Bethany Baptist Church exists to glorify God by proclaiming Jesus Christ as Lord and preparing His people to worship Him now and forever.
APRIL 2017
Issue1022
The Broadcaster A Theology of Worship Biblical worship is our joyful response to all that God is with all that we are. Since the purpose of the church is to bring God glory, nothing is more important to the church than her worship of God (cf. 1 Cor. 10:31). The corporate worship services of the church often include many different expressions of worship. We worship God together in our worship services as we pray, as we listen to God’s Word, as we sing, as we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, as we celebrate baptisms, as we give our offerings, as we fellowship with each other, and as we encourage one another. The Church does use music to worship, but music in itself falls far short of the fullness of the worship of God by God’s people.
appropriate response is worship. The psalmist continues in verse 8, “Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.” Worship begins with our listening to God speak to us through His Word. Upon listening with a submissive heart, we eagerly respond to Him with our whole person in love and service. 2. Worship is our passionate pursuit of God’s glory.
The goal of our worship is the glory of God (cf. 1 Cor. 10:31; Psalm 29:2). To glorify God means that we know God personally, enjoy God wholeheartedly, and communicate God’s goodness and greatness boldly and clearly. We measure the quality of our worship by 1. Worship is our joyful response to God’s response to it, not by our God with our whole person. response to it. We do not worship to When the Church worships God, we please the self-interests of man, but respond to His actions and His words. we worship to advance the glory of He is the actor in the creation of the God. As a consequence, our worship is world and He is the communicator of God-centered not man-centered. His Person and His actions to His While we find joy in worship, our people. He is the actor in offering worship is for the LORD. us salvation and in redeeming us as 3. Worship includes our bold adopted children. His Word is His proclamation of the Gospel. perfect communication to us. The The Gospel teaches us that God is the psalmist wrote, "By the word of the great treasure that all men need to Lord the heavens were made, and by find joy and meaning in life (cf. John the breath of his mouth all their 17:3). The Gospel is the means by host” (Psalm 33:6). When God which we can obtain this treasure and takes action and communicates His rejoice in it. No other message Person and action with us, the only
Dr. Ritch Boerckel
conceived by man offers hope, life, joy and peace. Only the Gospel possesses God’s power to transform our hearts and lead us to His glory. So we commit ourselves to proclaiming the Gospel in our worship. Our pursuit of God’s glory necessitates that we are bold and unashamed to proclaim the whole of the Gospel in every part. If our proclamation neglects part of the Gospel, then we hide God’s glory from man and we will not glorify God. The Gospel is central to everything we aim to teach through our worship. 4. Worship includes our sincere confession of biblical truth. Biblical truth teaches us who God is, what God does, what God commands, what God promises, what God cautions, and how God loves. As such, biblical truth is not peripheral to our worship, but foundational. We do not decide who God is; God tells us who He is. We do not decide what God desires; God tells us what He desires. Our worship first listens to God reveal Himself and His will to us and then responds to Him in faith and obedience. We emphasize that biblical worship is our joyful response to all that God is with all that we are. Our response includes a sincere confession of our agreement and commitment to all that God reveals. Continued on page 2.
5. Worship includes our loving edification toward one another. God has designed worship to be a corporate activity shared by members of His own family. God is glorified as His children join together to honor, praise, serve and glorify Him. God has designed for our worship to include our building one another up in the faith. In worship, we encourage each other in our love for God, build up each other in our enjoyment of God, and support each other in our obedience to God. While most of our communication in our worship is directed vertically toward God, some of our communication in our worship is directed horizontally toward one another. As we worship God, we are mindful to maintain loving relationships with each other. God is not glorified when we attempt to worship Him while we hold resentment, anger or bitterness against another brother or sister in Christ (cf. Matthew 5:23-24). 6. Worship includes our humble communication to God. God loves to hear the prayers, songs and praises of His children. Most of our communication in our worship of God is directed personally to God. Our corporate communication to God includes four primary elements: 1) Confession of our sin to God. 2) Praise for God’s goodness and greatness. 3) Thanksgiving for God’s loving provision. 4) Petitions for God to provide for our physical, spiritual and emotional needs.
Baby Shower for Molly Schiller Thursday, April 20 at 7pm All ladies are invited to a Baby Shower for Molly Schiller. Andy and Molly are expecting a baby boy in May. They are registered at myregistry.com.
Baby Shower for Jessica Willoughby Saturday, May 6 at 10am All ladies are invited to a Baby Shower for Jessica Willoughby. Brian and Jessica are expecting a baby boy in June. They are registered at Target and Amazon.com
7. Worship includes our sacrificial commitment to give God our best. While God does not expect or demand that we give Him gifts that we do not have, God does call us to give Him the gifts that we do have (cf. Matt.16:24-25). In order to demonstrate the worth we place upon God in our lives, we seek to give our very best in our corporate worship. We do not believe that sloppiness or laziness in the preparation of our heads, our hearts, or our hands will lead to greater glory to God. So those who lead corporate worship especially labor for the honor of the LORD in our corporate worship. Yet we are mindful to beware of the kind of excellence that calls attention to the individual. We strive to give our best without promoting our abilities, but instead promoting Him for whom our worship is given. We pray that the focus of God’s people will always be on God and not upon those who lead corporate worship. Kevin DeYoung rightly remarks, “The goal is to lead in such a way that we are neither so clumsy nor so clever that the glory of God is all but forgotten.” 8. Worship includes stewardship of our talents, time and treasures. We believe that loving God includes much more than the words we say or sing. Worship is expressed through sacrificial actions and commitments (cf. Mark 7:6). We worship God through sacrificial giving to advance His name and through committed acts of service in God’s family. God has given each of His children material and financial resources to invest in ministry through the church that will glorify Him. This investment is an act of worship. God has given each of His children spiritual gifts and natural talents to employ in ministry through the church that will glorify Him. This employment of gifts and talents to His work is an act of worship. 9. Worship depends upon God’s Holy Spirit to produce life and joy in God’s family as we worship together. We do not believe that we can manufacture spiritual life and joy. Life and joy are gifts from God. For this reason we depend upon God in prayer to bear the fruit of His Spirit in our spiritual family. We are conscious of the emptiness of counterfeit worship experiences that are generated by leaning upon our own talents, labors and emotional enthusiasm to produce spiritual life in our worship. For this reason, in our worship we yield our will and our hearts to God in faith, asking for Him to grant us the sweet fruit that His Spirit produces inside all who walk with Him. To God alone be the glory!! 2
Upcoming Meetings Budget Q & A Meeting Sunday, April 23 at 6pm This is an opportunity to take a more in-depth look at the proposed budget and ask any questions you may have. Annual Meeting Sunday, April 30 at 9:45am Join us as we reflect on how God has worked in our midst this past year and vote on elected officials and the proposed budget for the coming fiscal year.
VBS Child & Volunteer Registration is up and running! Visit www.bethanycentral.org/vbs today! We would love to have those going into 7th grade and above as VBS table helpers or recreation helpers.
Upcoming Awana Events April 26—Celebration Night May 3—Awards Night (last night of Awana)
How to Study/Teach the Bible
Sunday, April 2 at 9:45am Join us in the Resource Center near the fireplace to talk to the Elders about any question, concern or prayer request.
Student Ministries April Calendar 4/5
Jr./Sr. High Youth Group, 6:15pm 6th Grade AWANA visits Jr. High Sr. High IMPACT Meeting, 8pm
4/12 Jr./Sr. High Community Night 4/16 Easter — No Sunday School 4/19 Jr./Sr. High Youth Group 4/26 Jr./Sr. High Youth Group
Special Needs Ministry Lunch Sunday, April 9 Are you interested in learning more about Bethany's Special Needs Ministry or already involved? You are invited to a luncheon on Sunday, April 9, after the 11:00 service. Please RSVP to ginny@bethanycentral.org by April 3.
4/29 Sr. High IMPACT Trip, 8:30am
For details, contact Josh Beakley (josh@bethanycentral.org) or Aaron Boerckel (aaron@bethanycentral.org).
PrimeTime Fellowship Monday, April 17 at 11:00am All seniors are invited to join us for a delicious lunch and Antique Tractor Antics with Paul McKim! Paul will be sharing his love of collecting and restoring antique tractors. He will even have some on hand to view. To sign up, please call the church office at 692-1755.
The church office will be closed on Friday, April 14 in observance of Good Friday.
Community Garden If you would like to reserve a space in the Community Garden, please email lyall@bethanycentral.org. For details about this ministry which encourages sharing the first fruits of harvest with those in need, contact Pastor Lyall.
KIDZONE
Jerry Sanderson will be teaching a basic class on how to study and teach the Bible. Everyone is welcome, but especially women who are interested in teaching the Bible to other women. The class will meet six Monday evenings from 6:30-8:00pm, April 10 through May 15 (no class April 17). There are homework assignments to do between classes. To sign up, please email jerry@bethanycentral.org.
Local Ministry Outreach Sunday, April 23 in the Foyer Learn how Bethany is partnering with local ministries to reach Peoria with the Gospel and how you can be involved in reaching Peoria for Christ!
Women Helping Women Monday, April 24 at 10:30am WHW is a ministry providing resources for women and families experiencing the grief of infant loss. If you are interested in helping put resources together (no skills needed) at our work mornings, we would love to have you join us! We meet in Room 815. Contact: Nicole Pepper 309-550-0651
Saturday, April 8 10am-2pm at The Shoppes at Grand Prairie
You’re invited to join us at the Shoppes at Grand Prairie for this fun, family-event featuring face painting, music, popcorn, candy, games and inflatables! There may still be opportunities for additional volunteers to serve at a game, craft or activity station if you would like to reach out to the community and serve our neighbors through this event. Volunteers serve from 9am to Noon or 11:30am to 2:30pm. If you have questions or would like to volunteer for a shift, please contact Kari Rabenhorst at kari@bethanycentral.org.
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NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE P A I D PEORIA, ILLINOIS
7422 N. Heinz Lane Edwards, IL 61528
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