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The Ozark Letter – June 2008
By MMCG.ORG | June 1, 2008
JUNE GREETINGS: “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that
he may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it
seeth him not, neither knoweth him, but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in
you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” John 14:16-18
A Publication of the Mid-Missouri Church of God
June, 2008
Volume XII, Issue 6
The Ozark Newsletter
Lake of the Ozarks
Pentecost Services will be at 11:30am on June 8th (Sunday). We will be having a potluck meal following services. If you
have any questions please feel free to contact us at the phone numbers or email listed on the last page of the newsletter.
We want to mention again that Mid-Missouri Church of God will be sponsoring a Feast site at their Eldon location. Hank
and Ruth Weinmeister are the coordinators and can be reached at 573-392-0915. A block of rooms has been reserved at the
Heritage Inn just outside Eldon. Call 573-392-2100 to make reservations and mention Hank Weinmeister’s name to get the
discounted rate of $69 plus tax. Since other groups will be keeping the same dates, I would encourage you to make your
reservations as soon as possible. We will be having some of the same activities that we have had in the past, but are open to
suggestions if you have any new ideas or if you want to volunteer your services in any way. CSH*************
School’s out!!!! Well, anyway, for most of the youngsters, school is out. In this area May 30 is the last day of regular
school – no “snow” days were built into their schedule; therefore, the late ending date. Summer school starts on June 2 and
ends on June 27. Much to the dismay of the youngsters, August is not far behind and the beginning of a new school year.
The weather this spring has been different, to say the least. Some cool days, some cold days, and some hot days and for this
area, plenty of rain. At the end of last summer, our pond was the lowest I have ever seen it and this year it has already over-
flowed several times. Everything was ‘a little late’ this year or according to our wall calendar, but probably not according
to God’s calendar. I did make at least one observation, don’t start thinking about warm weather until the horses loose their
winter coats. Last year they were losing their winter coats in early March and this year it was early April. A lot of the birds
like to put horse hair into their nests. We have seen and heard the martins, but they have not started building yet. We may
just have “visitors” this year.
I put out the hummingbird feeders in April and did see a pair of hummingbirds in late April. This year I bought new feeders
and the hummingbirds are sharing their feeders with some Baltimore Orioles. You may have seen this before, but it is a
‘first’ for me. In fact, last year we purchased an Oriole feeder (which was orange) and they never once came to it. Hope
that you are enjoying the flowers, birds, and everything that makes spring a special time of the year.
Csh*****************************
2008 HOLY DAY CALENDAR
• June 8—Pentecost (Sunday)
• Sept. 30—Feast of Trumpets (Tuesday)
• Oct. 9—Day of Atonement (Thursday)
• Oct. 14-20—Feast of Tabernacles (Tuesday-Monday)
• Oct. 21—Eighth Day Festival (Tuesday)
Remember DAD— June 15th EQUIPMENT
By Edgar A. Guest
Figure it out for yourself, my lad,
You’ve all that the greatest of men have had,
Two arms, two hands, two legs, two eyes
And a brain to use if you would be wise.
With this equipment they all began,
So start for the top and say, “I can.”
Look them over, the wise and great,
They take their food from a common plate,
And similar knives and forks they use,
With similar laces they tie their shoes.
The world considers them brave and smart,
But you’ve all they had when they made their start.
You can triumph and come to skill,
You can be great if you only will.
You’re well equipped for what fight you choose,
You have legs and arms and a brain to use,
And the man who has risen great deeds to do
Began his life with no more than you.
You are the handicap you must face,
You are the one who must choose your place,
You must say where you want to go,
How much you will study the truth to know.
God has equipped you for life, but He
Lets you decide what you want to be.
Courage must come from the soul within,
The man must furnish the will to win.
So figure it out for yourself, my lad.
You were born with all the great have had,
With your equipment they all began,
Get hold of your self and say, “I can.”
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The Missing Day
As Discovered by Astronauts
From Tract No. 6 International Bible Association
Did you know that the space program is busy proving that what has been called “myth” in the Bible is true? Curtis Engine
Company in Baltimore, Maryland, and a consultant in the space program, relates the following development:
“I think one of the most interesting things that God has for us today happened to our astronauts and space scientists at
Greenbelt, Maryland. They were checking the position of the sun, moon, and planets out in space, where they would be 100
years and 1,000 years from now. We have to know this so we don’t send a satellite, and where the planets will be so the
whole thing will not bog down.”
“They ran the computer measurement back and forth over the centuries and it came to a halt. The computer stopped and
picked up a red signal, which meant there was something wrong either with the information fed into it or with the results as
compared to the standards. They called in the service department to check it out and they said, “It’s perfect.’ The IBM
head of operations aid said, ‘What’s wrong?’ ‘Well, we have found there is a day missing in space in elapsed time.’ They
scratched their heads. There was no answer.
“One religious fellow on the team said, ‘You know, one time I was in Sunday school and they talked about the sun stand-
ing still.’ They didn’t believe him, but they didn’t have any other answer so they said, ‘Show us.’
So he got a Bible and went back to the book of Joshua where they found a pretty ridiculous statement for anybody who has
‘common sense.’ There they found the Lord saying to Joshua, ‘Fear them not, I have delivered them into thy hand; there
shall not a man of them stand before thee.’ Joshua was concerned because he was surrounded by the enemy and if darkness
fell, they would overpower them.
“So Joshua asked the Lord to make the sun stand still! That’s right! ‘The sun stood still and the moon stayed ….and hasted
not to go down about a whole day.’
“The space men said, ‘There is the missing day!’ Well, they checked the computers going back into the time it was written
and found it was close, but not close enough! The elapsed time that was missing back in Joshua’s day was 23 hours and 20
minutes….not a whole day. They read the Bible and there it said, ‘about (approximately) a day.’ Joshua 10:12, 13.
“These little words in the Bible are important. But still they are in trouble because if you cannot account for 40 minutes you
will be in trouble 1,000 years from now. Forty minutes had to be found because it can be multiplied many times over in
orbit.
“Well, this religious fellow also remembered somewhere in the Bible where it said the sun went backwards. The space men
told him he was out of his mind. But they got out the Book and read these words in 2 Kings, Chapter 20: Hezekiah on his
death bed was visited by the prophet Isaiah who told him he was not going to die. Hezekiah did not believe him and asked
for a sign as proof. Isaiah said, ‘Do you want the sun to go ahead ten degrees?” Hezekiah said, ‘It’s nothing for the sun to
go ahead ten degrees, but let the shadow return backward ten degrees.’ Isaiah spoke to the Lord and the Lord brought the
shadow ten degrees backward. 2 Kings 20:10-15.
“Ten degrees is exactly 40 minutes! Twenty-three hours and twenty minutes in Joshua plus 40 minutes in 2 Kings make the
missing 24 hours the space travelers had to log in the log book as being the missing day in the universe! Isn’t that amazing?
************************************************* Page 4 The Ozark Newslet ter Volume XI I , Issue 6
OUTREACH Newsletter: May-June 2008
(Churches of God, UK, PO Box 2525, LINCOLN LN5 7PF, England —- Your comments are invited. Please recommend
OUTREACH to your associates. Thanks.)
The following items are taken from the Outreach Newsletter:
Alpha…just the beginning
[Alpha is an introductory course to Christianity. Visitors attend a series of talks, and what's termed a 'Holy Spirit Weekend'.
At the end, attendees are encouraged to join a church of their choice. Alpha crosses denominational boundaries, from Ro-
man Catholic to Pentecostal. Alpha International continues its onward march, with almost 200,000 visitors in 2007 in the
United Kingdom - up 15% on 2006. Internationally there are over 35,000 courses in 163 countries. The course impacts
many from all walks of life.]
The Outreach Ministries welcomes the fact that men and women previously impervious to Christianity are finding faith
through the Alpha ministry. It is claimed that as a result lives have been transformed.
However, we urge a cautionary note. ‘Graduates’ of the course should be aware that it is but an introduction to the Christian
way.
No Easy Faith
There’s a tendency in modern Christendom – at least in the West – to see the faith of Christ through ‘rose-colored specta-
cles’. Believe, give your life to Jesus – and you are a Christian: ‘Heaven, here I come’. Well – maybe so. But that is just the
beginning.
Nearly all the world’s two billion professing Christians are born into Christianity in some form, and in that form most re-
main. Born Roman Catholic or Lutheran or Anglican or Pentecostal? Likely you will die so. Few will examine the creden-
tials of their belief system.
But to become a true Christian demands commitment. It’s not just religiously ‘going to church’. It’s not the possession of a
Bible or a set of daily Bible readings. Luke, the biographer of the apostle Paul, records: ‘…These [in Berea] were more no-
ble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily,
whether those things were so’ (Acts 17:11). They were open to the message, and they checked it out. Those ‘Scriptures’, of
course, were the Old Testament writings – no others were yet written.
And when you get your nose into the Bible you are due for a shock!
You will find that the Bible has continuity. It has one message from beginning to end – from alpha to omega, if you like.
God doesn’t change. He is ‘…the same yesterday, today and forever’ (Hebrews 13:8), and says ‘…I don’t change’ (Malachi
3:6). Now that means you will find much of what you hear in ‘church’ is in conflict with the Scriptures. If you are new to
church (or – maybe especially – an old-timer) you ought to listen carefully – and check out from the Scriptures what you
hear. Indeed it’s almost guaranteed that what Jesus requires of you is a life-change on many levels.
It’s tempting to accept that any ‘man of the cloth’ will truly reflect what God says, that you can take as ‘gospel’ every word
preached from the pulpit. Refer to the Scriptures, however, and you will find repeated warnings – and this is not the time of
live apostles – of professing Christian ministers leading people astray. It’s a pattern repeated down the centuries – not least
today. ‘Let the buyer beware’!
The apostle Paul warned of those who are ‘…false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of
Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers
also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness’ (II Corinthians 11: 13-15). How can we distinguish?
Me? An Idolater?
‘Getting it wrong’ is a human proclivity – not least in religion. False religion has plagued mankind from the beginning, and
God calls it idolatry. Idolatry is any practice that flies in the face of divine revelation. That’s why the Bereans are singled out Page 5 The Ozark Newslet ter Volume XI I , Issue 6
as examples – they sought out the truth, from the scriptures.
From the beginning there has been but one true divinely-inspired faith, largely perverted by mankind. Elements of that faith
have survived in almost every man-made religion – the concept of a Messiah, for example. But the fundamentals are clearly
laid out in the Christian Bible. All else is idolatry. Abraham was one of the few in his generation who clung to the truth. He
‘…obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws’ (Genesis 26:5). His faith guaran-
teed that his descendants (through his son Isaac) would inherit both material and spiritual blessings – and responsibilities.
Israel were to be the torch-bearers for the faith, a model nation, and their inspired records preserved it.
But Israel – as those same Scriptures record – failed. Despite a perfect God-ordained ‘Constitution’ and direct divine inter-
vention on their behalf, Abraham’s descendants embraced idolatrous practices. Indeed they had barely been miraculously
delivered from slavery in Egypt before reverting to idols. So seriously did God view idolatry – it undermined His plan for us
- that the Israelites were exiled – Judah for seventy years, while the House of Israel remains in exile to this day.
Time and again the early Christians are praised for opposing idolatry. Said Paul: ‘…flee from idolatry’ (I Corinthians
10:14). To the Thessalonian brethren he writes: ‘you turned unto God from idols, to serve a living and true God’ (I Thessa-
lonaians 1:9). And any who claimed to be Christian but embraced idolatrous practices were excluded from the fellowship of
believers (I Corinthians 5:11).
Idolatry Defined
How, then, will you avoid idolatry? How do you recognize it? Despite ‘professing Jesus’ could you be idolatrous?
Surely every Christian has heard of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20 – see Box). They tell us how to behave towards the
LORD (numbers one to four), and towards man (five to ten). The latter are behaviors shared in degree by all faiths, and by
none. The former, however, are unique to the one Creator God. As it was the LORD who conceived them in the beginning
we need to pay attention! Our species functions best when the Commandments are at the heart of the individual – and indeed
at the heart of society.
We might conclude that the Commandments – all of them - are how God wants us to please Him (as well as for our own
benefit). They define His character, for we were created ‘….in his image’ (Genesis 1:26) – and all else is idolatry. No ele-
ment of the Commandments may be altered. Indeed Daniel prophesied of a future ruler: ‘…This king will speak evil of God
Most High, and he will be cruel to God’s chosen ones. He will try to change God’s Law and the sacred seasons’ (Daniel 7:25
CEV). The ’sacred seasons’ are the weekly and annual holy convocations that are integral to God’s revealed faith.
Anyone, then, who seeks to change or negate God’s Law or who observes days other than what God reveals – no matter how
sincerely observed, or whether done in ignorance – is by definition an idolater. An early king of Israel provides an example.
He (Jeroboam) is branded throughout the Scriptures as one who ‘…caused Israel to sin’ (I Kings 12:32, II Kings 10:29 etc).
Among other idolatrous practices he changed the divinely-appointed time for ‘the feasts of the LORD’ – a feast he ‘…devised
out of his own heart’ (I Kings 12:33).
Yet his fellow-Israelites considered their idolatrous worship was directed towards the LORD.
The people of Israel – before idolatry set in – were influenced by the Holy Spirit in the Word of the LORD [Moses, the
Prophets etc], and ministered to them through their prophets and priests in the Tabernacle and in the Temple on the Sab-
baths and holy days. They rejoiced in their worship.
It should be noted, however, that they were influenced by God’s Spirit – but the Spirit did not indwell them. The Spirit was
not yet given until the first Christian Pentecost (John 7:39, Acts 2). With the Spirit indwelling us – that is, true conversion -
and active in our daily walk, then we are internally motivated to worship in accord with the first four of the Commandments
[see side-bar]. These identify the Creator God of the Bible.
God doesn’t change the fundamentals of His worship! It’s clear from the New Testament that Christians continued to respect
the Law – including the seventh-day Sabbath and the festivals. Many do so to this day.
Continued - Page 6 The Ozark Newslet ter Volume XI I , Issue 6
MID-MISSOURI CHURCH OF GOD
PO Box 92, Eldon, MO 65026/mailing address. Street address is: 602 East North Street. Phone: 573-392-1232 or 573-498-3775;
Email: todd@craigcomputers.com Website: www.mmcg.org The Mid-Missouri Church of God (MMCG) holds Christian
Sabbath services each Saturday at 11:30 a.m. at 602 East North Street, Eldon, MO… A Bible Study and song service is scheduled
at 10:30am before Sabbath services. Potluck meals after services are planned for the fourth Sabbath of each month. A weekly
Bible study is held each Thursday at 6:00pm. It is best to call ahead and confirm times if you are traveling any distance to visit us
(see the phone numbers above). Occasionally we will cancel local services to attend en masse elsewhere. Come and enjoy the fel-
lowship! Also, the first Wednesday of each month the ladies meet for a “get together” and you can contact Martha Roberts at
573-496-3203 or Charleen Gitthens at 573-392-5965 for location and time if you plan to attend.
Repentance and baptism (Acts 2:38) are but the first steps in our Christian walk – the beginning. Ω
==========================
God said to the people of Israel: I am the LORD your God, the one who brought you out of Egypt where you were slaves:
Do not worship any god except me.
Do not make idols that look like anything in the sky or on earth or in the ocean under the earth.
Do not misuse my name. I am the LORD your God, and I will punish anyone who misuses my name.
Remember that the Sabbath Day belongs to me. You have six days when you can do your work, but the seventh day of each
week belongs to me, your God. No one is to work on that day -not you, your children, your slaves, your animals, or the for-
eigners who live in your towns. In six days I made the sky, the earth, the oceans, and everything in them, but on the seventh
day I rested. That’s why I made the Sabbath a special day that belongs to me.
==========================
Moses Talks with God
(Exodus Word Find)
E C A R G J S N Q F
D I Q R F Z T R D A
E D U O L C O N J Y
P W J B J Z N P E Y
Z Z B K T K E I Q T
P I H S R O W S R O
C K B E E C I E I F
C E C A F T O S L V
F R I E N D T O S L
Q K T S E R A M T S
CLOUD GRACE STONE
FACE MOSES TENT
FRIEND REST WORSHIP
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