only possible common denominator upon which most, if not all, of the God-fearing people of the land can unite. This is an appeal to go back to the Bible; it is a plea to speak where the Bible speaks and to remain silent where the Bible is silent in all matters that pertain to religion. It further emphasizes that in everything religious there must be a "Thus saith the Lord" for all that is done. The objective is religious unity of all believers in Christ. The basis is the New Testament. The method is the restoration of New Testament Christianity.

GOD’S GRACE: WHAT IT WILL NOT DO!

Nothing is more sublime, more beautiful, more eternally wonderful than God’s grace. It is commonly known to be a gift from God that man did not, cannot and will never deserve. The favor of God is available to man as a gift, and it is a most far-reaching gift. The clearest picture of that grace is that of Jesus, God’s Son on the cross. Not a one of us can stand up and claim to have deserved that gift, but it is available to every person on earth, Titus 2:11-14.

God’s grace is a popular topic of discussion in religious circles. The conclusions reached are often contrary to the Bible. One popular view is that at the end of time God’s grace will cause him to merely wave His hand and wipe the slate clean for all. God’s love might want to do so, but His justice will not permit it. Read Romans 3:26. He will be just, though He loves all. The gift is available to everyone, but some will reject God’s love and justice and fail to enjoy the blessings!

Why? If it is a gift available to all, why may not everyone enjoy the blessings of that gift? That question deserves an answer. Recall that occasion described in the book of Acts, chapter nine. The central character of that text is Saul of Tarsus, later to be known as the apostle Paul. He was on a mission to arrest and execute followers of Christ. He had killed many, and was going to Damascus to continue his quest. If God’s grace is a gift, and if it is available to all, would not Saul/Paul already have had that gift? When the voice of God came to him, Paul was asked why he was persecuting His people. If you read Acts 9 you know God told Paul there was something he had to do. He was told to go to Damascus and there it would be told him “…what thou must do.” He knew he did not deserve God’s forgiveness, but God offered it to him. He did just what God said to do and was told, “..arise and be baptized” (Acts 22:16). From that day forward Paul was God’s major proponent of that grace. Yes, God’s grace washed away his sins, but only when Paul had obeyed God’s decree. God’s grace cannot be earned, but conditions are given that must be met—like those to Paul—in order to receive the blessings of that grace.

The Christians in Galatia had received the benefits of grace, but they were told that they must abstain from certain forms of behavior if they wanted to “inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal. 5:19-21). Yes, it is available to all, but Jesus said “many” will be lost eternally, and “few” will be saved (Matt. 7:13-14). God’s grace is powerful, but there are some things it will not do. Consider the following in light of the Bible’s instructions:

1. Grace will not give anyone instructions that are contrary to what we read in the Bible.

2. Grace will not ignore the sin in a person’s life, nor will it forgive sin contrary to what the Bible teaches. The gospel is God’s “power unto salvation,” and God’s grace will always agree with and uphold the principles and commandments of the Bible.

3. It will not take away man’s free will, or take over his mind and make him “do right.”

4. Grace will not save a person who refuses to obey the gospel, and we have been given instruction regarding those who “obey not the gospel of Christ” (2 Thess. 1:7-10).

5. His grace will not deny the significance of man’s part in his/her salvation.

6. Grace will not guarantee that you will “endure to the end,” having “kept the faith” (Mark 13:13; 2 Tim. 4:7-8). That’s your call. That’s your part in God’s grace.

7. Grace will not eliminate all life’s hardships or temptations.

8. God’s grace will not contradict, ignore, deny, or forget what the Bible teaches within its pages. God loves us, His favor is always directed to those who respect, love and obey Him. His grace is given to man because He wants none to be lost and all to be saved (2 Pet.3:9; 1 Tim. 2:4).That is where man’s part comes begins.

At Sunday School they were learning how God created everything, including human beings. Johnny was especially intent when the teacher told him how Eve was created out of one of Adam's ribs.
Later in the week his mother noticed him lying down as though he were ill, and said, "Johnny, what is the matter?"
Johnny responded, "I have pain in my side. I think I'm going to have a wife."

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