The Ohio Independent Baptist, June 2000

\ ·1enna Bapt1 .t i. looking for hun,an character puppet fo r a nev,' puppet mint try . 1 f you have omc you arc not u 1ng, or knov, of a place to purcha. e u ed one . pica c contact Arch D. McCune at, be 11 (a iuno.com or 330-394-1694. We ,vouJd like ro begin a min ist ry to \vidows of ()hio pa~tor'>. If you have nan1cs and current addressci;, please send them to Dave and Par Warren. We arc also looki ng for a pcr<;On or couph: co • hcpherd these won1en . co11ri11ued f ro11111age 1 J ohn 6:35 I am the bread of life • He provide. ·ati fac ti on for life J ohn 8:12 I am the l ight of the world • He pro ides di rection for li fe John 10:9 I an1 the door •He provide protection for li fe John 10:11 I am the good . hepherd • He provide alvation for li fe John 11:25 I an1 the re ·urrection and the life • He prov ides ant icipa ti on beyond life John 14:6 I am the way, the truth , the life • He provides a de tination for life John 15: 1 I am the true vine • He pro ides production in li fe _He matched His word with Hi work. . The Apo. tie John catalogs the foll owing miracle · He perforn1ed to con ince u that Jes u~ i~ really God. J ohn 2 Turni ng wa ter to wine J ohn 4 Healing a ruler' on J ohn 5 HeaJing a Janie man J ohn 6 Feed ing the 5000 men+ J ohn 6 Walking on the wa ter J ohn 9 Healing a man born blind J ohn 11 Rai . ing Lazarus from the dead He i ma, ter over qual ity He i n1a. ter o er di. lance He is mas ter over ti ,n e He is n1a. ter over qu antity He i. n1aster o er nature He i. n1a ter o er di sease He is n,a. ter o er death Sin1ply put Je. u~ Chri l i . Mas ter over every face t of li fe, which norn1 all y n1as ters us. We are very Jimited and bound by time, the laws of nature, disease. and death. He \ hov..ed Him~e lf to be ab<;olute ly unlin1 ited by any of then1 . He controlled all o f these rather than being controlled by them. Je c., uc., Chri~l is in Hi~ per~on the di ine/hu n1an Bridge that connects us to God . Add to th1c., Hi\ v.. ork at the cr05\ and the bridgework is con1pleted. This in finite God-n1an \oluntarily laid dov.' n Hi"' life for us in payn1cnt for our sin. . He ren10 ed the ulti n1ate barrier that '>Cparated u, fron1God , our \in, hy ac tu all y bearing our si n in His O\Vll body on the cro,s. A ~ He hung between hea\ en and ea1 h that day He linked God and n1an - God·\ grace n1eeting n1an·, guil t. I le bccan1c the bridge tha t opened the v.. 1 ay ror \in ful n1an and hol 1 God to connect v.,ith each other. Peter cxprcs~cd it this v.ay ... f<or (, hris t also \ Uf fered once for \ 1111.,, the ju'>l f<)r the unju\ l, that I1 e n1ight bring u, to Gou, being put to death 111 the fle \ h hut n1ade ali\ c hy the Spirit.. (I Peter 3: 18). Brll.lge~ c..<.>nnect: they bring ,eparatcd rartic1., toge ther: they link. But they n1u~t be used: the; 111ust he tru \ tcd . I-f a\ c you con1c to (iod through C'hri\l? Have vou \Cn: -.cd your di stan<.c fron1 (, <>d'> D<> you real i,e hov.. n1uch He yearn\ to connec t \\ ith you? He ha~pro\ 1 Jed the 1n~>st re JI ah le 13ridge Ior ) ou to conic to IJi 111 . Ye, . I le has pro\ 1dcd the 13r1dge, but each of us n1u st dccu..l c to er<>"' it. ( ,o,nc to C,od through ( ' hri\ t today) Baptist Ct,i ldren 's Home & Fami ly M inistries ~ Adoption (1nclud1ng foreign) ..,.. Group Homes ..,.. Maternrty/Paternrty Counseling ~ Family Counseling 40 'Years of Caring (Jhio ()fl'icc:. 937 322 0006 harlc!) Monroe {)hao l)1rc:ctur Buses & Vans For Sale 15-84 passenger vehicles available Buy quality for less at :'Sl'S!1''3,:'f Transportation IJJ.;.J.;.;J Equip. Sa les Corp. 6401 Seamc1n Rd Oregon OH 43618 41 9 836 2835 Toll free nat1onw1de 1-800 227-3572 0 819 church discounts" ask for Bud Graharn Gr~ wing In Grace --This article is the se\'enth in a .\erie.\ 0 11 disci1,leship ,rritten by 1ne111her\· of t/1(~ Council of 12. hen Paul comrnanded Tin1olhy. "the things that thou hast heard of n1e ...co1nmi l thou to fai thful n1en, \Vho shall be able to teac h other~ also"(' Timothy 2:?). he \Vas describing disc ipleship. Disc ipleship is vital to the health o f God ' · Church, but it doc. not ONLY lake place in forn1al arrangcn1ent ' . So1ne tin1e, it i. si n1pl y what happens when peop le observe the ac ti ons or another and begin to emul ate thcn1. For cxan1ple ... My ~e nior year at Cedarville College l was asked to speak in Chapel. s the day drew near, and ncrvou, nc:~ ~e t in . I wondered why I had agreed to do it. The day before I ~·a~ to ~peak. I opened n1y n1ailbox and found an enve lope ad– dressed in unfan1il iar hand\vriti ng. \\' hen I opened it. l discovered a note rron1 Paul Jackson,\\ ho \\as then pa~tor of Grace Bapli~t Church. I le '" ro te that he \\ a:-. pray ing for 111e a~ I prepared and preached . l \\' as over\\ heln1ed and cncouragecJ . Though I had attencJcd Grace Bapti ~t on rare occa~1on~ \\ hen I ,, a~ in LO\\ n on .. unua\ ~. I \\ a~ not .. t .. n1cn1bcr of hi s church. and l k.ne ,, hL' had 111any <)lhcr people and ~1tullt1on, "nn hi " plate." The lllL'lllOr\ or thal C\ L'llt \l,l\ L'd . . ,, ith n1e . and\\ hen I bcc,1111c d p.1 .... 101 . l con1n11tted 111\ ,elf to re gular)\ ,end1no • to... • ;;:, ,ho1 l note .... nl L' ncou1 agL'l11cllt tn pt'Pplt' 111\ldt' and Olll\lth: or Ill\ church [ d\l \\ L'L'k. a lllt' lllbL'I or Ill\ Chlllt.' h (U)d ll lt' ..., he h,td .. ptL ·k.cd up" lht' h,tb lt O I l'l'!! ll) ,11 (\ '-t'lldtll!,! ,th. .' h llUh..'\ J\ 1,t) ht' .. plL'k.t'd lip I, lht' \\ Jl)ll~ ' \\lHd l tlunk. \\t' \\t'lt' hulh ··t1, .... 1..1plt·d·· llllU I( \1 t' \ \)lll dl ll Oll'-1 dt\l lpl Ill ~ \l(ht'I \ I Pa !'-. lU1 l!ill \ht•111at11, l 111111.1nut I l~ .1p11,t ( olu111hu, ' '