Blog Archives

August 25th, 2019

8/25/2019

Elk Rapids Bible Church

“Where the UNCHANGING WORD
meets the needs of a CHANGING WORLD”
Pastor Gary Gladfelter 342-8663 or 264-6671
PastorGladfelter@elkrapidsbc.com
elkrapidsbc.com
Will we trust the “Unseen” in 2019?
August 25, 2019
Worship in Introduction
          “Lord I Lift Your Name on High” - #107
Worship in Offering
Worship in Scripture – John 6:26 - 40
Worship in Praise
          “Oh How I Love Jesus” - #92
          “Blessed Be Your Name”
          “Our Great Savior” - #17
          “Jesus Name Above All Names” - #86
          “My Jesus I Love Thee” - #79
          “Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus” - #581

Worship in Prayer – “Open Our Eyes Lord” - #633
Closing – “You Are My All in All” - #583
Unsung Servants: The ladies who are teaching the children during the morning message. Thank You!

Welcome to our services!

9:00 a.m. – Sunday School
10:00 a.m. – Morning Worship Service
Prayer Ministry Today: Tom
Next Week: Lona and Lodena
Junior Church Next Week: Wendy
There will be no meal next Sunday due to the Labor Day weekend,
but there will be a fellowship time in the month of September.
Stay tuned for details.
T H I S   W E E K
Wednesday, August 28th – Bible Study and Prayer Time – 6:30 pm – “With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of His calling, and that by His power He may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” --- 2 Thessalonians 1:11 – 12
The offering last week was $1,414.21: Building Fund - $30.00 and General Fund - $1,384.21.
                In so many families today, even Christian families, there is a rift, a chasm, a Grand Canyon like opening that causes a tear in the fabric that is “family.” Pride is at the root. Pride opens the wound and keeps it weeping. It is a pus-filled, oozing, ulcerating, gaping sore that will not heal. Some of these wounds have been festering for decades.
                How can it be that an 86 year old Mother would continue to refuse to speak to her daughter, even after 15-plus years? What could that daughter have said all those years ago that was so terrible that her own Mother would turn her children against her?
                How can a 51 year old daughter not only refuse to see or speak to her Mother, but consider that her own Mother’s death would bring her relief? What awful thing could that Mother have said or done that would justify such vile hatred?
                My heart is aching for these women, all of whom are members of my family. As a child of God I want to be able to do or say something that will make a difference. But I know that my words and my timing are not the same as God’s. It is my Lord that I trust. It is my Lord who knows if I can be used in any way in these two situations.
                Brothers and Sisters, I ask you to pray – pray that I will not do or say anything unless specifically directed by the LORD – in His time and in His way, with His words and Truth. Those of you who know me know how hard it is for me to keep my mouth shut. I want to do – or not do – whatever will glorify our Lord! I need His help – will you pray with me? – Thank You! - Lodena

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August 18th, 2019

8/18/2019

1 Comment

Elk Rapids Bible Church

“Where the UNCHANGING WORD
meets the needs of a CHANGING WORLD”
Pastor Gary Gladfelter 342-8663 or 264-6671
PastorGladfelter@elkrapidsbc.com
elkrapidsbc.com
Will we trust the “Unseen” in 2019?
August 18, 2019
Worship in Introduction
          “Blessed Be the Lord God Almighty” - #62
Worship in Offering
Worship in Scripture – Matthew 14:21 – 33
Worship in Praise
          “O Worship the King” - #104
          “Majesty” - #10
          “We Will Glorify” - #105
          “Here I Am to Worship”
          “Worthy of Worship” - #153

Worship in Prayer – “I Love You Lord” - #78
Closing – “Glorify Thy Name” - #9
Unsung Servants: Kevin Benak – for driving, loading, and unloading the moving truck for Pam Hall. Also, each one who helped pack and clean Pam’s house, and also those who helped load the truck for Pam’s move. Thank You!

Welcome to our services!

9:00 a.m. – Sunday School
10:00 a.m. – Morning Worship Service
Prayer Ministry Today: Kathy A and George           Next Week: Tom
T H I S   W E E K
Wednesday, August 21st – Bible Study and Prayer Time – 6:30 pm – “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ – to the glory and praise of God.” --- Philippians 1:9 – 12
The offering last week was $4,596.99: Building Fund - $30.00; Deacon’s Fund - $100.00; Special Missions Fund – God’s Helping Hands - $2,100.00; General Fund - $2,366.99.
                The grace of God is the most beautiful and powerful thing we will ever encounter, but it is also the most difficult concept for us to wrap our minds around. Grace pushes back against our understanding of what is fair and what people deserve. But the message of grace is one that the entire world needs to hear.
                In his upcoming book, One-Way Love: Inexhaustible Grace for an Exhausted World, Tullian Tchividjian borrows a helpful definition from Paul Zahl:
                “Grace is love that seeks you out when you have nothing to give in return. Grace is love coming at you that has nothing to do with you. Grace is being loved when you are unlovable . . . The cliché definition of grace is ‘unconditional love.’ It is a true cliché, for it is a good description of the thing. Let’s go a little further, though. Grace is a love that has nothing to do with you, the beloved. It has everything and only to do with the Lover. Grace is irrational in the sense that it has nothing to do with weights and measures. It has nothing to do with my intrinsic qualities or so-called ‘gifts’ (whatever they may be). It reflects a decision on the part of the Giver, the one who loves, in relation to the receiver, the one who is loved, that negates any qualifications the receiver may personally hold . . . Grace is one-way love.” --- whatsinthebible.com

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August 11th, 2019

8/11/2019

1 Comment

Elk Rapids Bible Church

“Where the UNCHANGING WORD
meets the needs of a CHANGING WORLD”
Pastor Gary Gladfelter 342-8663 or 264-6671
PastorGladfelter@elkrapidsbc.com
elkrapidsbc.com
Will we trust the “Unseen” in 2019?
August 11, 2019
Worship in Introduction
          “Mighty is Our God” - #48
Worship in Offering
Worship in Scripture – John 6:1 – 15
Worship in Praise
          “10,000 Reasons”
          “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” - #11
          “I Sing the Mighty Power of God” - $128
          “How Deep the Father’s Love For Us”
          “The Stand”

Worship in Prayer – “Open Our Eyes Lord” - #633
Closing – “Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus” - #581
Unsung Servants: Richard Friske for the use of his truck for the parade. Dave Bellinham for the use of his generator for the parade. Thank You! The float won the award for the best float in the Harbor Day Parade!

Welcome to our services!

9:00 a.m. – Sunday School
10:00 a.m. – Morning Worship Service
Prayer Ministry Today: Cheri
Next Week: Kathy A and George
Junior Church Today: Kathy A
Next Week: Peggy
T H I S   W E E K
Wednesday, August 7th – Bible Study and Prayer Time – 6:30 pm – “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe.” --- Ephesians 1:17 - 18
The offering last week was $2,337.00: Building Fund - $30.00; Deacon’s Fund - $50.00; Special Missions Fund – God’s Helping Hands - $421.00; General Fund - $1,836.00.
                My boys were in middle school and quite often had soccer practice as soon as school let out each day. So, I would sit in the parking lot of the school and wait for them to come out. After a while I became familiar with some of the faces I saw as they filed out the door.
                At some point, one young girl in particular caught my attention. Before long I found myself searching for her face in the crowd of children exiting the school building every day.
                I didn’t know her name or grade level. I didn’t know if my boys knew who she was. All I knew is that I was compelled to pray for her. So, each time I would locate her face in the sea of faces and say a prayer for her and her family. Over and over again I had the privilege of praying for them.
                She was such a beautiful young lady. However, she had an over-bite that was so pronounced that she could hardly close her lips over her teeth. People can be so cruel. And all I could think of is that this lovely young lady was probably faced every day with ridicule for something she had no control over. God had made her, knitting and fashioning her carefully in the womb. I prayed that God would protect her and strengthen her. And that God would help her parents be able to pay for the surgery that would correct the over-bite, if it was His will.
                The years went by and I didn’t see this young lady.
                Many years later, my eldest son began spending time with a girl that he graduated high school with. And then, he asked her to marry him. And at their wedding reception I had the privilege of telling them the story of the young girl that I had prayed for all those years ago. And to tell them that while I didn’t know who she was then . . . I know now . . . she was the young lady my son had just married. --- Lodena

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August 04th, 2019

8/4/2019

0 Comments

Elk Rapids Bible Church

Welcome to our services!

9:00 a.m. – Sunday School
10:00 a.m. – Morning Worship Service
Prayer Ministry Today: Richard
Next Week: Cheri
Junior Church Today: Jerica
           Next Week: Kathy A
Join us for lunch today!
T H I S   W E E K
Wednesday, August 7th – Bible Study and Prayer Time – 6:30 pm – “I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit. Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” --- Ephesians 3:16 – 19
The offering last week was $1,464.00: Building Fund - $30.00; Special Missions Fund - $20.00; General Fund - $1,414.00.
                The anti-God bumper stickers covering the car seized the attention of a university professor. As a former atheist himself, the professor thought perhaps the owner wanted to make believers angry. “The anger helps the atheist to justify his atheism,” he explained. Then he warned, “All too often, the atheist gets exactly what he is looking for.”
                In recalling his own journey to faith, this professor noted the concern of a Christian friend who invited him to consider the truth of Christ. His friend’s “sense of urgency was conveyed without a trace of anger.” He never forgot the genuine respect and grace he received that day.
                Believers in Jesus often take offense when others reject Him. But how does He feel about that rejection? Jesus constantly faced threats and hatred, yet He never took doubt about His deity personally. Once, when a village refused Him hospitality, James and John wanted instant retaliation.   “Lord,” they asked, “do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” (Luke 9:54). Jesus didn’t want that, and He “turned and rebuked them” (v. 55). After all, “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him” (John 3:17).
                It may surprise us to consider that God doesn’t need us to defend Him. He wants us to represent Him! That takes time, work, restraint, and love. --- by Tim Gustafson, odb.org

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Bulletins!

August 25th, 2019

Elk Rapids Bible Church

Welcome to our services!

August 18th, 2019

Elk Rapids Bible Church

Welcome to our services!

August 11th, 2019

Elk Rapids Bible Church

Welcome to our services!

August 04th, 2019

Elk Rapids Bible Church

Welcome to our services!

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