Family Lines — August, 2013
Posted by Debbie on August 2, 2013 under Bulletins, Front Page Announcements
Family Lines — August 11, 2013
Family Lines — August 18, 2013
Family Lines — August 25, 2013
Start School with a Blessing
Posted by Debbie on July 10, 2013 under Front Page Posts, Uncategorized
Back to School Blessing & Worship Service
Sunday, August 18, 10:30 a.m.
West-Ark Auditorium
900 N. Waldron Road, Fort Smith, AR
Let us pray for you all year!
August 18 is Back-to-School Blessing Sunday!
West-Ark is keeping one of its favorite traditions, the Back-to-School Blessing. On Back-To-School Blessing Sunday, we make a special effort to bless our school children, college students, teachers and school workers. This Sunday begins a personal commitment to praying for these individuals. Here is why we do the Back-to-School Blessing:
- Praying is every Christian’s ministry. The Spirit distributes different gifts as they are needed, but every child of God is given the privilege to pray. The Back-to-School Blessing gives our members the opportunity to focus on praying for specific individuals. On August 18, you will be able to take a card with the name of a student, teacher, or education worker. Your pledge in taking that card is to pray for that person during the upcoming school year. Your prayer is a ministry to that person, and over the years we have heard how our students and teachers/educators have been blessed because someone like you is ministering to them through prayer.
- West-Ark has a particular calling to Campus, Kids, Healing, and Hope. The Back-to-School Blessing fits all four of these. Our first ministry to our campus ministry and our youth is to pray for them. We also believe that by praying for our schools and our young people, we are contributing to the healing of our community and our nation with the hope that our God is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine.
- It is unifying. The Back-to-School Blessing illustrates how all generations work together in God’s plan. Also, it brings together all of our schools – our public, private, college, Christian, and home schools. We include just about everyone in this event. Everyone can pray and everyone needs prayers.
- It is mission work. Our best opportunities for evangelism in this region will be through our schools. We have many stories that testify to this. When Jesus noticed that the fields were white for the harvest, he told his disciples to begin by praying to the Lord of the harvest.
Get ready for the Back-to-School Blessing. If you are new to our church family and work in a local school (home, public, private, etc.), we want to know. Send us an email at office@westark.org.
As extracurricular events are beginning before the official start of school, please invite your friends, neighbors, and co-workers to the August 18 Back-to-School Blessing.
Family Lines — July, 2013
Posted by Debbie on July 5, 2013 under Bulletins, Front Page Announcements
Family Lines — June, 2013
Posted by Debbie on May 31, 2013 under Bulletins, Front Page Announcements
Oklahoma Tornado Relief
Posted by Debbie on May 26, 2013 under Front Page Posts
West-Ark and CURE will provide long-term assistance to the tornado damaged communities around Moore, OK. These recovery efforts are measured in months rather than days. Yet, we can begin raising funds that will equip our people with West-Ark, CURE, Lions for Christ, and West-Ark Youth Group who are making plans now to assist in the months ahead.
If you would like to donate to our Tornado Relief efforts in Oklahoma, make your check payable to West-Ark Church of Christ or CURE. Please designate the check for “Tornado Relief” and drop it by the church office or mail to:
Attn: Oklahoma Tornado Relief
West-Ark Church of Christ
900 North Waldron Road
Fort Smith, AR 72903
Cure Update for 6/7/13
CURE continues to work with the Central Church of Christ in Moore, OK and the Lakeview Church of Christ in Shawnee. Both serve as staging areas. Our first trip was to Moore. CURE provided them with cots, air mattresses, linen, blankets, and towels to set up housing for approximately 100 volunteers and an air compressor to inflate the air mattresses. Wednesday (June 5) we completed our second trip, first stopping off in Shawnee to deliver clean-up supplies, garden rakes, rope, florescent ribbon, sunscreen, insect repellent, first aide, chap-stick and baby formula. Then on to Moore where we delivered 6 pallets of laundry detergent, dryer strips, dish soap, zipper-type storage bags, boxes and tape, and additional bed linen for 50 volunteer workers. While there we visited with coordinators at both sites, and they provided us with a list of most needed items. Shawnee identified generators, tents, cots, air mattresses and bed linen. Central in Moore requested food, personal care items and additional bed linen. Needs change on a daily basis. On our return trip we stopped by Muskogee and picked up 2300 pounds of linen. We have already begun to purchase these items and plan to make our third trip next week.
CURE also was busy this week with medical equipment that is destined for Eastern Ukraine and Haiti. 1 trip to Osceola, IA; 2 trips to Columbus, MS; 2 trips to Judsonia, AR; and we picked up 2 truck loads of medical equipment from a clinic in Roland. Next week looks like a repeat of this week.
Lions for Christ Update 6/7/13
A group of our college students (LFCs) spent June 4-6 working hard with chainsaws and lots of muscle to clear debris in Shawnee and Moore, OK. Photos and videos are posted in Facebook [West-Ark Church of Christ and Lions for Christ at UA Fort Smith.] The LFCs coordinated their efforts with the Church of Christ Disaster Relief Team which has officially set up in Norman, OK.
Family Lines — April, 2013
Posted by Debbie on April 5, 2013 under Bulletins, Front Page Announcements
Noah’s Ark – Truth or Myth?
Posted by Debbie on March 8, 2013 under Front Page Posts, Sermons, Uncategorized
Click Here For Audio
Presented by Dr. Michael Cole on Sunday evening, February 17, 2013.
The text of this lesson comes from www.westark.org/2010/01/01/noahs-ark-truth-or-myth/
Creation and Flood Scriptures Outside Genesis
Posted by Debbie on March 6, 2013 under Front Page Posts, Sermons, Uncategorized
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Presented by Dr. Michael Cole on Sunday evening, February 24, 2013.
Ex 20:11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and ALL that is in them, and rested the seventh day.
Ex 31:17 ‘It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.’
Job 38-42:6 . . . answer thou me . . .
Psm 8:3 When I consider {“with stars”} Your heavens, the work of YOUR fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained
Psm 33:6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And ALL the host of them by the breath of His mouth.
Psm 104:5-9 You who laid the foundations of the earth, So that it should not be moved forever, You covered it with the deep as with a garment; The waters stood above the mountains. At Your rebuke they fled; At the voice of Your thunder they hastened away. The mountains rose, the valleys sank down to the place which You did appoint for them. You have set a boundary that they may not pass over, That they may not return to cover the earth.
Ecc 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
Ecc 3:20 All are from the dust, and all return to dust.
Isa 45:12, 18 I have made the earth, and created man on it. It was I — My hands that stretched out the heavens, and all their host I have commanded. . . . For thus says the LORD, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD, and there is no other.
Isa 48:13 Indeed My hand has laid the foundation of the earth, and My right hand has stretched out the heavens; when I call to them, they stand up together.
Isa 55:9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.
Jer 31:35-37 Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night, Who disturbs the sea, and its waves roar (the LORD of hosts is His name): “If those ordinances depart from before Me,” says the LORD, “Then the seed of Israel shall also cease from being a nation before Me forever.” Thus says the LORD: “If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done,” says the LORD.
Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.
Mt 19:4 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at THE BEGINNING ‘made them male and female,'”
Mk 10:6 But FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE CREATION, God “made them male and female.”
Lk 17:26-27 And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them ALL.
Acts 14:15 [Barnabas & Paul said] “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and ALL things that are in them
Acts 17:24 God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.
Acts 17:26 And He has made FROM ONE BLOOD every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their habitation
Rom 1:19-22 Because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the CREATION OF THE WORLD His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, Because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools
I Cor 11:8-9 For man is not from woman, but woman from man. Nor was man created for the woman, but woman for the man.
Heb 1:10 You, Lord, IN THE BEGINNING laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of YOUR hands;
Heb 3:4 For every house is built by someone, but He who built ALL THINGS is God.
Heb 4:3 For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: “So I swore in My wrath, they shall not enter My rest,” although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
Heb 9:26 He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. [The verse indicates men have sinned “since the foundation of the world.”]
Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Heb 11:7 By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
I Pet 3:20 Who formerly were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.
II Pet 2:5 And did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly
II Pet 3:3-8 Knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, And saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were FROM THE BEGINNING OF CREATION.” For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, By which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which now exist are kept in store by the same word, reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
Rev 4:11 You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created ALL THINGS, and by Your will they exist and were created.
Rev 10:6 And swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it
Consistencies Between Science and the Bible
Posted by Debbie on under Front Page Posts, Sermons, Uncategorized
Click Here For Audio
Presented by Dr. Michael Cole on Sunday night, February 10, 2013.
I grew up with the idea that science can answer ANY question.
Click Here for PowerPoint Slides
The SCIENTIFIC METHOD:
1. Observe some aspect/phenomena of the universe.
2. Invent a theory/hypothesis that is consistent with what you have observed.
3. Use the theory to make predictions.
4. Test those predictions by experiments or further observations.
5. Modify the theory in the light of your results.
6. Go to step 3.
LIMITATIONS of the Scientific Method:
1. Limited to what can be observed by the 5 senses — i.e., 1st step is
OBSERVATION
2. Limited, therefore, to the present (by definition)
3. Limited to describing HOW a process works, but not WHY — science does
not deal with “why?” (example of tree grows from seed)
4. Limited by amoral issues (ignorant of values) (no good or bad)
5. Limited in that it cannot deal with the unique
— events on earth that occur only ONCE are outside the realm of science
— deals with events that are timeless, universal, repeatable at will;
dependable, predictable
If these criteria are not met, then it can’t be a FACT of science.
Evolution of man from lower life forms which evolved from non-living material cannot be considered a FACT of science because of the SCIENTIFIC METHOD. Can NEVER be more than a theory. Speculation.
However, CREATION (as recorded by Moses) is NOT a fact of science, either — it was not observed (by man), it happened in the past, occurred only once, & not repeatable.
Origin of Species by Charles Darwin — largely way of explaining living things apart from God’s creating them.
Which are we to believe? Evolution or Creation? “Faith” that spontaneous generation occurred.
SCIENCE cannot tell you which to believe. Point of view.
Faith — Hebrews 11:1 & 11:3
We need to prepare ourselves to deal with evidences which support both sides so we may come to our own conclusions about: “Where did I come from?” “Why am I here?” “Where am I going?”
Let’s consider whether the Bible and FACTS OF SCIENCE are in harmony or in contradiction.
The Bible is a very unique book — there are very few books that claim to be inspired by a higher being. (less than 5)
In Old Testament alone >2,700 times phrases that indicate inspiration
Bible composed of (1) revelation & (2) known facts at the time (i.e., known by the author from experience/observation/study/education)
since this Book is here, let us consider the only 3 choices that we can make about it
#1 – the men who wrote it were deluded, tricked — (sincerely wrong)
#2 – the men who wrote it were deceitful
#3 – the men wrote the truth (therefore: the Word of God)
only way to choose is to check it out
geography, history, prophecy, Resurrection, archaeology, etc.
Is the Bible consistent with Scientific Knowledge?
SCIENTIFIC:
• Job 26:7 — earth hangs from nothing (?)
how did the writer know this?? — this is a correct concept
but it is inconsistent with beliefs of that day (e.g., Atlas in mythology)
Lucky guess, perhaps
• Isaiah 40:22 — circle of the earth (round) (like vault or arch)
CORRECT concept (not flat) — was it a lucky guess?
• Genesis 15:5, Jeremiah 33:22 — stars too numerous to count
how did Moses and Jeremiah know that?
Lucky guess?
Only 6,000 stars are visible to the naked eye over the course of a year — 2,000 at any one time on the clearest night (before the telescope was invented)
compare with millions of Israelites during exodus from Egypt
There are 100-200 billion stars in our own galaxy (the Milky Way).
There are estimated to be about 100 billion to 1 trillion galaxies.
With our present technology in astronomy we can “see” more that 1 x 1023 stars in the universe that we know of. (23 zeros)
Let’s explore how big 1023 is:
If 5 billion people in the world spent 24 hours a day counting stars at a
rate of about 5 per second, it would take us 127,000 years to count them all
(that we know of now).
That is a lot of stars! Too numerous to count!
How did the writers of the Bible know that there were more stars than man could count? A lucky guess?
• Luke 17:31, 34 — “on that day,” “on that night”
How could Jesus come back during daytime & nighttime at the same time? — How did He know that? — It wasn’t discovered till many centuries later that while people sleep on one side of the globe that it is daylight on the other.
A lucky guess? NO, we’ve run out of lucky guesses.
Christ knew because He was THERE. (John 1:1-3; Hebrews 1:2)
OCEANOGRAPHY (U.S. Navy) —
• Ecclesiastes 1:7 — sea is not filled
Why doesn’t the ocean fill up? — Water (or Hydrologic) Cycle — discovered in the 16th century but described in Job 36:27-28
• The classical oceanography story is that of Matthew Fontaine Maury, the father of modern day oceanography (“Pathfinder of the Seas”). (1806-1873)
Psalm 8:8 — “… whatever passes along the PATHS of the sea”
If God says they are there, they must be — take God at His word.
Maury charted the currents in the oceans — greatly beneficial for shipping lanes & fuel conservation to this day
Before 5,000 people at the founding of the University of the South in 1860, Maury proclaimed the following:
“I have been blamed by men of science, both in this country and in England, for quoting the Bible in confirmation of the doctrines of physical geography. The Bible, they say, was not written for scientific purposes, and is therefore no authority in matters of science. I beg pardon! The Bible is authority for everything it touches.”
Faith is NOT a blind leap into the dark. Biblical faith is always evidence-based, knowledge-based. (Heb. 11:1)
• Job 38:16 — recesses of the deep (RSV) — trenches in the ocean not known until 1870’s — Maury studied Atlantic sea floor; telegraph cable.
One trench in the Pacific is 6½ miles deep.
In 2012 James Cameron (director, writer, & co-producer of 1997 “Titanic” movie) was the first man to reach the bottom of the Mariana Trench at 6.8 miles below sea level.
• Gen. 6:15
It was discovered in the mid-1800’s that the perfect sea-going ratio is 30:5:3 — not for speed, but for stability (somewhat similar to an oil tanker)
300 x 50 x 30 cubits was the dimensions of the ark that Noah built. This is identical to perfect ratio of 30:5:3. Noah got these measurements from God (not from generations of shipbuilding knowledge) — (Genesis 6) only way he could have known the perfect measurements. (Noah’s ark remained the largest sea-going vessel ever built until 1844.)
MEDICINE:
• Leviticus 17:11 — “the life of the flesh is in the blood …”
Today, we know about RBC’s, WBC’s, platelets, albumin, immunoglobulins, etc.
The doctors 200 years ago thought the blood was bad. They didn’t comprehend “the life of the flesh is in the blood.” When George Washington was sick they used leaches to suck out that imagined “bad” blood. (Actually, they sucked out the good blood and its components that aid in recuperation.)
• Genesis 17:12 — circumcise when EIGHT days old — didn’t discover the reason for this until the 1970’s.
Vitamin K is necessary to clot blood (every American baby since 1980 gets a shot of this immediately after birth) — Vitamin K is not formed in sufficient amounts till 5 – 7 days after birth
Prothrombin (another factor necessary for clotting) is >100% normal on day 8.
? lucky guess ? (8th day)
• Genesis 3:15 — seed of life in a woman
for 1000’s of years it was thought that only MAN had the seed; the woman was only the incubator
The Bible was not meant to be a book of science.
However, if this Book is from God (who cannot lie or be mistaken) then it neither contradicts itself nor contradicts FACTS which have been discovered by man.
If Evolution is a FACT, perhaps the Bible is only partially inspired.
The Book itself, however, says in II Timothy 3:16 that “ALL scripture is given by inspiration of God …”
Let us also heed the warning given by Paul to Timothy in I Timothy 6:20-21.
Evolution — science fiction. There is scientific evidence that supports creation by God.
Perhaps you think that since you don’t believe in Evolution or Humanism anyway, you can just ignore it. — It would be nice if this were so. — Children are being exposed to Evolution in the lowest grades. — Are you prepared to give them a logical alternative to the explanations they get about origins?
First, we had better be convinced ourselves that God exists.
And 2nd we had better be prepared to give our children an answer for WHY we believe in God and why we believe He is the Creator of all things.
In our post-modern world with so-called post-modern thinkers, as Christians we MUST examine the data from science, archaeology, history, and other fields of study that relate to our basic religious beliefs.
We need to draw conclusions that can help us be CONVICTED that God does or does not exist.
If God does not exist, then nothing really matters. But, if God does exist, as I profess, then nothing else matters.
Being agnostic (or unconvinced) is little different from being atheistic.
Only the TRUTH can make you free.
If you are convinced that God exists, as I am, then you can conclude that He provided us with a guide book, the Bible.
He has told us in this Book that we are created by Him and owe Him everything while He really owes us nothing, but nevertheless He has shown love for us and blessed us beyond measure.
We can understand that if God is the Creator and we are the created, then we have a responsibility to serve Him and to please Him.
If you live your life all week as if God does not or might not exist, then remember the words of Hebrews 10:31, “It is a FEARFUL thing to fall into the hands of the LIVING God.”
Fortunately, God has provided you a way to escape His wrath. The blood of Christ has been provided for our salvation.
Family Lines — March, 2013
Posted by Debbie on March 1, 2013 under Bulletins, Front Page Announcements