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THE MT. PLEASANT
MESSENGER
March 2010
PASTOR’S
PEN
Jesus’
prayer in John 17:17, “Sanctify them through thy
truth; they Word is truth”, declares that one important reason
that God gave His word was to change His people.
The Word
of God has the power to change, has the potential to protect against
sin, the ability to strengthen our Faith, inflame our good
intentions and has the ability to help receive the abundant
blessings of God. For
Christ came not only that we might have life, but that we might have
it more abundantly.
That is
why it is important for believers to read and understand the Bible,
and to find every avenue available to pour God’s word into our
souls, to memorize it, meditate on it, and hide it in our
hearts.
For His
word is true, and it should be an outward and ordinary means of our
change in Christ, and we may need to be used as an instrument which
the Spirit commonly uses in beginning and carrying out His good
work.
The Bible,
God’s Word, is His gift to His people, and through it, Christians
can understand the abundance of life in Christ everlasting.
MINISTRY REPORTS
NEWSLETTER
The Hem of His
Garment
Matthew
9:20-22, Mark 5:25-34 and Luke 8:43-48 all tell of a woman suffering
from intense bleeding for 12 long years. She was desperate: physically, she had an
incurable disease. She
was growing weaker each day.
At first, she probably tried home remedies and herbal
concoctions recommended to her by the local women. Next, she might have tried
bizarre remedies like being suddenly frightened, burning new grape
vines, even sitting over certain ditches. Then she went to what we
would call a gynecologist.
She tried any thing or any doctor told to her by a neighbor,
friend or relative. She
traveled to other towns to be examined (not an easy thing to do in
those days) – so long as her funds permitted. A hysterectomy was not an
option, it wasn’t even heard of in those days.
Not only
did her health drain from her, her wealth drained from her as she
endeavored to find a solution to her ailment. We don’t know how “well off”
this woman was, but it is recorded that she spent all she had –
today we would say she used up her savings, sold her property and
possessions, even mortgaged her house – and getting sicker just
increased his misery.
She was
ceremoniously unclean.
She was not allowed to enter the temple. She could not participate in
the worship services.
She was shut off and isolated from the people who might at
least have given her some consolation. (See Leviticus
15:25-27).
This
woman’s condition represents that of every sinner. Physically, we are growing
older and nearer death.
Financially, no matter how much money we have, it cannot buy
salvation. Spiritually,
sin weakens us, makes us unclean, destroys our spirits and separates
us from God. In Isaiah
59:2 we read, “Your sins have
hidden His face from you so that He will not
hear.”
In spite
of her condition, she was determined to find healing. Her disease made her an
outcast so that she could not approach Jesus face-to-face as others
did. She did not come
directly in front of Him but snuck up from behind and touched the
hem of His cloak.
There were
conditions to discourage her from coming to Jesus:
- There was a large crowd around Him
- The attitude of the disciples – they were like
bodyguards quick to turn people away, even parents of needy
children
- The importance of His mission at the time – He was
on His way to ruler Jairus’ house to save his daughter from
certain death
- Her own appearance – she was anemic and looked
pale, poor and pitiful.
Not only was she unclean, but her touch would make others
unclean
Her
deliverance came from her contact with Jesus. Her touch of faith made the
contact. She exercised
greater faith than the healthy folks around her. She was healed completely
and instantly.
Now she
was well and content to be on her way. But Jesus did not want her
to go unnoticed. He
asked, “Who touched me?”
The disciples were almost sarcastic: “There are people bumping
into You on all sides.
And You want to know who touched You?” They did not realize that
Jesus could distinguish the touch of faith from casual unintended
contact.
The woman
declared her deliverance, although not voluntarily. Knowing that she could not
escape from Jesus and not knowing what He would think of her
boldness, she fell at His feet trembling with fear and told Him the
whole truth. She did
not hide anything from Him.
She gave her testimony of her suffering, her desperate need
for healing, and declared her healing to the crowd.
There is
nothing better for those who tremble and fear to do than to throw
themselves at Jesus’ feet.
There may be phases in our lives that we have not shared with
anyone, but we can whisper all in His ears. He will never betray
us. We should confess
gladly and gratefully before people all the good we have received at
His hands. Tell Him the
whole truth – He knows it already.
This woman
received more than she anticipated. She was not only healed of
her illness but became the “daughter” of God. Jesus gives us more than we
ask for (Ephesians 3:29-21).
What was
so special about the hem of Jesus’ garment? Numbers 15:37-41 tells us
that God told Moses to tell the children of Israel to have tassels
in four corners of their outer garment. The tassels were of white
thread to symbolize Christ’s righteousness with one dark blue thread
or ribbon to remind them of God’s law. The garment was nothing more
than a rectangular piece with openings for the head and arms. We know that Jesus’ garment
was seamless (John 19:23).
This
custom passed down through the generations. This woman knew that the
blue thread represented the word of God, stood for the covenant of
healing and the “Word” that had healed all Israel.
When we
talk of religious matters and pray for spiritual blessings without
real hunger, faith avails nothing. The wandering crowd that
pressed close around Jesus did not realize any vital power from
their contact. But when
the poor, suffering woman, in her great need for healing, touched
the hem of His garment, she felt that healing. Her touch was a touch of
faith. Jesus recognized
that touch and gave a lesson for all His followers to the end of
time.
There is
always a crowd of past sins, the cares and pleasures of the world
between Christ and the soul.
Jesus invites us today to press through the “crowd” to Him
and touch “the hem of His garment” of righteousness and be
healed.
Think
about it:
- The hem of a garment is at the bottom of a garment
- The hem is the strongest point of the garment
- The hem is folded over, so it has more strength
- To reach the hem, you have to be down low and
reach up
If you are
at a low point in your life and reach up, you will find the hem of
His garment. The hem
will hold you if you will just hold on.
Sis. Marsha
Walker, Editor
BENEVOLENCE
Standing On His
Promises
In the
beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was
God (John 1:1).
There any
many little books entitled The Bible Promise Book,
filled with numerous promises from the Word of God. Therefore, Standing On His
Promises is the same as Standing On His Word.
The Word
was in the beginning and the Word is also at the ending. The Word is the solution to
all our problems and questions. Whatever our thoughts,
fears, disbelief or lack of, we can find it in His promises, the
Word.
If you
want to be saved, turn to the Word. If you need faith, turn to
the Word. If you need a
lawyer, mother, father, sister, brother or even a friend, turn to
the Word of God.
Whatever healing is desired – health, body, soul or mind –
the Word has the answer through His promises.
Try
it. Read it for
yourself. You will like
it. And that is a
promise!
The
Word.
Sis. Rebecca
Berryman, Chairperson
BROTHERHOOD
On
Saturday, February 6th at 8:00 a.m., we had our first
Brotherhood Breakfast.
I would like to thank everyone for their contribution and
participation in preparing the meal.
Praise
God, we had 31 men, young men and boys. Thanks to those who drove
the van and/or picked up those who needed a ride. It’s good to see men come
together.
I am
thankful for our college students, with such busy schedules, who
came to be a part of the fellowship. Thanks, also, to the young
men at Ardmore High School who came, and to our children who got up
early in order to be there.
Thank you
to our Pastor, who knows the needs of our church members before we
even begin. Ears heard
and received the word as Pastor Rushing brought our devotion.
If I may
use the words of one of our Deacons, as he said it all: “This is a good day.”
Remember,
April 10th at 8 o’clock will be our next breakfast. I’ll see you at Mt.
Pleasant. Brothers,
bring a friend with you!
God
bless.
Bro. Jimmy
Walker, President
BUILDING FUND
SAVE THE BOYS –
Part 1
(Words from the
book Point Man: Steve Farrar)
What does
it take to make a man?
What is needed to make a cake? What is needed to make a
house? What is needed
to make a vehicle? To
make all of these items you must have the right ingredients or tools
in order to successfully make these items. Given that information, you
have to have the right tools, equipment or ingredients to make a
man. In order for the
boys to be saved, the men are needed. In order for the men to save
the boys, the men must be present.
Many
husbands and fathers are standing at attention, but not
effective. When it
comes to some of their families, they’re simply standing there and
just watching but not being active or involved in the function of
the family. The people
who are supposed to save the boys are the men. Some men do not realize that
it is their job to save the boys. A little more personal and
close to home…tragically, the black family in modern America has
largely lost its boys.
The enemy has effectively removed black males from their
God-appointed positions of leadership and responsibility. This is the same goal that
the enemy has in mind for the rest of America.
Micah 6:8
states, He has shown you, O
man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do
justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your
God?
FIVE GOALS
TO SAVING THE BOYS:
1)
Knowing and obeying Jesus Christ
2)
Knowing and displaying Godly behavior
3)
Knowing and loving my wife
4)
Knowing and loving my children
5)
Knowing my gifts and abilities so I can work hard and
effectively in an area of strength, rather than weakness, contribute
effectively to the lives of others
Proverbs
1:8-9 reminds us a path to success is to hear the instruction of the
father and to not forsake the law of the mother. Our instruction is not only
what we say, it has to be what we do. So when our children see us
do the things that we do, we are instructing them to do it. Some of the things that we
do, we should be ashamed of and not want them to imitate and receive
instruction from. The
enemy may use different methods to achieve his goal of removing the
males from their God-appointed positions of leadership and
responsibility, but his strategy is the same: destroy the boys by
neutralizing the men.
When that family chain is broken, then what happens? What happens when a man
abandons his wife and children and leaves them to fend for
themselves? More
specifically, how can a boy learn what it is to be a man when there
is no man around to learn from?
Second
Chronicles 7:14 tells us to humble ourselves, and pray and seek
God’s face and turn from our wicked ways.
Update on Building
Fund
During
January, we paid an additional $725.00 towards the building
principal in addition to the regular monthly payment. Also, for those who will, be
reminded of the total gift amount we are asking each member
to contribute to the church anniversary in June. An amount of $120 is asked
for. Start now by
giving monthly amounts and specify “building fund” on your tithing
envelope.
Bro. Harold
Brown, Chairperson
WOMENS MISSIONS
The Mt.
Pleasant Church WMU held its monthly meeting on Wednesday, January
27, 2010. The lesson
was taught to the circle by Sis. Marsha Walker. Discussed was the life of
Esther. Esther was the
daughter of Abihail, the niece of Mordecai, and became the wife of
King Ahasuerus. From
the presentation of the lesson we learned: there is a time of
preparation, we need the favor of God, God’s timing is what we need
to operate within, and one’s background doesn’t hinder one’s
future.
Cake and
ice cream were served in celebration of all January birthdays and
anniversaries.
The Choir
has the Childrens’ Church refreshments for the month of March.
Our food
assignment for February-March for Loaves and Fishes is macaroni and
cheese. Our next
scheduled week to work at Loaves and Fishes is May 24-28, 2010.
Sis. Calline
Rushing, President
MISSION IN LIFE
Our
Mission in Life is to help the sick and shut in. And as a Mission Sister, we
do not do enough of it.
Since I
have been around some of the best Mission Sisters there are, I have
decided to do all that I can to do better – it is a great feeling to
get after you have helped somebody. I thank God for Sis. Rushing
and Sis. Pirtle for their confidence in me.
As I
continue in this life, I see many things that are hard to
believe. But certainly,
I can tell you that you cannot make it through this life without the
help of the Lord! Every
waking moment I thank Him for every thing He has done for me and my
family.
Sis. Zonell
Roberts
CHRISTIAN
EDUCATION
Genuine
Faith – And the apostles said
unto the Lord, “Increase our faith.” And the Lord said, “If ye
had faith as a mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine
(mulberry tree – the black mulberry tree has a vast root system
that allows it to live up to 600 years) tree, be thou plucked up by the
root, and planted into the sea; and it will obey you” (Luke
17:5-6).
Like the
disciples, our request for faith should be genuine. The amount of faith is not
as important as its genuineness.
What is
faith? It is total
dependence on God and a willingness to do His will. It is not something we use
to put on a show for others.
It is complete and humble obedience to God’s will, a
readiness to do whatever He calls us to do. The amount of faith isn’t as
important as the right kind of faith – faith in our all-powerful
God.
A mustard
seed is small, but it is alive and growing. Like a tiny seed, a small
amount of genuine faith in God will take root and grow. Almost invisible at first,
it will begin to spread, first underground and then visibly. Although each change will be
gradual and imperceptible, soon this faith will have loyalties. We don’t need more faith, a
tiny seed of faith is enough, if it is alive and growing.
Romans
10:17 – Faith comes by
hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Sis. Theressa
Walker
USHER
Greetings,
fellow ushers in Christ!
Here is a
list of the Oklahoma Baptist State Convention and the Mt. Pleasant
Missionary Baptist Church Usher Officers.
State Usher
Officers 2010
President – Sandra J. Finney
Vice-President at Large – Vacant
1st Vice-President – Lori Stern
2nd Vice-President – Mary Jones
3rd Vice-President – Joe Martin
4th Vice-President – Tony Randolph
Secretary – Shirley Featherstone
Asst. Secretary – Shirley Reed
Corresponding Secretary – Doris Roberts
Asst. Cor. Sec. – Travis Roberts
Financial Secretary – Stella Lee
Treasurer – Shirley Featherstone
Assistant to the President – Patricia Fuller
Mt. Pleasant
Usher Officers for 2010
President – Sis. Carolyn Pirtle
Vice-President – Sis. Emma Wright
Secretary – Sis. Zonell Roberts
Treasurer – Bro. Arthur Williamson
Assistant Treasurer – Bro. Joseph Herbert
Outreach Coordinators – Bro. Jimmy Walker, Sis. Zonell
Roberts, Bro. Anthony Antwine
Chaplain – Bro. Jimmy Walker
Instructor – Bro. Joseph Herbert
Advisor – Deacon Joseph Herbert
Jesus
prayed for His church the night before His cross. After praying for Himself
(John 17:1-5), Jesus prayed for the disciples in the upper room
(vv.6-19). Jesus’
singular request is “that all
of them may be One”.
Jesus prays that we might continually be One. Our unity is for a
purpose: “so that the world may believe
that you have sent Me” (v.21b). To be drawn closer to Jesus
draws the ushers and nurses close together.
For this
reason, the ushers and nurses should not blame the world for not
believing the message.
When the ushers and nurses become more perfectly One, the
world will believe the good news of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ.
We are
asking in the name of Jesus that each born-again Christian please
keep the ushers and nurses in your prayers.
Bro. Joseph
Herbert, Instructor
WORDS OF
ENCOURAGEMENT
Submitted by
Bro. Lamont Roberson
Here’s
your challenge: Ask
yourself, “Do I really want to know God’s will, and if I can find
out what it is, do I have the courage to follow it?”
I think we
must pursue God’s will and live by it. Why? Because in His will is our
peace! Being in God’s
will means peace for us because we lose the fear of getting
lost. Being in God’s
will gives us peace because it removes the worry of
consequences. Being in
God’s will gives us assurance that there is a better day coming.
The mother
of a large family was going to have to be away from home for a
while. Before leaving,
she told the oldest daughter she would have to take responsibility
for running the house as her mother did. While her mother was away,
the daughter did a great job; and then the day came when her mother
returned home.
The
daughter, in great relief, said, “Oh Mom, I’m so glad you’ve come
home!” The child was so
happy, not only because she loved her mother, but also there was a
great deal of difference in doing family chores when Mom was there
than when she was absent.
The point
is this – when we submit our will to the will of God, in a sense we
can say to God, “I’m so glad You have come.” We are no longer carrying
out a set of duties in loneliness and bearing the responsibility of
life alone. We are
trying to do the will of the One Who is there all the time and says
to us, “All responsibility for what happens – I will carry for
you.”
Pray: Father, we thank You for this
life we live. We thank
You for Your plan for our lives. Grant us the wisdom and
discernment to find Your will for our lives. Forgive us when we go down
the wrong road. Give us
strength and perseverance when life’s circumstances bring us pain
and sadness. Help us
keep our eyes focused on heaven and our hearts filled with gratitude
for Your Son Jesus Christ.
In His name, Amen.
CONTACT NAMES FOR BEREAVED FAMILIES
&
SURGERY PATIENT CHURCH
MEMBERS
The
Benevolence Ministry is here to provide assistance in case there is
a death in your family or surgical procedure in your near
future. Please contact
one of the following so this group can serve help for your
concerns:
- Sis. Rebecca Berryman
- Bro. Joseph Herbert
- Bro. Harold Brown
- Bro. Jimmy Walker
- Bro. & Sis. George Bryant
- Bro. Arthur Williamson
USHER OUTREACH PROGRAM
FOR THE
INCARCERATED
Our Usher
Ministry has extended their outreach to include the
incarcerated. If you
know or have someone in your family who is incarcerated, please let
us know and a newsletter and greeting card will be sent each month
to that individual.
Contact:
- Outreach Coordinators – Bro. Jimmy Walker, Sis.
Zonell Roberts, Bro. Anthony Antwine
- Any of the Mt. Pleasant ushers
COLLEGE NEWS
Jarrett
Brandon, East Central University Freshman Basketball Guard, grabbed
three rebounds and had one point in 12 minutes of a 106-88 loss to
Central Oklahoma on January 20th.
Mt. Pleasant Missionary Baptist
Church
Pastor & Wife’s 13th Annual
Appreciation Service
Sunday, April 25, 2010
3:00 p.m.
Guest Speaker:
Pastor Ronnie Godwin
Gilfield Baptist Church
Davis, Oklahoma
All
Sunday services: Sunday
School 9:30 a.m.; Morning Worship 11:00 a.m.
Request For
Prayer | 
