September 2020 Lewis Lake News 1 LEWIS LAKE NEWS Receiving God’s Blessing | Becoming God’s Blessing Dave & Dianne Norman our NAIM (North American Indigenous Ministries) Missionaries joined us on Confirmation Sunday to say a word of thanks for our support of their ministry in Washington. (Photo Credit Tonya Burk) inside September 2020 Sunday School Kick Off 3 Understanding Bible Words Better 3 Suspicious by Pastor Bob 4 Girls Night 5 Book Review 6 Church Calendar 12 AUTHORITY, UNLIMITED? Last month we finished our journey through the gospel of Matthew, ending with Jesus’ glorious words, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” I want to take this opportunity to ponder the notion of authority. Authority is, in simple terms, the right to impose one’s will on something or someone. A store manager has the authority to tell employees how to do their job. A policeman has the authority to ticket speeding drivers. Jesus claims all authority in heaven and on earth, which means he has the right to impose his will on anyone or anything, and along with that the authority to reward those who comply with his will and punish those who don’t. ~continued on page 2
Transcript
September 2020
Lewis Lake News �1
LEWIS LAKE NEWS Receiving God’s Blessing | Becoming God’s Blessing
Dave & Dianne Norman our NAIM (North American Indigenous Ministries) Missionaries joined us on Confirmation Sunday to say a word of thanks for our support of their ministry in Washington. (Photo Credit Tonya Burk)
i n s i d e September 2020
Sunday School Kick Off
3
Understanding Bible Words Better
3
Suspicious by Pastor Bob
4
Girls Night 5
Book Review 6
Church Calendar 12
AUTHORITY, UNLIMITED?Last month we finished our journey through the gospel of Matthew, ending with Jesus’ glorious words,
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
I want to take this opportunity to ponder the notion of authority. Authority is, in simple terms, the right to impose one’s will on something or someone. A store manager has the authority to tell employees how to do their job. A policeman has the authority to ticket speeding drivers. Jesus claims all authority in heaven and on earth, which means he has the right to impose his will on anyone or anything, and along with that the authority to reward those who comply with his will and punish those who don’t.~continued on page 2
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Jesus has authority over everything for three very good reasons, in no particular order: First, he created everything, and a creator has authority over his creation. Second, all authority was given to him by the Father, and third, Jesus is himself God, with all attendant rights and privileges.
But the Bible is also clear that God has delegated some of his authority to people. “Subdue the earth,” he told Adam, giving man the right to arrange the earth as he sees fit. We don’t have to ask grasshoppers for their permission to cut hay in the field they’re living in, or ask chickens if they mind us collecting and eating their eggs, and we can cheerfully massacre mosquitos by the millions. They are living in our world, not we in theirs, and there’s something terribly upside down and even evil about man serving creation (Rom 1:25) instead of ruling it (Gen 1:26).
However, man’s authority over other men is a little complex and requires some careful thought.
The starting place is to remember where authority comes from: “there is no authority except from God…” (Rom. 13:1). Since God has all authority and possesses every right, including the right to give life or take it away solely at his good pleasure, any other authority, whether of men or angels, must be granted to him from God. Further, since proper authority comes from God, it cannot be properly taken away by anyone else.
Therefore, it logically follows that “those [authorities] that exist have been instituted by God” (Rom. 13:1). This begs the simple question, what authorities exist? The Bible seems to indicate that three broad categories of authority exist: the family, the church, and the state.
Family“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right” (Eph. 6:1). Why should children obey their parents? What right do parents have to exercise
authority over them? The answer should never be that parents are bigger and stronger and can impose their will by sheer force, but rather because God gave parents the right, the authority (and responsibility!) to direct their children, and children who rebel against their parents are really rebelling against God who gave parents that authority. On the flip side, if parents, particularly fathers, shirk this responsibility and don’t exercise authority over their children, letting them do whatever they want, they’re in rebellion against God, who told them to use their authority for the good of their kids (Eph. 6:4).
The tool God gave parents to use to enforce their authority is “the rod” (Prov 22:15). Parents have the right to inflict pain upon their children when they
rebel against it in order to bring them back into proper, productive behavior. That discipline may look different in various situations, but the principle is the same, and fathers who are unwilling to inflict pain on errant children actually hate them (Prov 13:24).
Church“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls” (Heb 13:17). The church is another segment of human society, separate from the family. Leaders must meet certain qualifications (1 Tim 3:1-13) and dare not misuse that authority for their own personal benefit at the expense of others, as did the shepherds in Ezekiel 34:1-4. Since church leaders, particularly elders, “will have to give an account” to God for the condition of the souls of church members, God has given them the authority and responsibility to do so through the oversight of a church’s worship, doctrine, and conduct, according to Biblical standards.
~continued on page 7~Authority, Unlimited? continued from page 2
Church leaders who reject this responsibility and ignore aberrant teaching or immoral behavior in the church will bring on themselves the wrath of Jesus
~continued on page 7
“wherever those authorities cross the boundaries God has ordained, for the love of our neighbor we are right to encourage the transgressor to beat a hasty retreat back to its own proper domain.”
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Lewis Lake News �3
Understanding Bible Words Better:
The calling of the Gentiles into the Christian Church (Eph 1:9-11; Col 1:25-27). A truth undiscoverable except by revelation, long hid, now made manifest. The resurrection of the
dead (1 Cor 15:51), and other doctrines which need to be explained but which cannot be fully understood by finite intelligence (Matt 13:11; Rom 11:25; 1Cor 13:2). The union between Christ and his people symbolized by the marriage union (Eph 5:31, 32; comp Eph 6:19). The anti-Christian power working in his day is called by the apostle the "mystery of iniquity” (2 Thess 2:7).- Lightly edited entry from Easton’s Bible Dictionary
Sunday, September 13 Is Sunday School Kickoff Classes for Ages 2 through Adult / Nursery for Infant through 2 Years Contact Melodee Hall 612-390-0913 if you will help teach or volunteer for nursery during the Sunday SchooL hour.
Sunday School Kick-off All Church Potluck Meal
Sunday, September 13th at 11:30 AM
We are looking for volunteers for set up /clean up. Please sign-up on the East wall to bring a side dish,
salad or dessert.
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Council Meeting
Monday, September 14th at 7:45 pm
Deacons will meet at 7 PM
Keep up to date with Lewis LakeYou can find the Church Calendaronline at www.lewislake.orgUnder the “Church Calendar” tab.
But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge,
that I may tell of all your works. Psalm 73:28
September 2020
Lewis Lake News �4
Suspicious
Normally I am a pretty trusting guy. I naturally look at the other person and assume they are a good and kind. My attitude has always been that I will assume the best in people until they prove me wrong. But that seems to be changing. I am becoming suspicious of people. I realize that it could be simply because I am getting old and cranky, but I wonder if something is going on in the world that is turning me into a suspicious doubter of the human heart.
Two things happened recently that made me wonder. In the first situation, Sandy and I were getting gas in the motorcycle. There was a pickup parked at the neighboring pump and a young man was monkeying around it. After a bit this young man slides over to us and asks if we will buy him some cigarettes if he gives us the money. Now this is normal enough. It’s tough to get a smoke when you are a little under age. We’ve all been there. But then my suspicious mind kicks into gear. I began to wonder if this wasn’t a set up. Were the police watching this whole thing go down. Were they trying to catch me buying smokes for an under aged kid? You see what I mean? Suspicious.
A few days later I am driving down the highway when I come upon a stalled car. A young man was in the driver seat and young woman was just getting out on the passenger side. As I approached, the woman tried to wave me down and get me to stop. Do you know what my first thought was? Suspicious! “This is a set up,” I thought to myself. I will stop and they will pull a gun, rob me, accuse me of assault or kidnap me and hold me for ransom. So I did not stop. Just drove right on by, trying to hide my “sorry, but I don’t really trust you” kind of look on my face.
We seem to be living in a world that is robbing us of our trust. Can the human race survive in such a world? Is there something about trusting each other that is an essential ingredient in society? I guess our world needs a “trust-rebuilding” project.
The Bible says that there really is only One who is trustworthy, and He is the Lord. Even Jesus Himself didn’t seem to trust people a great deal (John 2:24-25). These truths I understand, but it does not keep me from longing for a day when I can lose my suspicions, simply relax, and stop and help the guy who is stalled on the side of the road. We need a revival from the One who can turn us into trustworthy people again.
Pastor Bob
“But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.” John 2:24-25
HAVE YOU SET UP YOUR BREEZE ACCOUNT YET?
With Breeze you can: • Manage your Personal and family information• Access the ALL NEW Church Event Calendar and register and sign into events.• Access the Church Directory (allowing you to look up fellow Lewis Lakers)
Talk to Tami in the office if you need help getting set up.
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Lewis Lake News �5
SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE At Home Services will stream at 9 AM Sunday Mornings
Audio of the sermon and sermon notes are available on the Media page of the website as always.
Ladies ! pistol 101Hosted by: Dave Nelson & Tami GoleyWhen: Sat Sept 19th (weather permitting)Where: Dave and Michelle Nelson's property
1626Holly Trail Ogilvie MN 56358
Sign up for one of two sessions. Class size is limited so sign up today.1:30 PM - 3:00 PM or 3:15 PM -4:45 PMThis will be a low key (or low stress) environment with an introductory course to basic handgun operation and safety. We welcome you to join us. Whatever your level is or whatever your need is. If you have any questions regarding this event, please feel free to reach out to either one of us. Dave 763-300-0442 " Tami 320-630-7371We will have several smaller caliber hand guns and ammo available to use. You do not have to shoot if you don't want to. If you have your own you would like to bring it, please have it cased and unloaded. Also ear protection if you have it. If we have room and you would like to invite a friend please do.We are looking for a .22 semi- auto pistol if anyone has one that they would be willing to lend for the event.This is NOT a Conceal Carry Class! Must be at least 16 years old to participate.
Girls Night is an intergenerational evening of fellowship for girls of all ages Tuesday, September 22 6:30 PM ~ Here at Lewis Lake Ivy Sutton will be our Hostess It’s all about books. Bring something you are reading, have read, or a childhood favorite.
Christianity and Liberalism was published ninety-seven years ago in 1923, a warning to the faithful church about the encroachment of the liberal theology then sweeping across the American church landscape. Liberal Christianity then denied Jesus’ miracles, his bodily resurrection, the inerrancy of Scripture, and pretty much all the things liberal Christianity does today. On top of that, the primary function of the church as being for the worship of God and spread of the gospel was being replaced by the idea of the church as an agent of social change.
This is one of those books (much like J. C. Ryle’s excellent volume Holiness) that, had you not known it was written nearly a century ago, you might surmise it was written last week. One of the good friends of the Common Slaves, professor of Christian Thought at Northwestern University, Dr. Paul Helseth, did his dissertation on Machen’s volume, so I figured if he thought it was that important of a work I should check it out.
I’m ever so glad I did. It’s a brief read, some 150 pages or less, and it’s an inexpensive read, available for free on Kindle or PDF at monergism.com
The prevailing winds against the church are always blowing her toward closer alignment with the thoughts and ideas of the world, which tends to scoff at the notion of Christianity as being actually true or that man without Christ is actually lost.
Machen writes: “In the sphere of religion, in particular, the present time is a time of conflict; the great redemptive religion which has always been known as Christianity is battling against a totally diverse type of religious belief, which is only the more destructive of the Christian faith because it makes use of traditional Christian terminology. This modern non-redemptive religion is called “modernism” or “liberalism.” Both names are unsatisfactory; the latter, in particular, is question-begging. The movement designated as “liberalism” is regarded as “liberal” only by its friends; to its opponents it seems to involve a narrow ignoring of many relevant facts… the many varieties of modern liberal religion are rooted in naturalism—that is, in the denial of any entrance of the creative power of God (as distinguished from the ordinary course of nature) in connection with the origin of Christianity.”
Indeed.
While Dr. Machen was a profound New Testament scholar, this little volume is not written in the jargon of the academy, but was meant to be read and understood by laymen so they might recognize the assault of liberal Christianity when it came to their church, and how they might stand against it. The fact that this volume continues to be in print testifies to its significance. Mostly though, the truths laid out will resonate with the spirit of the one who longs to see the Bible held in high esteem and Christ exalted as the one who saves his people by his death, not from their social troubles, but from the wrath of God against sin. Highly recommend.~jr
Book Review/Recommend: Christianity and Liberalism
himself who has entrusted them to guard the church against these things (Rev. 2:14-16, 20). The tool Jesus has given the church and its leaders to enforce their authority is “the keys of the kingdom” (Matt 16:19), which in simple terms is the authority to lock or unlock the doors of church membership and participation in the sacraments.
StateGod has also given authority to certain people to govern human society in general. This includes the right of taxation, the right to raise an army, and the right to pass and enforce proper laws. The state’s primary task is to maintain a peaceful land, allowing their citizens to conduct their affairs unmolested by enemies outside the nation and criminal elements within it. The wars fought and laws passed are to be compliant with God’s moral laws and intended to create and preserve a just society in which all citizens may enjoy their own God-given rights to freely own property, raise a family, conduct business, and worship according to the dictates of conscience.
Hitler’s proper authority did not extend to exterminating his own Jewish citizens, so it was good and proper for German citizens to hide Jews in the basement against the order of the state. Kim Jong Un has no proper authority to prohibit the production and distribution of Bibles in North Korea, so it is good and proper to get Bibles into North Korea, even against the authority of the state.
The tool God has given the state to enforce its authority is “the sword” (Rom 13:4), which is the right to kill in times of war or mete out justice upon its own citizens who are in rebellion against its laws, up to and including executing them.
Authority, LimitedBecause we recognize that all authority comes from God, we also recognize that all authority has God-ordained boundaries which ought not be crossed, including crossing into the realm of another authority. God has not, for instance, given the Governor the right to withhold church membership or the Lord’s
Supper from adulterers, nor has he given fathers the right to execute murderers, or church leaders the right to use the rod on kids who refuse to go to bed on time. And since all authority properly comes from God, anytime a family, a church, or a state oversteps its bounds, it is the duty of the one whose authority is being trampled to attempt to maintain and reclaim it for the good of everyone. A few weeks back I stood beside Natalie at the front of the church and the question was asked, “Who gives this woman to be married to this man?” There’s really only one person in the world qualified to answer that question, so I turned my microphone on and said as firmly as I knew how, “Me.” She was, after all, my daughter to give. Pastor Bob, representing the church, had no right to answer that question, and neither did President Trump, representing the state. Only me, her father. It would be a really dark day if the church or the state started claiming the right to give or not to give away our daughters in marriage.
In the United States we hold to a firm separation between church and state, not as a political position so much as a simple recognition that the state has no right to encroach upon the church’s God-given authority, nor the church upon the state’s. The church cannot imprison criminals, declare war, collect taxes, or write speeding tickets, and the state cannot collect taxes from the church, make or remove its members, craft its doctrinal statements, or demand that worship be done while standing on one leg.
In the 17th century many English pastors, including John Bunyan, were driven from their churches or even thrown in prison for refusing to comply with Queen Elizabeth’s law requiring them to wear certain clothes while
~continued on page 11
“Since God has all authority and possesses every right, including the right to give life or take it away solely at his good pleasure, any authority, whether of men or angels, must be granted by God.”
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September 2020
Lewis Lake News �10
September 2020
Lewis Lake News �11
Authority, Unlimited?~continued from page 7
preaching (vestments) or conduct their services according to the Book of Common Prayer. They were right to resist the authority of the state, and we rightly honor them still. In medieval times, the Catholic Church claimed for itself the right to crown the king, a symbolic but also very real way of exercising authority over the state. After all, whoever has the right to place a crown on a man’s head and make him king has the right to take it off and dethrone him, which meant the Pope was head not only of the church but also the state. So it’s no surprise that the church started wielding “the sword” of the state and executing heretics. When lines between church and state become blurred, heresy (which divides the church) is the same as treason (which divides the state).
Beginning with the Reformation, the swinging pendulum of the balance of authority has slowly swung from the church to the state, so more common in our day is the state impinging upon the authority of the church. In China right now, locked-down churches are required to sing the national anthem in order to reopen. Here at home, under the Supreme Court’s recent Bostock decision, it’s possible that the state may begin to punish churches for admonishing anyone identifying themselves on the LGBTQ+ spectrum (and who knows what’s lurking in the ‘+’ that isn’t already found in the other letters) to return to a lifestyle consistent with Biblical morality. And we’re all wrestling in these days with the state’s right to forbid assembling to worship or prescribe the way worship may be lawfully conducted. Does the state have the right to punish the church when her members touch each other when giving some version of the holy kiss the Bible instructs us to do? (1 Cor 16:20).
So long as the authorities of family, of church, and of state stay within their God-defined domains, we are bound before God to obey them as having the right to exercise that authority. But wherever those authorities cross the boundaries God has ordained, for the love of our neighbor we are right to encourage the transgressor to beat a hasty retreat back to its
own proper domain. Similarly, wherever those authorities abandon their responsibilities, say when a father neglects to restrain his children, a nation allows the free murder of its unborn citizens, or a church turns a blind eye to habitual sin, we are right to encourage the authority to make a hasty and courageous return to his post.
All authority belongs to Jesus, who has both granted and limited the authority of these three institutions, and as followers of Jesus we recognize both the authority and the boundaries, and protect them as we’re able.
~jr
Fall 2020 Worship Schedule effective Sunday, September 13
Worship: 9:00 am
Coffee & Fellowship: 10:00 - 10:30 am
Sunday School/Confirmation: 10:30 - 11:15 am
Interested in Membership at Lewis Lake?
Sign up to show your interest in taking Lewis Lake 101 to learn more about our Church. Pastor Bob will lead this class sometime this fall. Sign-up sheet on East wall.
