FROM OUR PASTOR’S HEART
IN THE WORLD, NOT OF IT
DR. GARY HOLLINGSWORTH
TRACI HOGUE
Director of Children’s Ministry
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ost of us grew up singing, Oh, How I Love Jesus. In addition to reading the Bible and my devotional, from The Word for You Today, I take time to worship through music, by singing or reading a particular song God places on my heart. Today it was this old hymn of our faith. As I sang that familiar song, tears welled in my eyes and my heart was suddenly and strangely moved and overwhelmed with a tremendous sense of gratitude for what Jesus did for ME on the Cross! You can read it yourself so I’ll not republish it here, but it calls attention to the fact that Jesus died to SET ME FREE! It speaks of the worth of the name of Jesus; it tells of His precious blood shed on the Cross; it reminds me of the fact that in my darkest hours, HE is my light, shining His glory to illuminate the dark paths we travel! The chorus reminds us that we love Him because HE FIRST LOVED US!
November and December are very important in our Christian faith; we have Thanksgiving and Christmas. In knowing Jesus and being known by Jesus, we have SO much to be thankful for! In the Incarnation, we are reminded of just how much God loved us, in that “God so loved the world, He sent His only begotten Son.” Please, remember during these two holy celebrations, that because of the love of Jesus, we have much to celebrate. Maybe after reading this you can go away singing… “There is a name I love to hear, I love to sing its worth; it sounds like music in my ears, the sweetest name on earth. Oh, how I love Jesus. Oh, how I love Jesus. Oh, how I love Jesus, because He first loved ME!” Blessings, Pastor Gary
FOLLOW IMMANUEL BAPTIST CHURCH 501 N. SHACKLEFORD RD. LITTLE ROCK, AR 72211
NOV//DEC 2015
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n light of the things making the news lately, I’ve heard the question over and over again, “What is happening in our world?” Apparently it’s really nothing new. In the late 1930’s, Watchman Nee, a Chinese believer, wrote a series of lessons that were put in a book titled Love Not The World. Nee states, “Today the world comes and searches us out. There is a force abroad now which is captivating men. Have you ever heard so much talk about money? Have you ever thought so much about food and clothing? Wherever you go, even among Christians, the things of the world are the topics of conversation. The world has advanced to the very door of the Church and is seeking to draw even the saints of God into its grasp.” That was written almost 70 years before the launch of Facebook to the public! Can you imagine what he would think now, when the “world” is constantly at our fingertips?! The Bible has a lot to say about the “world” too. 1 John 2:15 tells us not to love the world or the things in the world. Romans 12:2 says not to be conformed to this world, and James 4:4 asks, “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?”
But, as a follower of Jesus we are also told in Mark 16:15 to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Matthew 5:14 tells us that we are to be the light to the world. So, as Christians, how do we do both? The challenge is to be “in” the world, but not “of ” the world. According to Nee, “We overcome the world not by giving up the world’s things but by being other-worldly in a positive way: by possessing, that is, love and a joy and a peace that the world cannot give and that men sorely need.” The only way to have love, joy and peace that will last in THIS world, is by having a relationship with our Heavenly Father through Jesus. A relationship that is active and ongoing; a relationship that allows me to know Him through worship, prayer and His Word; a relationship that transforms me, my thoughts, goals, ideas and dreams; a relationship that allows me to see people through His eyes and compels me to love others as He does. This is how His light shines in the darkness. I guess the world really hasn’t changed much at all.
LEADING BY EXAMPLE DENNIS GILLIAM Immanuel Member
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elissa and I came to know Christ very differently. She became a Christian at a young age, but didn’t grow spiritually until later in life; and I did not accept Christ until close to the end of college and unfortunately spent most of my teen years in rebellion. However, we both had strong, loving parents and Godly mentors who built some common heart desires into us that we are prayerfully attempting to build into Jonathan and Katherine. We believe it is our responsibility to not only personally share Christ with our kids, but to disciple them to know Christ, become more like Christ and to ultimately have a desire to make Him known here and around the world. As with many families, our lives seem to always be on the go, only briefly stopping to eat and sleep. Between church on Sunday and Wednesday, school, homework, sports, cheerleading, violin, fishing team and hanging out with friends (not to mention our jobs), “sit down” family time is really hard to find. However, we don’t believe that gives us an excuse to ignore our responsibility as Godly leaders to our children. In fact, we see it as all the more important to do and have discovered ways, in the midst of their crazy schedules, to help build Godly character in their lives while having good quality time with them, watching them grow and allowing them to see us “doing ministry”.
One way has been to take leadership roles in things they are involved in such as serving as Sunday school teachers, leading a group on Wednesday nights during the ZONE, offering our home to host their grades for the DNOW weekend and seizing any other opportunities both at church and in their schools. Another way we help build Godly character in their lives is simply discussing their day, looking at what the Bible says, and then seeing how they could have applied those Biblical principles to their day’s events. After talking it through, we pray with them about the issue, which allows us to model prayer and gives us the chance to hear their heart while they are praying. It also helps them apply Philippians 4:6-7 . . .to pray about everything. Lastly, Melissa and I both have a heart for college students, especially those students that have not had the same advantages as our children. For the last 6 years or so, we have been able to be in the lives of several of the students and show them the love of Christ through allowing them to be a part of our family during holidays, weekends and at church, as well as opening our home to a couple of the students that needed a place to live for short periods of time. Besides being able to show Christ to the students, we are teaching Jonathan and Katherine to have servant hearts and to care for and show love to everyone (Matthew 25:45).
FAMILY PARENT’S NIGHT OUT
NOV. 10 // DEC.8 // 6-9PM Hey parents! Do you need a date night or just some time to yourself ? Let us keep your babies – 5th graders and give you the night off! To reserve a spot, sign up in the Preschool Foyer on the Sunday before.
KINDERSONGS CHRISTMAS CONCERT
DECEMBER 13 // 5-7PM Preschoolers and their families are welcome to come to this fun and silly Christmas concert by Brian & Terri Kinder! Dinner will be served before the concert.
CHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS MUSIC
DECEMBER 20 // 6-7PM Parents! Come watch your child perform in our annual Children’s Christmas Musical. This is a great way for your family to experience the joy of Christmas in worship.
ACTEENS MEETING
NOV. 22 // DEC. 13 // 12-2PM Calling all Middle & High School girls who care about missions! Join us for our November and December Acteens meetings! Contact Melissa Sponer for info!
LOTTIE MOON POST OFFICE Mail your Christmas cards to Immanuel members for 25 cents apiece; proceeds go to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. Open Sundays and Wednesdays from December 6th through December 20th. Last year, a record $567.55 was given through the Lottie Moon Post Office.
GIVE GIFTS GIVE TIME GIVE THANKS SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22
ANNUAL OCC PACKING PARTY & THANKSGIVING DINNER This annual event is the perfect way to serve and fellowship as a family! You and your family will Pack Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes with presents for children in need around the world. Afterward, our entire church will join together for Thanksgiving dinner in a time of thanks and worship! 4:00-5:30 Packing Party // Horne Hall 5:00-6:30 Dinner & Worship // Gym
ADULTS FLAG FOOTBALL
SUNDAYS // 3PM Join our REC ministry for flag football!
PRAYER WALKING MADE EASY
WOMEN’S CELEBRATION SAVE THE DATE // JANUARY 26
DARLA AMOS
CELEBRATION OF LIFE
NOVEMBER 4//6PM // CHAPEL Our whole church is invited to this memorial service as we celebrate the lives of our members who have gone to heaven in the past two years.
DR. ARNOLD G. FRUCHTENBAUM
SPECIAL MIDWEEK SERVICE DEC. 2 // 6-7PM // SANCTUARY Known for his knowledge of the biblical history of Israel, Dr. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum is one of the finest Bible exegetes of our time. As a Messianic Jew, Dr. Fruchtenbaum has reached the jewish people for nearly five decades.
HOLIDAY SCHEDULE
OFFICE CLOSURES Our church offices will be closed during the holidays of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. Visit the Now at Immanuel page at www.ibclr.org for a complete list of office closing times and dates. NO SERVICES OR ACTIVITIES The evening of Sunday, December 27. The evening of Wednesday, December 23 or December 30. JOINT WORSHIP SERVICE December 27 // 10:00 AM
BIG DAY
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 6 David Brickner will be our special guest at this annual celebration of Being present, Inviting others and Giving generously.
Immanuel Member
CHRISTMAS AT
IMMANUEL LOVE HAS COME CHRISTMAS MUSIC SERVICE
Sunday, December 13 Both Services
The theme this year for our annual Christmas Musical Service is “Love Has Come.” Join us in worship as we sing of Immanuel, God with us, and celebrate the arrival of his love on this Earth.
CHRISTMAS EVE CANDLELIGHT SERVICE
Thursday, December 24 5:00-6:00 pm
Join us for this beautiful service as we remember and celebrate the coming of our Savior.
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Peter 4:9 says: “Practice hospitality to one another. And do it ungrudgingly.” As a Hospitality Team member, I’m grateful for the opportunity to be part of a welcoming and hospitable body of believers who take scripture to heart as they become the “hands and feet” of Christ.
God brings prayer needs across the threshold each week: people with health challenges, bereavement issues, relationship difficulties, visitors with benevolence needs, people who do not know Christ or families seeking a church home.
When I joined Immanuel, the church was preparing for the move to our current location, and there was a great need for Hospitality Team members. Being so new to the church, I understood the value of a team that could make a difference by assisting others in choosing a Sunday School class, helping them find their way around the building or simply making everyone feel at home. The team as a whole understood that whatever our task, the most important thing was to reflect the love of the One we represented. It is a real joy to meet guests as I welcome them to Immanuel, and serve our members as the team seeks to minister to those in need. Serving on the Hospitality Team has truly been a ministry in unexpected ways. I believe when we ask and keep our spiritual eyes open, God provides additional ministry opportunities wherever He has placed us. This has certainly been true of time spent at the South entrance to the building. Serving in that spot is like “prayer walking made easy,” or prayer walking without the walking part!
If you are looking for a place of service, why not consider joining the Hospitality Team? There are an abundance of needs to be filled that have potential to make an eternal impact in someone’s life. “Contribute to the needs of God’s people; pursue the practice of hospitality” (Romans 12:13). Scripture quotes are from the Amplified New Testament.
city, all in search of dialogue and friendship, I met a monk who agreed to give me a tour of the temple, and thus the friendship began.
REACHING THE KHMER KROM DR. MARK A
Associate Pastor for Missions & Evangelism
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’ve been thinking about this Jesus, and I have a question: what is the core, central teaching of Jesus in one word?” This question was posed to me over a cup of coffee by an influential Buddhist Monk in downtown Saigon in late June. This monk belongs to a very distinct ethnic group known as the Khmer Krom, a group that numbers 7 million in South Vietnam and Cambodia. Before I share with you my answer to him, allow me to shed light on why this particular conversation was so significant. As a church, we have engaged several unreached people groups the past five years, but I believe we are now ready to engage unreached and unengaged people groups – what missiologists refer to as UUPGs. No one is sharing the Gospel and no workers have been sent to actively engage these people with Jesus. The Khmer Krom fall into this category. Many live their entire lives without hearing the name of Jesus, or hearing the message of how our King loves them too. Most are extremely poor rice farmers and opportunities for advancement in their society are limited. As a result, many young men seek to become monks in the Buddhist temples. Roughly 95% have practiced a strict form of Buddhism for multiple generations and monasteries and farms form the essence of their identity, as
these two institutions safeguard their unique cultural personality. In fact, my monk friend mentioned many times how proud his family is of his service and dedication as a monk. So how does one start the conversation about Jesus among the Khmer Krom? They are highly distrustful of outsiders, particularly Westerners, and targets of discrimination from both Vietnamese and Cambodians. Their entire culture is held together by a strict adherence to Theravada Buddhism which rejects the idea of a Creator God, let alone an incarnation of him through his Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus had a simple strategy. In Luke 10, Jesus sent his followers out in sets of two to search for “men of peace” who would be receptive to their message. The man of peace would, in time, become the primary portal through which the entire village would hear (and see!) the Gospel message. Trusting His lead, I set out on February 7 in downtown Saigon to search for a “man of peace” among the Krom. I had a promise from God, a Bible, a map, a little bus fare and no leads. Little did I know the Lord had already prepared a man of peace, and that this person would be none other than a highly influential Buddhist monk (much like the one pictured above). After searching for, locating, and finally entering two Khmer temples on the outskirts of the
Not knowing the outcome of this encounter, I continued my search for men of peace the day after we met. I went into the poorest province of Cambodia, and after circling the village and market in prayer, I went booth to booth and hut to hut searching for receptive people. The Lord opened the door that day for connections with a physics teacher, a family of five and a government worker. Only one had ever even heard the name of Jesus. They were polite, a bit mystified, and clearly curious about this “God who forgives.” Could these be the men of peace? The following day, I received word from my monk friend that he was granted permission to meet me for further discussion on worldview, religion and culture. I caught a bus and journeyed back into South Vietnam. That evening, we spent the first hour discussing his teachings on Buddhism and hearing his story of becoming a monk. During the second hour, I shared my story of becoming a follower of Jesus and laid out the entire Gospel message from beginning to end. He spent the third hour asking questions about the nature and character of Jesus and this God who “forgives.” I stood in awe as I watched the Lord, out of His abundant love, move this monk from ignorance to curiosity to openness in one deep conversation. Two weeks ago, we met again in Saigon and continued our conversation. It was during that time he asked the question posed in the beginning sentence. The answer: surrender. Jesus taught his followers that no amount of rule-keeping, rituals, ceremonies, or moral
living would ever be enough to achieve true and lasting peace with the one, true, living God. By admitting our broken state, we give up on our own efforts to achieve this peace, ask His forgiveness for our rebellion against Him, and accept His perfect and final sacrifice to achieve lasting peace. A more counter-cultural message does not exist for this Buddhist monk, who has built his entire life on the exact opposite. The Khmer Krom remain unreached and unengaged for a reason: they are very difficult to locate, access and penetrate with any meaningful form of Gospel dialogue. But if not us at Immanuel, then who? If not now, then when? We can’t wait any longer. Praying for the unreached is a starting point, but it must not be our ending point. The Khmer Krom people were created by God, are deeply loved by Him and He alone deserves to be worshipped by them. As our conversation came to a close, he invited me to go with him to the Krom villages in South Vietnam to meet his friends and family. During this time my friend shared his true reason for being in Saigon: he is being trained to give leadership to the 400 Krom Buddhist temples in South Vietnam. Who would have envisioned that next steps in our relationship may include a multi-day journey into the heartland of the Krom as a guest of one of their leading religious authorities? I certainly didn’t. God did.
NOVEMBER & DECEMBER GO TRIPS BE IN PRAYER FOR OUR UPCOMING TRIPS TO NEW YORK, SOUTHEAST ASIA AND THE AMAZON.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL WARREN GORMAN Recreation Associate
We love our sports in America and arguably none dominates more than college football. Even non-football fans have a favorite team if you ask them. Football dominates schedules in the fall. For instance, on the Little Rock Community Calendar there are an extra five pages of events on the one weekend where Arkansas does not play football! That is nearly 100 extra events. The reason: no one wants to go head to head with the Hogs, your event will lose every time.
for and if we love it more than Him. Paul tells us that “everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial.” So, being a fan and loving a sport or team is permissible, but the challenge is making it beneficial.
It dominates news coverage, water cooler discussions, event scheduling and it saturates our lives. The church is not beyond its reach. Church attendance is affected by home or away games, wins or losses. Between its tradition and fervor, college football is nearly a religion in and of itself. For those of us who have lived any length of time in the south we are already all too aware of this or at least recognize the reality.
What if this football season, while cheering on your team, you make plans to be intentional for the Kingdom? God is in the business of reconciling all things to Himself and He has given us the ministry of reconciliation (Colossians 1). So it makes sense for us to use all things to spread the good news of the gospel. Perhaps it looks like inviting your neighbor or co-worker over to watch the game with you, so that you can begin to build a relationship and share the good news with them. Or maybe whether your team wins or loses, you choose not to let it derail your whole day or weekend (or the whole next week) because you have a kingdom perspective and realize that it is a game.
So, for these three to four months of the year where our lives are consumed by the madness that is college football, how should we as followers of Christ live? Football isn’t inherently good or bad. I don’t think God is particularly concerned with who wins or loses, although I must confess that I have prayed on more than one occasion for my team to win. What I do believe God is concerned with is this: what we use football
We see players, like Russell Wilson or Tim Tebow, take the talents God has given them and use them to tell others about Christ. Why can’t we do the same? Maybe our talents aren’t the same or we don’t have as many, but Jesus’ parable about the talents had nothing to do with how many each servant has but everything to do with how they use them. This season cheer on your team and see how you can use football to advance the Kingdom.
RESOURCES IN THE PARENT LANDING • CHRISTIAN PARENTING CHEAT SHEETS
Need some ideas to help teach your kids about thankfulness during Thanksgiving? What about increasing their faith and gratitude at Christmas? Stop by the Parent Landing and pick up your Christian Parenting Cheat Sheet for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Each cheat sheet has 7 mini-challenges that will help your family make the most of the holiday season. These challenges are great for families of all ages.
ON RIGHTNOW MEDIA // www.rightnow.org • NEST FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT
Nest Family Entertainment produces accurate cartoon portrayals of Bible stories. While slower in pace than VeggieTales, the content is far more accurate and will help bring the Bible to life for your kids. Go to RightNow Media and search for ‘nest entertainment’ and check out their Animated Stories from the Bible or Animated Stories from the New Testament today. These free videos are perfect for families with younger children
STAFF HIGHLIGHT
DEANA LOYD Deana Loyd, who was born in Memphis but grew up at Immanuel under the name of Deana Ashworth, is who we are celebrating! She is the middle child of Pat & Dean Ashworth, and sister to Kay and Phillip. She studied at Ouachita Baptist before moving to Russellville where she met her husband, Bob, who is now pastor of Cross Road Baptist Church in Little Rock. Deana is an encourager which comes in handy while she cheers for her son, Riley, in baseball and football. Deana is the assistant to Pastor Gary, who says, “Gwen (his wife) makes sure he gets to work, and Deana makes sure he gets home!” Deana is kind, friendly, and loves life! If you don’t know Deana then come on up to the office and meet her…you’ll be glad you did!
501 N. SHACKLEFORD RD. | LITTLE ROCK, AR 72211