Mission and Mentoring
Posted by Chris on February 24, 2013 under Front Page Posts, Sermons
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Sermon for February 24, 2013 – Chris Benjamin
Snow & Ice
Posted by dena.jenkins on February 20, 2013 under Uncategorized
Due to the office following the UAFS schedule, the church office will be closed tomorrow (2.21.13).
Please contact the staff via office@westark.org if needed. Thank you!
Genesis 10-11: Stairway to Heaven
Posted by Chris on February 17, 2013 under Front Page Posts, Sermons, Uncategorized
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Travis Campbell, campus minister with the Lions for Christ at UAFS, preaches from Genesis 10 and 11.
Genesis 9 – Rainbow in the Dark
Posted by Chris on February 10, 2013 under Front Page Posts, Sermons
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Travis Campbell, campus minister for the Lions for Christ at UAFS, preaches from Genesis 9.
Ethiopia Mission Trip 2013 – Entry 1
Posted by Chris on February 7, 2013 under Front Page Posts, Missions
Our trip begins today. We are waiting for our flight out of Fort Smith. It’s delayed until 1:46 pm due to weather in Atlanta. But we are all healthy and feeling good. Our team is Jim Wilson, Don Wilson, Kelvin Kleman, Rusty Walker and me.
We were fortunate to get a special deal on two free checked bags thanks to our travel agent. Because of this, I was eligible for a carry-on that I don’t need. So I brought an empty bag and it became our community chest. Rusty put soccer balls that we are giving away into it. Jim had song books and computer cords that we will use for the showing of the Jesus film. Kelvin had some books to carry – they were thick. He must be a fast reader or he was prepared for delays like this.
I like the idea of this group bag. It is very Acts 2 and all things in common. And this bag may retire in Ethiopia. It’s has served the Benjamin family well since we lived in Abilene.
You may also follow Ethiopia Mission Team 2013 on Facebook as they travel, teach and encourage the church in Ethiopia. There are daily posts, pictures, and videos — a wonderful way to pray and participate daily in God’s mission there!
Genesis 7-8: Comfort and Covenant
Posted by Chris on February 3, 2013 under Front Page Posts, Sermons
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What comes to mind when you hear about Noah’s Ark? Do you think of a children’s story? Do you think of creation science? Do you wonder how dinosaurs fit on the ark? Do you think of a bathtub toy?
Q: What is missing in this picture?
What is missing in this image of a Noah’s Ark play set? The answer is God. Noah, Mrs. Noah, nor their family are the central characters of the story in Genesis. The animals do not even play a prominent role in the unfolding of the action. God is the main actor. God calls for the construction of the ark. God commands the animals. God unleashes the big flood.
The flood in Genesis is unique. The Hebrew word used for flood in Genesis (mabbul) is only used here and in Psalm 29:10. There are other words for flood that could be used, but this word (mabbul) is reserved for this one flood. Perhaps it is because this is more than a flood. Genesis is not attempting to explain some sort of natural meteorological event. Instead, this is an actual “Act of God.”
The mechanics and details of the flood are not important to the story, rather the why of the flood is what matters for the message. Notice why this flood happens: 1) The Fountains of the Deep Erupt, and 2) The Windows of Heaven are Opened.
That doesn’t sound like a natural event. How would this get reported on the Weather Channel? Can Doppler Radar detect activity in the Windows of Heaven or the Fountains of the Deep? Remember in our introduction to Genesis, that the meaning is what we after, more so than the mechanics. The meaning of erupting fountains and windows opening is that God is pulling the pin on creation. He is taking his hand off the wheel. God is loosening the boundaries between earth, ocean, and sky that established the creation in Genesis 1. God is removing his hand that sustains those boundaries and releasing chaos. God is “un-creating” the world. Consider what this means. The world may return to its pre-creation state of formless and void and all God has to do is step away.
Blotting Out
The meaning of the biblical term “blot out” is that God is erasing creation. That term blot out may not be as familiar to us since pen and ink is an ancient art. A more contemporary expression might be that God is deleting.
The super-flood is also the kind of un-creation that will snuff out the breath of life. The spirit of God breathed life into the world. Now God is snuffing out that breath. He does this because he is grieved by the violence that is torturing the earth and the evil imagination in the human heart.
New Covenant
Family Lines — February, 2013
Posted by Debbie on February 1, 2013 under Bulletins, Front Page Announcements
Family Lines — February 3, 2013
Family Lines — February 10, 2013