The Press-Dispatch
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The Press-Dispatch Wednesday, April 17, 2019 C-1 CHURCH Submit church items: Call: 812-354-8500 Email: news@pressdispatch.net or bring in a hard copy: 820 E. Poplar Street, Petersburg The Church Page is made possible by the following Firms and Businesses: Amber Manor Care Center Petersburg — 812-354-3001 Benner & Co. Heating and Air Petersburg — 812-354-3433 Computers Plus Radio Shack Petersburg — 812-354-9633 DougGlass DBA Hold Everything Self Storage — 812-354-1110 Four Star Fabricators Petersburg — 812-354-9995 www.fourstarfab.com Harris Funeral Home 7th and Walnut Streets, Petersburg Phone: 812-354-8844 Play & Learn Preschool Campbelltown — 812-354-3999 White Stallion Energy Evansville — 812-473-0700 Baptist Baptist Baptist Assembly of God CHURCH CHURCH Notes Notes Notes Continued in next column Continued in next column Ramblings of my mind by Lowell Thomas Earth's Greatest Day Minutes with the Bible By Pastor Paul M. Sadler Continued on page 2 See MINUTES on 3 God Expelled from College Religious Viewpoint by Clyde Dupin Great Christian people invented the uni- versity. Many of the colleges in America were founded by churches. Since Chris- tian faith is based on a book, The Bible, it is understood that Christians read and seek knowledge. Harvard University was found- ed to train ministers. The first president of Princeton University was the great speak- er and evangelist Jonathan Edwards. Today at Princeton one professor supports abor- tion infanticide and the killing of the hand- icapped. During the last century God was expelled from many colleges and universities. In ma- ny institutions of higher learning God has been factored out of scholarship and Chris- tian faith has become unworthy of the edu- cated mind. In most colleges and universi- ties Christians have to put up with moral ar- guments against them and assaults on their moral beliefs. Many universities have co-ed dorms, classes on pornography and sensi- tivity training classes to cure homophobia. Even though we recognize them as Chris- tian colleges they are not immune from compromise and po- litical correctness. Many Christian col- leges have already slid down the slip- pery slope of secu- larism. In the last 25 years Christian pro- fessors and students have become cult members in our reli- gious colleges. They feel the social pressure to join the crowd. Faculty members and students often inter- nalize their beliefs to fit in. Often times the most anti-Christian professors are those who once professed a strong religion faith but have now forsaken it. They are the ones who crusade against a student's faith. The good news is CRU (Campus Cru- sade for Christ) and other Christian orga- nizations have invaded the campuses with the Christian message. Those who survive the anti-God teaching often enter society as stronger Christians. The incomparable English preacher, Charles Spurgeon, once said, "Every cir- cumstance connected with the life of Christ is deeply interesting to the Christian mind. Wherever we behold our Savior, He is well worthy of our notice….All His weary pil- grimage, from Bethlehem's manger to Cal- vary's cross, is, in our eyes, paved with glo- ry. Each spot upon which He trod is, to our souls, consecrated at once, simply because there the foot of earth's Savior and our own Redeemer once was placed. "When He comes to Calvary, the inter- est thickens; then our best thoughts are centered on Him in the agonies of crucifix- ion, nor does our deep affection permit us to leave Him, even when, the struggle being over, He yields up the ghost. His body, when it is taken down from the tree, still is love- ly in our eyes—we fondly linger around the motionless clay. By faith we discern Joseph of Arimathea, and the timid Nicodemus… drawing out the nails and taking down the mangled body; we behold them wrapping Him in clean, white linen, hastily girding him round with belts of spices; then put- ting Him in His tomb, and departing for the Sabbath rest." On the first day of the week, Christ broke the bands of death and rose again. In the words of the angel who was there that glo- rious morning, "Come, see the place where the Lord lay" (Matt. 28:6). It is in every sense of the word, earth's greatest day. WITNESS OF THE EMP T Y TOMB A fter the crucifixion of Christ, Joseph begged Pilate for the body of Jesus, that he might give it a proper burial. Once in his pos- session, Joseph and Nicodemus wrapped the body and placed it in the tomb — they placed the Rock of Ages in a hewn-out rock. Then they removed the object holding the "great stone" in place, allowing it to roll in front of the entrance of the tomb. This stone is estimated to have weighed more than a ton; in fact, it is said that it would have taken the strength of twenty men to move it. Ac- cording to the Scriptures, there were four believers that day who witnessed the en- tombment of our Lord's body: Joseph, Ni- codemus, Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary (Matt. 27:57-61; John 19:38 -42). Shortly thereafter, the Chief Priest and the Pharisees requested that Pilate secure the tomb. This was accomplished by doing three things: "So they went, and made the sepulcher sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch" (Matt. 27:66). To make the tomb sure meant that the stone would have been removed from the entrance so the religious leaders and the Roman soldiers could confirm the body of Jesus was actually there. Obviously it was present and accounted for, seeing that the soldiers sealed the tomb with the Ro- man signet. The motto in those days was, "Break a Roman seal, and lose your life." Finally, they set a watch, which meant six- teen Roman soldiers were posted nearby, four of which were stationed at the door of the tomb. We know for certain that there were more than two soldiers on duty be- cause Matthew clearly states that "some of the watch came into the city" after Christ's resurrection (Matt. 28:11,12). As dawn was breaking on resurrection morn, the air, in all probability, was cool and crisp. When Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome arrived at the burial plot, they were amazed to find that the massive stone had been removed and the tomb was empty (Mark 16:1-3). When Peter and John arrived on the scene, they too were puzzled, but eventually real- ized that the reason the body was gone was because Christ had risen from the dead, as He had promised ( John 20 :19,20). The se- cured tomb was empty, which bears wit- ness to the fact that Christ did indeed rise from the dead. Even the unbelieving Roman watch confirmed that the tomb they had been guarding was empty (Matt. 28:11-15). THE WITNESS OF ANGEL S "And, behold… the angel of the Lord de- scended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it" (Matt. 28:2). It is interesting that, according to the four Gospels, there were two different appear- ances of the angels on the day Christ rose from the dead. As messengers of God, they announced the Savior's birth, and now one of them announces His resurrection. But is it possible for one angel to move what Mark calls a "very great" stone (Mark 16:4), es- timated to weigh well over a ton? The strength and ability of the angels of God go far beyond our comprehension; they are supernatural beings. For example, in the days of Hezekiah, one angel smote dead 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night (II Kings 19:35; Isa. 37:36). The account given to us by Matthew makes it very clear that the Lord had al- ready risen from the dead prior to the angel of the Lord rolling the stone away from the doorway. You see, the removal of the stone was for our benefit. It was removed by the angel so we could see the tomb was emp- ty. This is why the angel said to the wom- en present that day, "Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He Yeah great, another fairly good busy week has just been placed in the record books. It feels good to be able to accomplish a few things without everything going amiss. Even got my mowing done except for one lawn and I'll get it this week. I have been told that a cou- ple more people want their yard done as well and I'm thinking that maybe I could mow a couple more and then I think about being com- mitted to yet another chore. I am still reorganizing my shop and am won- dering if I'll ever get it done. A person just doesn't realize how much stuff they have un- til they try to find a place for it. There are lots of tools and if I was up to it most of the jobs that come up around the house could be done with what I have. But, I'm not as careful as I used to be and some things are good enough, so I often pay for help. I have a good friend who knows how to do about everything and he treats me to his expertise whenever I call. We volunteers at Golden Living Center were treated to a brunch last Thursday. There were many people there with a multitude of talents and time which has been shared for the res- idents of this facility. We can't imagine how much our time means to these special folks who look forward to our entertainment and visits there. I've heard several people on the streets say they have nothing of value to share, but your smile and a hello is the least anyone can do. So visit a nursing home soon. Lots of these people on the street complain of being bored and this is just one way you could fight your boredom. Thursday night at the local Lions club meet- ing we discussed many projects coming up and without going into detail with any one of them I'll briefly mention some of them so you can be watching for more information. There will be a six-mile two-man race called a Ho- kum Karem, a free document/paper shred day, Pike County has talent day at the local 4H fair, car cruise in and a rib sale. Watch the Pike county Chamber of Commerce for de- tails as well as flyers around town. Your local Lions Club could use anyone who desires to be a part of helping our community. We were fortunate enough to induct two new members at our last meeting and they were Kim Wil- lett and Joe Mitchell. Congratulations and wel- come aboard is extended to them. This past Saturday found Petersburg full of kids as the Little League had their first day and the Moose had their Egg hunt. Good to see all them enjoying their day and a big thank you to the men and women who helped to make their day. A special thanks to the high school gal who took our grandson out to hunt eggs at Gospel Center because they made great friends and found lots of eggs. Next Sunday is Easter Sunday and our church has plans to have an Easter service at 8 a.m. and then enjoy a brunch type of meal. Being General Baptist pays off in the food de- partment because there are lots of good cooks in these churches. You are welcome to join us and worship with us on Easter morning. Hope to see you there. Well by now you know the drill, get out there and be blessing. RIVER OF LIFE 342 E. CR 300 N. Petersburg Sunday morning worship 10 a.m.; Sunday evening worship 6 p.m. and Con- sumed youth group 7 p.m.; Wednesday evening Bible study 7 p.m.; Men's ministry meeting every other Thurs- day 10 a.m. If you would like a ride to WASHINGTON ASSEMBLY OF GOD 320 S. Meridian Street Washington Sunday school 9:30 a.m.; morning worship 10 :30 a.m.; Wednesday evening dinner and Bible study at 6 p.m. and from church services, call 812-354-8800. Jim Gidcumb, Pastor CROSSROADS BAPTIST CHURCH 2789 S. State Rd 57 Oakland City Sunday school 9:30 a.m.; morning worship 10 :30 a.m.; Wednesday, adult Bi- ble study and children's ac- tivities 6 p.m. All times are CDT. Wednesday adult Bible study is on Heaven: What do we know about our fu- ture home? Saturday, April 20 at 1 p.m., community Easter egg hunt. Easter services, Sunday April 21, no Sunday school; There will be a brunch in GR ACE G.B. CHURCH 1007 E. Union St. Winslow NEW LIBERTY G.B. CHURCH (Coe) 1820 S. Co Rd. 800 S. Oakland City Gary Pancake, Pastor 812-664-4716 Sunday school 9:30 a.m., Faron McLaughlin, Super- intendent, Ryan Edrington, Assistant and Sunday morn- ing worship at 10 :30 a.m. and Wednesday evening ser- vices at 6 p.m. Good Friday is April 19. There will be no school. There will be an Easter egg hunt at the church on WINSLOW G.B. CHURCH 600 E. Union Street Sunday school 9:30 a.m.; morning worship 10 :30 a.m.; Sunday evening soup and sandwich fellowship at 5:30 p.m.; Wednesday, adult Bi- ble study at 6:30 p.m. • First Wednesday of each month before Bible study, Advisory Board meet- ing with business meeting to follow. • Sunday, April 21 at 6 a.m. Easter Sunrise ser- vice, with breakfast served after devotional. All are wel- come. There will be no Sun- day school that morning. Thought for the week: The angel said to the wom- en, "Do not be afraid, for I BIBLE BAPTIST CHURCH An Independent Baptist Church 4995 N. Co. Rd. 850 E. Otwell (Meeting in the Iva Union Church building) Sunday school for chil- dren and adults 9 a.m.; Sun- day morning worship ser- vice 10 a.m.; Sunday evening service, Youth Group (6th grade through 19 years old), and Patch Club (four years old through 5th grade) 6 p.m.; Thursday, prayer ser- vice 7 p.m. Scott Fulcher, Pastor know that you are looking for Jesus, who was cruci- fied. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay" (Matthew 28:5 -6). Be in prayer for the lost, the sick, our church, our country and leaders, and always each other. God's blessings on you this week. Try to be kind and show God's love, because every- one is fighting some kind of battle. If you don't have a church home, we invite you to any of our services. Gary Watson, Pastor Kathy Henderson, Re- porter Sunday school 9:30 ; Sun- day morning worship 10 a.m.; Sunday evening wor- ship 6 p.m.; Wednesday Bi- ble study at 6 p.m. Bill Chesser, Reporter lieu of Sunday school. Exciting things are hap- pening at Crossroads. If you do not have a church home, you are welcome to come and join us. Curt Beadle, Pastor