February 8, 2015 20/ 20 Vision— Prayer Bulletin Portraits OLD of the Bride TESTAMENT In 2 Weeks: “Rahab, The Believer of God” Teaching: Sterling Bennett Sunday Series Open House BBQ SUNDAY! ignite. your. world. 3D bible study you can be a difference maker. Studying The Book of Acts Weekly! Location: 619 Shady Lane in Placentia, North Orange County 3D Bible Study: 7:30pm Special Messages Served Up By Victor and Chris Studying the Book of Acts Every Wednesday, 7:30pm Prayers Requests for the Week: 2-4-15 Letters and Lessons for Prayer: Sunday Fellowship: Well, Well, Well—and a Solar Pump, Too! • 9:00: Worship/Open Ministry • 11:00 Topic: “BBQ Outreach” – Chris and Victor • Praise Band: Clarity, Burden, Excellence Wednesday 3D Bible Study: • Tonight: Acts 12 – Sterling Bennett • Next Week: Acts 13:1-13 – Jack Hanson • Hand Outs and Online Invitations: Warmly Invite Others Special Events: • Sunday Series BBQ Outreach: Invitations! Colleges: • Students: Sarah Chitwood, Teresa Womack – Cal State Long Beach; Sarah Hanson – Cal State Monterey Bay; Irene Womack – Cal Baptist U; To get wise counsel, to be careful listeners and courageous doers Community Outreaches: • Sunday Series Theme: “Portraits of the Bride: Old Testament” • Sunday Topic February 15: “Rahab, The Believer of God” – Sterling Bennett Gracious Invitations, Visitors to come • 20/20 Vision & Prayer Times: To See We Can “Redeem the Time” • Website: Effectiveness & Blessing, Rebranding—Ben; Jack, Tom, Ben, Irene • Jobs: Good Witnesses and Examples Countries: • USA: President and Leaders of Government • Hungary: Bela and Ildiko, Victoria Womack • India: Hope and Roja; Safety Movies in the Different communities Open Door into New Areas – Agency • France: Frantz and Nelly, Jonathan in SF Christmas play December 21, Bible Study at Nanterre • Nigeria: Samuel and Jenebu Livingstone: Help for Orphans and Students, Buildings for School, Wisdom for the Well Usage, Brethren in north Nigeria: Marcus and Jocelyne Vandima • Indonesia: Hendra Gunawan Communities: • Santa Barbara: Mike and Cyndi Struven; Randy and Jenny; Randy’s Health • SLO: Jeff and Nancy Lehmkuhl • Chicago: Thursday Bible Study, Sunday, Outreaches into Community • Annandale: Campus Work • West LA: Sunday and Tuesday • Fullerton: Wednesday and Sunday Pastoral Ministries & Missionaries: • Word of Life Ministries: Alex & Pam Koyna, Safety, Anointing; Romania • Kris and Archie Trammell: In Peru Beginning August 2 • Les and Sally Roberts: Les in India—January–February • Sterling Bennett: Placentia Chaplin Services • Dan Notti: The Miletus Group; God’s Leading • Gene and Linda Reisinger: Romania Individuals: • Tom Chitwood: Health and Work • Carmenza Chitwood: Health • Sally Roberts: Health • Karen Chen: Health In 2013, Dan Notti and Mark Miller visited Otukpo in Nigeria to speak at the annual Worker’s Conference. There are many men and women from various areas in south/ central Nigeria that attended and they stay at the brethren’s conference facility. Besides needing food and shelter, water was the most important necessity. As a rule, most water in Otukpo is delivered to homes and businesses by water trucks filled at the local water facility. That facility pumps from the local river Example of a Solar Pump Well in Tanzania! into huge above ground storage containers. However, during the year of Dan and Mark’s visit, the waterworks facility was nonoperational due to mismanagement of funds that were set aside for repairs. Consequently, the population of Otukpo has been forced to rely on the higher priced water trucks pumping from the river—Livingstone Academy was no exception. They too depend on this troubling arrangement to ensure students (around 1,000 schoolchildren) and faculty have plenty of much needed water. As a result of the privation for a reliable source of water, Samuel and others felt the necessity to dig a well on the school property. Using electronic equipment to determine if water was indeed available, they secured the services of several underground water experts. These professionals unanimously reported that, in their estimation, no sub-terrain water was available on the land and drilling would be futile. But, Samuel and his son-in-law, Yenka, believed there was water on the property! So they decided, contrary to the experts, to dig a well by hand. After several months of Continued backbreaking and dangerous labor by three different companies of men, water was discovered 160 feet below the surface! (The digging of the borehole involved plowing down through 100 feet of dirt and 60 feet of rock—which is another story). Now the question becomes is there enough water to meet the school’s needs. As water filled the well, so hopes began to rise and eventually the water level rose to within 35 feet of the well’s surface. This was wonderful, but there was still the problem of how to get the water up that last distance and into useable containers. The answer was obvious—a pump! However, that remedy of a pump creates a new quandary—a source of electricity to run it. At best, electric service is undependable in Otukpo. In a most incredible way, some men from the John Deere Company, who presently use solar energized pumps in the US, heard the story and volunteered to secure a system for the school! The pump would be completely run by solar panels during daylight hours without the use of batteries or dependence on the unreliable local electric company. oﬀ-line edition! “See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.” 1 Thessalonians 5:15 Retribution. Revenge. Retaliation. These are words announcing the settling of scores. While it’s difficult to see any modern movie or television show that’s not abundant with themes of reprisal, vengeance is not a new action or concept exclusive to the 21st century. By retribution, men—nations—have executed genocide in the name of religious, tribal or racial hatreds for millenniums. Wars continue to this day over some seemingly unanswered provocation dating centuries back to when no one can remember. Even the Bible reminds us God Will Give Me Justice the sons of Jacob took up swords in retaliation to the rape of a beloved sister. And while the atrocities of the violator against Israel’s daughter were great, so too became the vengeance Jacob’s sons executed against ‘uncircumcised’ inhabitants—so much so that the patriarch himself determined his sons’ actions had: “…brought trouble on me by making me stink to the inhabitants of the land…”¹ Continued Got a Book You’re Interested In? Check It Out at the Booktable! A biography is a real story about a real person. We know that life isn’t always “a lovely bed of rose,’” it often has struggles. It’s ups and downs, things to overcome, failures. And then life also has lots of joys, triumphs and surprises along the way. We can learn from others—especially from a life in the hands and care of a loving God—that the bible has many of these wonderful stories. Lives are still being formed for His glory, work and purpose. The pump can deliver up to 60,000 liters of water per week to supply storage containers located about 1,400 feet away from the well site. This is more than enough water to keep the school operational on a daily basis. The pump, operating systems, and solar panels are now being secured and the need currently becomes shipping the equipment to Nigeria. Without going into detail, this is an expensive and complicated process. We covet your prayers on getting this necessary piece of equipment to the school and installed. If the Lord is moving your heart to contribute to this project of getting a valuable pump system to Livingstone Academy, please contact Pilgrim’s Provision Ministry, Mike Struven specifically, at the email address of [email protected] . God Bless You, Mark Miller Drop by the book table! We have many such biographies that will inspire you. Remember too that most of the books are for “lending,” that means no charge! Just return the book when you are finished and share the blessing with others. And don’t worry about “due dates” or fines for returning books late! Available Book Offerings: William Wilberforce—Freedom Fighter » Betty S. Everett A rising star in British politics, young William Wilberforce led a life of privilege and power. Then he turned to Christ, and the Lord changed the focus of his heart. As a newly converted Member of the English House of Commons, he spent the rest of his long and honored political career promoting the freedom and rights of slaves. William Carey: Missionary Pioneer » Kellsye M. Finnie “Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God.” These words of the famous pioneer missionary to India, William Carey, have stirred many a Christian since he proclaimed them in 1792. Kellsye Finnie relates the powerful story of how Carey put his own words into practice. From his days as an apprentice cobbler in Northamptonshire to his eventual retirement as a distinguished linguist and professor, Carey’s achievements were profound, and his dedication to the gospel inspiring. Weekly Schedule and General Information: Sunday Fellowship: Wednesday 3D Bible Study PlacentiaChristian.org Worship & Open Ministry: 9:00am Sunday Teaching Series: 11:00am Gospel of John: 7:30pm Prayer Meeting: 6:45pm Dinner: 6:00pm Look On Our Website for the Latest News and Articles! This Week’s Pastoral Corner: “That Tree By The River” by Sue Sapia N. Sunday location: 901 Bradford, Placentia Yorba Linda Blvd. N Madison Ave. Shady Lane Valencia Ave. Driveway Entrance El Dorado High School Bradford Ave. Placentia Ave. 57 Frwy. Parking centia : 619 Shady Lane, Pla Wednesday location Continued from previous page. God Will Give Me Justice I understand the tendency to repay evil for evil. Anger. Wrath. Rage. These are powerful emotions that move men to seek vengeance. In the heart of man lie the desires to correct violations and unanswered injustices. And while passions may burn for decades over unrequited abuses, it is an uncivilized society that takes justice into its own hands meeting out retribution for self-satisfaction. Here is where vengeance spirals out of control and falls squarely into the hands of vigilantism. But God has provided a different plan. He places judgment in the hands of civilized governments! He’s given them authority to execute justice for the oppressed and violated. It’s only when a society ceases to believe in God that vengeance finds revenge and then retaliation becomes the tool of the average citizen. When a government fails, God answers the wicked and the righteous alike by declaring, “Vengeance is mine!” In fact, the author of the book of Hebrews wrote in chapter 10, verses 30-31: Book and Tract Table Check Out the Book & Tract tables for Updates! For more information see Les or Sally Roberts verse 19 these exacting words: “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’” You have to believe God is the avenger. The institutions that God arranged should be sufficient to satisfy the human quest for avenging wrongs. And when that gets out of balance God will correct governments for injustices. But, what about the behavior of believers—what’s their ‘conduct’ to be? Paul lived in one of the most unjust civilizations ever on the face of this earth and he wrote in that era to the Romans, chapter 12, verses 20 and 21: “To the contrary, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Though that might sound not quite bloodthirsty enough, it is the way to bring equilibrium back to a society filled with actions of personal retribution, revenge and retaliation. How great a shame it is when, within the church of Jesus Christ, we find Christians repaying evil for evil. “For we know him who said, ‘Vengeance is mine; The answer is “always seek to do good to one I will repay.’ And again, ‘The Lord will judge his another and to everyone.” It’s a choice we make people.’ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands every time we’re feeling slighted, angered and of the living God. desire revenge. Still, that begs the question as to what the Jack Hanson believer does when faced with injustices. Paul, the Apostle, writes to the Romans in chapter 12, ¹ Genesis 34:30 ESV